WO2019131534A1 - Cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

Provided is a cooling device capable of properly cooling a refrigerant and keeping the temperature of the refrigerant at an appropriate temperature. The cooling device includes a cooling unit having an internal space for containing an object, measuring means for measuring a temperature corresponding to the temperature of the object contained in the internal space, and control means for controlling the temperature of the internal space on the basis of the result of the measurement obtained by the measuring means, wherein, on the basis of the result of the measurement, the control means executes control to change the temperature of the internal space from a first set temperature which is lower than a temperature at which solidification of the liquid phase object begins, to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature and lower than the melting temperature of the object.

Description

Cooling system

The present invention relates to a cooling device.

In recent years, in order to maintain the quality of food products and medicines, there is a demand for a technique for maintaining the object to be cooled at a constant temperature.
Priority is claimed on Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-253662, filed Dec. 28, 2017, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

Here, the "constant temperature" to be obtained differs depending on the object to be cooled. For example, in the case where the material to be stored is a pharmaceutical, it is required to store the material to be stored at 2 ° C. to 8 ° C. In addition, when the object to be stored cold is fresh fish and shellfish, it is preferable to store cold at a temperature different from that of the pharmaceutical.

Heretofore, as described above, a cold insulating material for cooling a cold insulating target at a temperature different from “0 ° C.” which is the melting point of ice is known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The cold storage material described in Patent Document 1 has a melting temperature of 0 to 10 ° C., and can preferably maintain a cold storage target at a desired temperature. For example, a cold storage material having a melting temperature of 5 ° C. can be suitably used for the cold storage of an object to be cooled which is required to be stored at 2 ° C.-8 ° C.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2007-163045

In use, it is necessary to freeze the cold storage material described in Patent Document 1 in advance with a freezer or the like to change it to a solid phase. For example, when the cold insulator is frozen in a freezer, the cold insulator is cooled to the temperature in the freezer after being changed to a solid phase. Therefore, even if the melting temperature is 5 ° C., if the freezing temperature of the freezer is −5 ° C., the cooling material which has changed to the solid phase (frozen) is also cooled to −5 ° C. Become.

Thus, the cold insulator cooled to −5 ° C. is not suitable, for example, because the temperature is too low when the object to be cold-cooled is required to be cold-cooled to 2 ° C. to 8 ° C. Therefore, there is a problem that after the cold insulating material is removed from the freezer, the cold insulating material can not be used until the temperature of the cold insulating material becomes an appropriate temperature.

This invention is made in view of such a situation, and while cooling a cold-storage material appropriately, it aims at providing a cooling device which can keep a cold-storage material warm at appropriate temperature.

In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the present invention is a cooling unit having an internal space for accommodating an object, and a measuring means for measuring a temperature corresponding to the temperature of the object accommodated in the internal space. And controlling means for controlling the temperature of the internal space based on the measurement result by the measuring means, wherein the control means controls the temperature of the internal space based on the measurement result to the target object of the liquid phase. The cooling device is controlled to change from a first set temperature lower than a temperature at which B starts to solidify to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature and lower than the melting temperature of the object.

In one aspect of the present invention, after the control means detects the heat of solidification of the object and the melting temperature based on the measurement result, a reference temperature at which the measurement result is a temperature lower than the melting temperature. It may be configured to control the temperature of the internal space to be changed from the first set temperature to the second set temperature by detecting that it has become.

In one aspect of the present invention, after detecting the melting temperature based on the measurement result, the control means further detects that the measurement result has become a reference temperature that is lower than the melting temperature. Thus, the temperature of the internal space may be controlled to be changed from the first set temperature to the second set temperature.

In one aspect of the present invention, the control means acquires the temperature of the object per unit time from the measurement means, and detects the heat of coagulation based on the amount of change per unit time of the measurement result. It is good also as composition.

In one aspect of the present invention, the control means acquires the temperature of the object per unit time from the measurement means, and detects the melting temperature based on the amount of change per unit time of the measurement result. It is good also as composition.

In one aspect of the present invention, the control means may be configured to be capable of changing the unit time.

In one aspect of the present invention, the cooling unit has a placement unit for placing the object, and the measurement unit is a contact-type temperature sensor provided in the placement unit. Good.

In one aspect of the present invention, the temperature sensor may have a plurality of probes, and the plurality of probes may be provided in the placement unit.

In one aspect of the present invention, the measurement means may be a non-contact temperature sensor provided in the internal space.

In one aspect of the present invention, the cooling unit includes a placement unit on which the object is placed, and the placement unit includes a measuring unit configured to measure a mass of the object, the control unit Is configured to approximate the estimated cooling time of the total amount of the object contained in the internal space, based on the estimated cooling time per unit mass of the object stored in advance and the measurement result of the measuring means. It is also good.

In one aspect of the present invention, the internal space is spatially divided into a first space and a second space different from the first space, and the object is divided from the first space into the second space. The first space is provided with the measuring means, and the first space is provided so as to be changeable between the first set temperature and the second set temperature, and the second space is provided with the second space. The third set temperature may be set to be higher than one set temperature and lower than the melting temperature of the target.

In one aspect of the present invention, the cooling unit may have a cooling unit that cools the internal space, and the cooling unit may be a compressor-type cooling unit.

In one aspect of the present invention, the cooling unit may include cooling means for cooling the internal space, and the cooling means may be a Peltier cooling unit.

In one aspect of the present invention, the control unit has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound, and the control unit causes the alarm unit to output the alarm sound after changing the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature. It is good also as composition.

In one aspect of the present invention, an alarm unit for outputting an alarm sound is provided, and the control means changes the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature, and the temperature of the internal space is the second set temperature. The alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit after the alarm has been reached.

In one aspect of the present invention, the control unit has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound, and the control unit changes the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature, and the temperature of the object is the second set temperature. The alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit after the alarm has been reached.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, while cooling a cold-storage material (target object) appropriately, the cooling device which can keep a cold-storage material warm at appropriate temperature can be provided.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the cooling device 1 of 1st Embodiment. FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a cooling device 1; It is an explanatory view explaining control of interior space S based on temperature of cold storage material I. It is an explanatory view explaining control of interior space S based on temperature of cold storage material I. It is an explanatory view explaining control of interior space S based on temperature of cold storage material I. It is an explanatory view explaining control of interior space S based on temperature of cold storage material I. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling device 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling device 3 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling device 4 which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling device 5 which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling device 5 which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling device 6 which concerns on 6th Embodiment.

First Embodiment
Hereinafter, a cooling device according to a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. In addition, in all the following drawings, in order to make a drawing intelligible, the dimension, the ratio, etc. of each component are suitably varied.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing a cooling device 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the cooling device 1. The cooling device 1 is a device capable of appropriately cooling the cold storage material (target object) I to be cooled and keeping the cold storage material I at an appropriate temperature.

In the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, a cold-storage material I using a phase change material that is liquid at normal temperature and becomes solid by cooling is adopted as an object to be cooled. The cold-storage material I adopts, for example, a form in which the phase change material is sealed in a liquid-tight manner in a bag-like container.

As a phase change material used for the cold insulator I, a commonly known material can be used. As an example, mention is made of solutions mainly composed of one or more salts selected from the group consisting of quaternary ammonium salts, potassium salts and sodium salts, or materials obtained by adding an additive for the purpose of suppressing supercooling to these solutions. be able to. The main agent may be a material constituting a clathrate hydrate.

The “clathrate hydrate” is a crystal in which another substance (molecule, salt) intrudes into the cage-like structure of water molecules formed by hydrogen bonding. For example, aqueous solutions of quaternary ammonium salts of a given concentration are known to form clathrate hydrates upon cooling. The clathrate hydrate absorbs heat as the crystals of the cage structure form as the phase change material stores latent heat during phase change. Thus, clathrate hydrates can be used as well as phase change materials.

Sodium tetraborate can be mentioned as an additive for the purpose of supercooling suppression. For example, when tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) is used as a quaternary ammonium salt, sodium tetraborate is additionally used by adding 2% of the mass of the aqueous TBAB solution to a 40% by mass aqueous TBAB solution (hereinafter referred to as aqueous TBAB solution) Thus, the supercooling of the obtained aqueous solution can be suppressed.

Besides, as the phase change material, a material widely known as a latent heat storage material can be used.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment includes a cooling unit 10, a temperature sensor (measurement means) 20, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The cooling unit 10 has an internal space S that accommodates a cold storage material I to be cooled. The cooling unit 10 includes an apparatus main body 101, a door member 102, and a cooling unit (cooling means) 108.

The apparatus main body 101 has an internal space S connected to the outside through the opening 101a. The door member 102 is attached to the opening 101 a of the apparatus main body 101 so as to be openable and closable. The internal space S is a space surrounded by the apparatus main body 101 and the door member 102.

The apparatus main body 101 and the door member 102 may have a generally known heat insulating structure. Further, although the apparatus main body 101 has the opening 101 a on the side surface of the apparatus main body 101 in the drawing, the present invention is not limited to this, and an opening may be provided on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 101.

The apparatus main body 101 has a placement unit 103 for placing the cold insulating material I in the lower part of the internal space S. In the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, a temperature sensor 20 and a mass sensor (measuring means) 104 are provided in the mounting unit 103.

The temperature sensor 20 measures the temperature of the cold insulating material I placed on the placement unit 103. The temperature sensor 20 is a contact sensor that contacts the cold insulator I and measures the temperature of the cold insulator I. For example, the temperature sensor 20 has a probe on the top surface of the placement unit 103, and detects the temperature of the cold insulator I in contact with the probe.

For example, the temperature sensor 20 outputs discrete measurement results to the control unit 30. The user of the cooling device 1 can set the interval of the temperature measurement by the temperature sensor 20 appropriately.

The mass sensor 104 measures the mass of the cold insulator I placed on the placement unit 103.

The cooling unit 108 is provided, for example, in the apparatus main body 101, and cools the internal space S based on a control signal input from the control unit 30. As the cooling unit 108, for example, a conventionally known configuration such as a compressor-type cooling unit or a Peltier-type cooling unit can be employed. Further, as a cooling method using the cooling unit 108, a fan type or a direct cooling type which is a generally known method can be adopted.

The control unit 30 sends a control signal to the cooling unit 108 based on the measurement results of the temperature sensor 20 and the mass sensor 104 to control the temperature of the internal space S. The specific control method will be described later. The control unit 30 may have a monitor 31 that displays various measurement results and calculation results.

In addition, the cooling device 1 may have an alarm unit 109 that outputs an alarm sound under predetermined conditions.

3 to 6 are explanatory diagrams for explaining control of the internal space S based on the temperature of the cold insulator I.

(When the cold insulator I is subcooled)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory view showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled using the conventional cooling device. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the correspondence between the cooling time of the cold insulator I and the temperature of the cold insulator I. As shown in FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 3 indicates the cooling time, and the vertical axis indicates the temperature of the cold insulator I.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the cold insulator I at the temperature T is cooled. The temperature T is, for example, normal temperature, and the phase change material at the temperature T exhibits a liquid phase. Further, the melting temperature of the phase change material contained in the cold insulating material I is assumed to be the temperature Tb.

The temperature of the cold insulator I is changed from the temperature T to the temperature Tx when the cold insulator I shown in the figure is cooled by the conventional cooling device set to a temperature (temperature Tx) sufficiently low to solidify the cold insulator I. To decline. In the phase change material in the liquid phase, the molecules of the phase change material move around freely, but the movement weakens as the temperature decreases, and gradually solidifies (solidifies, crystallizes).

At this time, even if the temperature of the phase change material decreases to the melting temperature of the phase change material, solidification of the phase change material does not start, and the temperature may further decrease. Such a phenomenon is known as "supercooling". FIG. 3 shows that when the cold insulator I at the temperature T is cooled, the temperature of the cold insulator I falls below the melting temperature Tb and falls to the temperature Ta at time t1 (from time t0 to time t1).

The temperature of the cold insulator I starts to rise after decreasing to the temperature Ta. This is a phenomenon that occurs because the phase change material of the cold insulator I starts to solidify and releases latent heat. The temperature of the cold insulator I rises until reaching the melting temperature Tb of the phase change material at time t2 (from time t1 to time t2).

The temperature Ta corresponds to the “temperature at which solidification starts” in the present invention. Further, the difference between the melting temperature Tb and the temperature Ta corresponds to the heat of solidification of the phase change material contained in the cold storage material I.

In the cold storage material I whose temperature has reached the melting temperature Tb, solidification of the phase change material proceeds while maintaining the melting temperature Tb (from time t2 to time t3). Between time t1 and time t3, in the phase change material of the cold insulator I, the solid phase and the liquid phase are mixed.

After solidification of the phase change material is finished (time t2) and all phase change materials become solid phase, the temperature of the cold insulator I starts to decrease again. The cold insulating material I is lowered to the temperature Tx which is the set temperature of the cooling device.

As described above, when the cold insulating material I is cooled by the conventional cooling device, the cold insulating material I is cooled to the temperature Tx which is the set temperature of the cooling device, and is maintained at the temperature.

On the other hand, when the phase change material contained in the cold storage material I melts, the cold storage material I is kept constant at the melting temperature of the phase change material. Therefore, the cold storage material I is suitably used when keeping the temperature of the cold storage target at the melting temperature of the phase change material contained in the cold storage material I.

Therefore, in the case of cooling the cold insulating material I by the conventional cooling device, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device is at a temperature lower than the temperature at which the cold insulating material I is suitably used. It was necessary to wait until the melting temperature of the material was reached.

On the other hand, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment measures the temperature of the cold insulator I using the temperature sensor 20, and the control unit 30 controls the temperature of the internal space S based on the measurement result.

FIG. 4: is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the temperature change of the cold-storage material I when cooling the cold-storage material I using the cooling device 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the correspondence between the cooling time of the cold insulator I and the temperature of the cold insulator I, which corresponds to FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 4 indicates the cooling time, and the vertical axis indicates the temperature of the cold insulator I.

As shown in the figure, the control unit 30 sets the set temperature of the internal space S to a temperature Tx lower than the temperature Ta at which the phase change material of the cold storage material I starts to solidify, and controls the cooling unit 108. The temperature of the internal space S is controlled. The temperature Tx corresponds to the “first set temperature” in the present invention.

The temperature of the cold insulating material I accommodated in the internal space S of the cooling device 1 decreases from the temperature T toward the temperature Tx. The temperature of the cold storage material I is raised to the melting temperature Tb after the temperature of the phase change material used for the cold storage material I is lowered to a temperature Ta at which the phase change material starts to solidify.

After the solidification of the phase change material of cold storage material I is completed (time t3) and all the phase change materials become solid phase, the temperature of cold storage material I begins to decrease again. The control unit 30 obtains each temperature necessary for control of the cooling device 1 as follows based on the measurement result by the temperature sensor 20.

In the cooling device 1, the temperature sensor 20 measures the temperature of the cold insulator I. The control unit 30 uses the measurement interval of the temperature by the temperature sensor 20 and the measurement result acquired from the temperature sensor 20 to obtain the change amount of the temperature of the cold insulator I per unit time. That is, the control unit 30 obtains the slope of the tangent at each measurement time of the graph shown in FIG. The “measurement interval of temperature by the temperature sensor 20” corresponds to “unit time” in the present specification.

The control unit 30 can obtain the temperature Ta and the melting temperature Tb from the obtained variation. That is, the control unit 30 can obtain, as the temperature Ta, the temperature in the measurement time in which the obtained change amount shifts from negative to positive.

Further, the control unit 30 can determine that the calculated amount of change is equal to or less than a predetermined reference, and can determine that the temperature of the cold insulator I has not changed, and a state where the temperature of the cold insulator I does not change is previously determined. The temperature can be determined as the melting temperature Tb when continuing for a longer period of time.

At this time, when the measured temperature of the cold storage material I falls within a predetermined swing range, the control unit 30 may determine that “the cold storage material I has not changed in temperature”. For example, in the case where the cooling unit 108 is a compressor type cooling unit, the temperature of the internal space S may change periodically and may not be stable. Such a phenomenon is known as so-called "hunting".

In the cooling device 1 using the compressor type cooling unit, there is a possibility that the temperature drop at the time of hunting may be mistaken as the temperature drop when the solidification of the cold insulator I ends and the temperature of the cold insulator I starts to fall again. Therefore, it is preferable to estimate the fluctuation range of the temperature due to hunting beforehand, and if the temperature change of the cold insulator I is within the fluctuation range, it may be determined that the cold insulator I does not change in temperature.

When the compressor type cooling unit 108 is used, the control unit 30 may control the cooling unit 108 by so-called PID control to suppress the hunting.

Further, the control unit 30 can obtain the heat of solidification (Tb−Ta) of the phase change material used for the cold storage material I from the temperature Ta and the melting temperature Tb obtained as described above.

After the control unit 30 detects the solidification heat and the melting temperature Tb of the cold insulating material I as described above based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor 20, the temperature of the cold insulating material I is further lower than the melting temperature Tb. If it is detected that it becomes Tr, it is good to reset the temperature of the internal space S (time t4).

That is, when detecting that the temperature of cold storage material I has become reference temperature Tr, control unit 30 changes the set temperature of internal space S from temperature Tx to temperature Ty higher than temperature Tx and lower than melting temperature Tb. To control. The temperature Ty corresponds to the "second set temperature" in the present invention.

The temperature Ty may be appropriately set by using the temperature Tx, which is the initial set temperature, and the determined melting temperature Tb by the control unit 30, or may be set by the user.

The control unit 30 may output an alarm sound from the alarm unit 109 after changing the set temperature of the internal space S to the temperature Ty. Thereby, the user of the cooling device 1 can know the temperature of the internal space S indirectly.

The control unit 30 controls the cooling unit 108 to control the temperature of the internal space S to the temperature Ty.

Although FIG. 4 shows that the temperature Ty is lower than the reference temperature Tr, it is not limited thereto. For example, if the temperature Ty is equal to or higher than the reference temperature Tr and smaller than the melting temperature Tb (Tr ≦ Ty <Tb), it is better.

In the cooling device 1 in which the temperature of the internal space S is reset to Ty, the temperature of the internal space S is increased from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty. At the same time, the temperature of the cold insulator I is also cooled to the temperature Ty and kept at this temperature.

(When the cold insulator I is not subcooled)
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled using the conventional cooling device, and corresponds to FIG. 3. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the correspondence between the cooling time of the cold insulator I and the temperature of the cold insulator I. As shown in FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 5 represents the cooling time, and the vertical axis represents the temperature of the cold insulator I.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the cold insulator I at the temperature T is cooled. The temperature of the cold insulator I is changed from the temperature T to the temperature Tx when the cold insulator I shown in the figure is cooled by the conventional cooling device set to a temperature (temperature Tx) sufficiently low to solidify the cold insulator I. To decline. In the phase change material in the liquid phase, the molecules of the phase change material move around freely, but the movement weakens as the temperature decreases, and gradually solidifies (solidifies, crystallizes).

In the cold storage material I whose temperature has reached the melting temperature Tb, solidification of the phase change material proceeds while maintaining the melting temperature Tb (from time t2 to time t3). Between the time t2 and the time t3, in the phase change material of the cold insulator I, the solid phase and the liquid phase are mixed.

After solidification of the phase change material is finished (time t3) and all phase change materials are in solid phase, the temperature of the cold insulating material I starts to decrease again. The cold insulating material I is lowered to the temperature Tx which is the set temperature of the cooling device.

As described above, when the cold insulating material I is cooled by the conventional cooling device, the cold insulating material I is cooled to the temperature Tx which is the set temperature of the cooling device, and is maintained at the temperature.

The cooling device 1 of the present embodiment measures the temperature of the cold storage material I using the temperature sensor 20 with respect to such a cold storage material I, and the control unit 30 controls the temperature of the internal space S based on the measurement result. .

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled using the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, and is a diagram corresponding to FIG. The horizontal axis in FIG. 6 represents the cooling time, and the vertical axis represents the temperature of the cold insulator I.

First, the control unit 30 sets the set temperature of the internal space S to a temperature Tx lower than the melting temperature Tb of the cold insulator I, and controls the cooling unit 108 to control the temperature of the internal space S. The temperature of the cold insulating material I accommodated in the internal space S of the cooling device 1 decreases from the temperature T toward the temperature Tx. The temperature of the cold storage material I maintains a constant temperature at the melting temperature Tb when the phase change material used for the cold storage material I reaches the melting temperature Tb.

After the solidification of the phase change material of cold storage material I is completed (time t3) and all phase change materials become solid phase, the temperature of cold storage material I begins to decrease again.

At this time, the control unit 30 detects the melting temperature Tb of the cold insulating material I as described above based on the measurement result of the temperature sensor 20, and then the reference temperature at which the temperature of the cold insulating material I is lower than the melting temperature Tb. If it is detected that it becomes Tr, it is good to reset the temperature of the internal space S (time t4).

That is, when detecting that the temperature of cold storage material I has become reference temperature Tr, control unit 30 changes the set temperature of internal space S from temperature Tx to temperature Ty higher than temperature Tx and lower than melting temperature Tb. To control. The temperature Ty corresponds to the "second set temperature" in the present invention.

The control unit 30 controls the cooling unit 108 to control the temperature of the internal space S to the temperature Ty. In the cooling device 1 in which the temperature of the internal space S is reset to Ty, the temperature of the internal space S is increased from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty. At the same time, the temperature of the cold insulator I is also cooled to the temperature Ty and kept at this temperature.

Although FIG. 6 shows that the temperature Ty is lower than the reference temperature Tr, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, if the temperature Ty is equal to or higher than the reference temperature Tr and smaller than the melting temperature Tb (Tr ≦ Ty <Tb), it is better.

The control unit 30 may change the temperature of the internal space S to the temperature Ty, and output an alarm sound from the alarm unit 109 after the temperature of the internal space S reaches the temperature Ty (time t5). Thereby, the user of the cooling device 1 can know the temperature of the internal space S indirectly.

The control unit 30 may change the temperature of the internal space S to the temperature Ty, and output an alarm sound from the alarm unit 109 after the temperature of the cold insulator I reaches the temperature Ty (time t6). Thus, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulator I.

According to the cooling device 1 configured as described above, it is possible to appropriately cool and solidify the cold-insulating material I, and to keep the temperature Ty higher than the temperature Tx when solidifying the cold-insulating material I. Therefore, compared with the case where the cold insulator I is kept warm at the temperature Tx, the cold insulator I reaches the melting temperature of the phase change material in a short time, and the cold insulator I taken out from the cooling device 1 is used early at an appropriate temperature. It becomes possible.

Further, in the cooling device 1 configured as described above, the temperature of the internal space S is raised to the temperature Ty according to the predetermined control after the solidification of the phase change material of the cold storage material I is completed (after the time t3 has elapsed). Do. Unlike the case where the temperature rise of the internal space S is performed according to the rule of thumb, the control based on the measured value is performed, so it is easy to control from the time t3 to the temperature rise control in a short time.

Moreover, in the cooling device 1 of the said structure, since the temperature of internal space S is controlled based on the measured value of the temperature of cold-storage material I, temperature control can be performed reliably, even if the kind of cold-storage material I changes.

From these, according to the cooling device 1 configured as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out of the cooling device 1 can be used early at an appropriate temperature.

In the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, the control unit 30 may change the measurement interval of the temperature by the temperature sensor 20. For example, when cooling material I of the same type and the same size is repeatedly cooled, it is possible to estimate and estimate about time t1 to t6 when the cooling material I is cooled according to the initial temperature T. In such a case, the temperature of the cold insulator I may be measured at fine measurement intervals in the vicinity of the time predicted as time t1 to t6, and otherwise the temperature of the cold insulator I may be measured at coarse measurement intervals.

Further, the control unit 30 may predict the temperature change of the cold insulator I based on the mass of the cold insulator I measured by the mass sensor 104. If the temperature change of the cold storage material I when the control unit 30 cools the cold storage material I at the temperature T using the cooling device 1 whose temperature in the internal space S is the temperature Tx, the specific heat of the cold storage material I The temperature change per unit mass of I can be estimated, and the times t1 to t6 for the unit mass cold insulator I can be estimated. Such an approximate value of the times t1 to t6 corresponds to "the assumed cooling time per unit mass" in the present invention.

The control unit 30 estimates the estimated cooling time of the entire amount of the cold storage material I accommodated in the internal space S based on the estimated cooling time per unit mass of the cold storage material I stored in advance and the measurement result of the mass sensor 104 can do. The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the cold insulator I at a fine measurement interval in the vicinity of the time predicted as the time t1 to t6 according to the assumed cooling time thus determined from the mass of the cold insulator I, and is rough otherwise. The temperature of the cold insulator I may be measured at measurement intervals.

The control unit 30 may display the calculated “estimated cooling time of the whole amount of the cold storage material I” on the monitor 31.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, after detecting that the temperature of the cold storage material I has become the reference temperature Tr lower than the melting temperature Tb, the control unit 30 changes the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty. Although it was decided to control to do, it is not restricted to this.

For example, after detecting that the temperature of the cold insulator I starts to fall again, the control unit 30 may control to change the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty without waiting . By performing such control, the control unit 30 can control the temperature of the internal space S without waiting from time t3 to time t4 in FIGS. Therefore, the cooling device 1 that performs such control can shorten the time until the cold storage material I becomes usable.

Further, after detecting that the temperature of the cold storage material I has started to fall again, the control unit 30 changes the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty after a preset reference time has elapsed. It may be controlled to Control is facilitated by the control unit 30 performing such timer control.

In the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 20 is a contact sensor that measures the temperature of the cold storage material I in contact with the cold storage material I, and the temperature of the cold storage material I is directly measured. Not exclusively.

For example, the probe of the temperature sensor 20 may be brought close to the cold insulator I so as not to contact the cold insulator I, the ambient temperature may be measured, and the solidification heat of the cold insulator I may be detected indirectly from the measurement result. Also, even if a heat transfer jig made of a material having a high thermal conductivity is brought close to the cold insulator I, and the temperature of the heat transfer jig is measured, the heat of solidification of the cold insulator I can be detected indirectly. Good.

Second Embodiment
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a cooling device 2 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 2 of this embodiment is partially common to the cooling device 1 of the first embodiment. The same reference numerals are given to constituent elements common to the first embodiment in the following embodiments, and the detailed description will be omitted.

The cooling device 2 includes a cooling unit 10, a temperature sensor (measurement means) 21, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The apparatus main body 101 has a plurality of (three in FIG. 7) placement parts 103 for placing the cold insulating material I in the internal space S. In the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, a temperature sensor 21 is provided in the placement unit 103.

The temperature sensor 21 is provided in the placement unit 103 and measures the temperature of the cold insulator I accommodated in the internal space S. The temperature sensor 21 is a contact sensor that contacts the cold insulator I and measures the temperature of the cold insulator I. The temperature sensor 21 has a plurality of probes 211 on the upper surface of the mounting portion 103, and detects the temperature of the cold insulator I in contact with each of the probes 211.

For example, the temperature sensor 21 outputs the measurement result of the cold insulator I detected by the plurality of probes 211 to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 detects the temperature of each of the plurality of cold insulators I, and obtains the temperature profile as shown in FIG. 4 or 6 of the first embodiment described above for each cold insulator I.

The control unit 30 may reset the temperature of the internal space S after detecting the reference temperature Tr for all the cold insulating materials I among the plurality of cold insulating materials I. In this case, the control unit 30 may change the temperature of the internal space S to the temperature Ty, and output an alarm sound from the alarm unit 109 after the temperatures of all the cold insulating materials I reach the temperature Ty. Thus, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulator I.

According to the cooling device 2 configured as described above, the plurality of cold insulators I can be appropriately cooled and solidified, and the temperature can be kept at a temperature Ty higher than the temperature Tx when the plurality of cold insulators I are solidified. it can. Therefore, the plurality of cold insulating materials I taken out from the cooling device 2 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage.

In the above description, although the case where the temperatures of the plurality of (three in FIG. 7) placement units 103 to be placed are managed collectively as the temperature of the internal space S is described, the present embodiment is limited to this. Absent. In the present embodiment, the temperature sensors 21 may be respectively provided to the plurality of placement units 103, and the control unit 30 may manage the temperature of the internal space S for each placement unit 103.

As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of placement units 103 may be arranged, for example, in the vertical direction in the internal space S to form a floor of three layers. For example, in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the order in which all the cold insulating materials I for each floor become the reference temperature Tr is the order of the placement unit 103 in the middle, the placement unit 103 at the top, and the placement unit 103 at the bottom. .

In this case, the control unit 30 first detects the reference temperature Tr for all the cold storage materials I placed on the placement unit 103 in the middle, and then resets the temperature of the placement unit 103 in the middle. The control unit 30 changes the temperature of the mounting unit 103 in the middle to the temperature Ty.

The alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit 109 after the temperatures of all the cold insulators I placed on the placement unit 103 in the middle reach the temperature Ty. Thus, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulator I placed on the placement unit 103 in the middle.

Next, the control unit 30 resets the temperature of the top mounting portion 103 after detecting the reference temperature Tr for all the cold insulating materials I mounted on the top mounting portion 103. The control unit 30 changes the temperature of the mounting unit 103 at the top to the temperature Ty.

The alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit 109 after the temperatures of all the cold-storage materials I placed on the uppermost placement unit 103 reach the temperature Ty. Thus, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold-insulating material I placed on the uppermost placement unit 103.

Next, the control unit 30 resets the temperature of the lowermost placement unit 103 after detecting the reference temperature Tr for all the cold insulating materials I placed on the lowest placement unit 103. The control unit 30 changes the temperature of the lowermost placement unit 103 to the temperature Ty.

The alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit 109 after the temperatures of all the cold insulating materials I placed on the lowermost placement unit 103 reach the temperature Ty. Thus, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold-insulating material I placed on the lowermost placement unit 103.

It should be noted that the alarm sound may be different after the temperature of all the cold insulating materials I placed on the placement unit 103 for each floor reaches the temperature Ty. By doing this, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold-insulating material I placed on the placement portion 103 of the floor.

As described above, the temperature can be reset by the control unit 30 in each of the placement units 103, and the alarm sound or the like can notify the timing when the cold insulator I can be used by the user for each floor. By doing this, for example, as described above, the cold-retaining tool I is included in the lowest placing portion 103 including the cold-retaining tool I whose slowing is the slowest and the placing portions 103 other than that (uppermost and middle). And are managed separately.

As described above, the control unit 30 manages the temperature of the inner space S for each placement unit 103, so that the cold storage is slowed the slowest in freezing, without being affected by the cold insulator I slowest in the entire inner space S. The cooling tool I contained in the mounting portion 103 of the floor that does not include the tool can be frozen. For this reason, it is prevented that the cooling material I contained in the mounting part 103 of the floor which does not include the cooling material with the slowest freezing is kept at the temperature for continuing freezing although it is already frozen. Can.

Third Embodiment
FIG. 8 is an explanatory view of a cooling device 3 according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 2 includes a cooling unit 10, temperature sensors (measurement means) 20 and 22, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The temperature sensor 22 is provided on the placement unit 103. The temperature sensor 22 measures the temperature of the reference material Ref placed on the placement unit 103. The reference material Ref employs one in which the reference material is sealed in a bag-like container. As a reference substance, a substance which is liquid at normal temperature and which does not change phase in a settable temperature range of the internal space S is adopted. The temperature of the reference material Ref measured by the temperature sensor 22 corresponds to the “temperature corresponding to the temperature of the object” in the present invention.

The container used for the reference material Ref and the container used for the cold insulator I are preferably the same container. Also, it is assumed that the mass of the reference material used for the reference material Ref, the specific heat, the surface area of the container for sealing the reference material, and the heat transfer coefficient are known.

In the cooling device 3, the reference material Ref is placed on the placement unit 103 together with the cold insulating material I and cooled. The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the reference material Ref using the temperature sensor 22, and obtains the temperature change of the reference material Ref and the time required for the temperature change. The control unit 30 can obtain the amount of heat released from the reference material Ref from the obtained measurement result, the mass of the reference material, the specific heat, the surface area of the container sealing the reference material, and the heat transfer coefficient. The control unit 30 can also obtain the amount of heat released by the reference material Ref per unit time.

On the other hand, control unit 30 measures the temperature of cold insulator I using temperature sensor 20. The cold insulator I is cooled in the same environment (internal space S) as the reference material Ref. Therefore, it can be considered that "the amount of heat released by the reference material Ref per unit time" obtained as described above is the same as "the amount of heat released by the cold insulating material I per unit time".

Therefore, if the latent heat amount of the cold storage material I is known, the "time required for the cold storage material I to release latent heat" is determined from the "latent heat amount" and "the heat amount released by the cold storage material I per unit time". Can. This time corresponds to the elapsed time between time t2 and time t3 in FIGS.

According to the cooling device 3 as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 1 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage. In addition, it is possible to estimate the length of a period during which the cold insulator I maintains the melting temperature Tb (period between time t2 and time t3), and to predict the time until the cold insulator I freezes. Can.

Fourth Embodiment
FIG. 9 is an explanatory view of a cooling device 4 according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 2 includes a cooling unit 10, an imaging device (measurement unit) 25, and a control unit (control unit) 30.

The imaging device 25 is provided in the internal space S and images the cold insulating material I accommodated in the internal space S. As the imaging device 25, a known infrared thermography camera can be used. The imaging device 25 is used as a non-contact temperature sensor.

The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the cold insulator I based on the image captured by the imaging device 25 and adjusts the set temperature of the internal space S based on the measurement result. As a method of adjusting the set temperature of the internal space S, the method described in the first embodiment can be adopted.

According to the cooling device 4 as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 1 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage.

Fifth Embodiment
10 and 11 are explanatory views of a cooling device 5 according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 5 includes a cooling unit 11, an imaging device (measurement unit) 25, and a control unit (control unit) 30.

The cooling unit 11 has an internal space S that accommodates a cold storage material I to be cooled. The cooling unit 11 includes an apparatus main body 111, a door member 112, and a cooling unit (cooling means) 118.

The device body 111 has an internal space S. The internal space S is a space surrounded by the device body 111 and the door member 112.

The apparatus main body 111 has a mounting portion 105 (moving means) extending in the horizontal direction at a central portion of the internal space S. The placement unit 105 spatially divides the internal space S into a first space S1 above the apparatus and a second space S2 below the apparatus different from the first space S1. A central portion of the placement unit 105 can be opened and closed.

The door member 112 has a first door member 112 a that closes an opening on the first space S 1 side of the device main body 111 and a second door member 112 b that closes an opening on the second space S 2 side of the device main body 111. The first door member 112a and the second door member 112b can be opened and closed independently of each other.

The imaging device 25 is provided at a position at which the inside of the first space S1 can be imaged.

The cooling unit 118 includes a first unit 118a and a second unit 118b. The cooling unit 118 is provided in the apparatus main body 111, and cools the internal space S based on a control signal input from the control unit 30. At that time, the first unit 118a is provided on the side of the first space S1 and is used to cool the first space S1. The second unit 118b is provided on the second space S2 side, and is used to cool the second space S2.

In such a cooling device 5, first, as shown in FIG. 10, the first door member 112a is opened to accommodate the cold insulating material I in the first space S1. The first space S1 is controlled by the first unit 118a to the temperature Tx, similarly to the cooling device 1 described in the above-described first embodiment.

The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the cold storage material I accommodated in the first space S1 using the imaging device 25, and changes the set temperature of the first space S1 to the temperature Ty based on the measurement result. As a method of adjusting the set temperature of the first space S1, the method described in the first embodiment can be adopted.

On the other hand, the control unit 30 controls the temperature of the second space S2 to a third set temperature which is higher than the temperature Tx and lower than the melting temperature Tb by the second unit 118b. The temperature of the second space S2 may be the temperature Ty. That is, the third set temperature may be the same as or different from the second set temperature.

After detecting that the temperature of the cold storage material I has become the temperature Ty (time t6), the control unit 30 opens the opening 105a of the placement unit 105. As shown in FIG. 11, the cold insulating material I drops from the opening 105a, moves to the second space S2, and is accommodated in the second space S2.

Another cold insulating material I can be accommodated in the first space S1, and the cold insulating material I can be solidified. The cold insulating material I accommodated in the second space S2 is taken out of the cooling unit 11 by opening the second door member 112b and used for cold insulation.

According to the cooling device 5 as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 1 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage.

In addition, the cooling device 5 differs in a space (first space S1) for solidifying the cold insulating material I and a space (second space S2) for storing the cold insulating material I which has been solidified and can be used. Therefore, in the cooling device 5, the other cold insulating material I solidified in the first space S1 is not susceptible to the temperature change associated with the opening and closing of the door when the cold insulating material I stored in the second space S2 is taken out. Therefore, the cooling device 5 can easily measure and manage the temperature of the solidified cold storage material I, and the temperature control of the first space S1 can be facilitated.

Sixth Embodiment
FIG. 12 is an explanatory view of a cooling device 6 according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 6 is different from the cooling device 5 of the fifth embodiment in the method of dividing the internal space S.

The cooling device 6 includes a cooling unit 12, an imaging device (measurement unit) 25, and a control unit (control unit) 30.

The cooling unit 12 has an internal space S that accommodates a cold storage material I to be cooled. The cooling unit 12 includes an apparatus main body 111, a door member 112, and a cooling unit (cooling means) 118.

The device body 121 has an internal space S. The internal space S is a space surrounded by the apparatus main body 121 and the door member 122.

The device body 121 has a vertically extending partition portion 106 at the central portion of the internal space S. The partition unit 106 spatially divides the internal space S into a first space S1 on the left side of the apparatus and a second space S2 on the right side of the apparatus different from the first space S1. The lower end portion of the partition portion 106 can be opened and closed.

The apparatus main body 121 further includes a placement unit (moving means) 107 on which the cold insulating material I is placed. The placement unit 107 has a drive unit (not shown) and can move between the first space S1 and the second space S2. As such a placement unit 107, a generally known moving stage or the like can be used. In addition, as the placement unit 107, a known transfer device can be employed.

The door member 122 has a first door member 122a that closes an opening on the first space S1 side of the device body 121, and a second door member 122b that closes an opening on the second space S2 side of the device body 121. The first door member 122a and the second door member 122b can be opened and closed independently of each other.

The imaging device 25 is provided at a position at which the inside of the first space S1 can be imaged.

The cooling unit 118 includes a first unit 118a and a second unit 118b. The cooling unit 118 is provided in the apparatus main body 121, and cools the internal space S (first space S1, second space S2) similarly to the above-described cooling device 5 based on the control signal input from the control unit 30. .

In such a cooling device 6, temperature control of the first space S1 and the second space S2 is performed as in the above-described cooling device 5.

After detecting that the temperature of the cold storage material I has become the temperature Ty (time t6), the control unit 30 opens the lower end portion 106a of the partition unit 106. Further, the control unit 30 moves the heat insulating material I from the first space S1 to the second space S2 using the placement unit 107.

According to the cooling device 6 as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out of the cooling device 1 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage. Further, the cooling device 6 can easily measure and manage the temperature of the solidified cold storage material I, and the temperature control of the first space S1 can be facilitated.

In the embodiment described so far, it is desirable that the space S2 for storing the frozen cold-storage tool I is designed to have a heat capacity sufficiently larger than the heat capacity of the cold-storage tool I to be stored. By doing this, it is possible to prevent the ambient temperature in the space S2 from being lowered as much as possible by the insertion of the cold-storage tool I.

Although the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to such examples. The shapes, combinations, and the like of the constituent members shown in the above-described example are merely examples, and various changes can be made based on design requirements and the like without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims (17)

A cooling unit having an internal space for containing an object;
Measuring means for measuring the temperature corresponding to the temperature of the object contained in the internal space;
Control means for controlling the temperature of the internal space based on the measurement result by the measurement means;
The control means, based on the measurement result, sets the temperature of the inner space higher than the first set temperature from a first set temperature lower than a temperature at which the target in the liquid phase starts to coagulate. A cooling device that controls to change to a second set temperature lower than the melting temperature of the. After the control means detects the heat of solidification of the object and the melting temperature based on the measurement result, it further detects that the measurement result has become a reference temperature that is lower than the melting temperature. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the internal space is controlled to change from the first set temperature to the second set temperature. After detecting the melting temperature based on the measurement result, the control means further detects that the measurement result has become a reference temperature which is a temperature lower than the melting temperature, and thereby the temperature of the internal space The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein control is performed to change the first set temperature to the second set temperature. The cooling device according to claim 2, wherein the control means acquires the temperature of the object per unit time from the measurement means, and detects the heat of solidification based on the amount of change per unit time of the measurement result. . The control means acquires the temperature of the object per unit time from the measurement means, and detects the melting temperature based on the amount of change per unit time of the measurement result. The cooling device according to item 1. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit is capable of changing the unit time. The cooling unit includes a placement unit on which the object is placed;
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measurement means is a contact-type temperature sensor provided in the placement unit. The temperature sensor has a plurality of probes,
The cooling device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of probes are provided in the placement unit. The cooling device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the plurality of placing portions are plural, and the plurality of placing portions are installed in line in the vertical direction, and the temperature is controlled for each of the placing portions. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measurement means is a non-contact temperature sensor provided in the internal space. The cooling unit includes a placement unit on which the object is placed;
The placement unit has a weighing means for weighing the mass of the object,
The control means estimates the estimated cooling time of the total amount of the object stored in the internal space based on the estimated cooling time per unit mass of the object stored in advance and the measurement result of the measuring means. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 10. The internal space is spatially divided into a first space and a second space different from the first space, and the moving means for moving the object from the first space to the second space is provided. And
The first space is provided with the measurement means, and is provided so as to be changeable between the first set temperature and the second set temperature.
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the second space is set to a third set temperature which is higher than the first set temperature and lower than a melting temperature of the object. The cooling unit includes cooling means for cooling the internal space,
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cooling means is a compressor type cooling unit. The cooling unit includes cooling means for cooling the internal space,
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the cooling means is a Peltier cooling unit. Has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound,
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the control means causes the alarm unit to output the alarm sound after changing the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature. Has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound,
The control unit changes the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature, and outputs the alarm sound from the alarm unit after the temperature of the internal space reaches the second set temperature. The cooling device according to any one of 15. Has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound,
The control unit changes the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature, and outputs the alarm sound from the alarm unit after the temperature of the object reaches the second set temperature. The cooling device according to any one of 16.

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