JPH0117071B2 - - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (A) Field of Industrial Application The present invention relates to a refrigerated case equipped with a humidifier.

(b) Prior art A particularly well-known technology is one in which mist generated by an ultrasonic vibrator is supplied into the cold air passage of a refrigerated case to prevent fresh food displayed and stored in the case from drying out and to maintain freshness. This was proposed in 1983-46383. By the way, in this conventional structure, a humidifying device equipped with an ultrasonic vibrator is installed at the front end of the upper part of a partition plate that forms a cold air passage inside the heat insulating wall, and a diffuser is used to disperse the mist generated by this humidifying device. The cold air is supplied to the cold air passage upstream of the cold air discharge port through the cold air outlet. Therefore, this humidifying device having the conventional structure has the following drawbacks.

Since the humidifier is disposed within the food storage chamber of the refrigerated case, the humidifying water in the atomizing water tank and the water supply pipes that supply water to the atomizing water tank is cooled by cold air, reducing the humidifying capacity. (The higher the temperature of the humidifying water, the greater the amount of fog generated by the ultrasonic vibrator.) Since the humidifying water in the atomizing water tank and water supply pipes may freeze when the operation is stopped, It is necessary to provide an electric heater for humidification on the outer peripheral surface of the water supply pipe, which complicates the device.

Since the atomization water tank and water supply pipes are located inside the food storage room, they can be seen from the front, reducing the appearance.

(C) Purpose of the Invention The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned drawbacks of the prior art, and is capable of providing a humidifying device that is hardly affected by cold air, can perform a good humidifying effect, and is capable of discharging cold air into the cold air passage. The purpose of this is to make it possible to efficiently blow out the mist from the humidifying device to be supplied from the air outlet.

(d) Structure of the Invention In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention provides a cold air passageway in which a cooler and a blower are disposed between the inner wall surface of a heat insulating wall with one side open and a partition plate forming a storage room. A blowout port and a suction port are formed to face each other at both upper and lower ends of the opening, and a rectifying plate made of a perforated plate or the like is installed in the cold air passage near the blowout outlet in the lateral direction of the cold air passage. Further, the discharge port of the outlet pipe for transporting the mist generated by the humidifier installed on the upper surface of the heat insulating wall is arranged so as to face the cold air passage in the vicinity of the straightening plate. It is something.

(e) Examples Examples of the present invention will be described below. In the figure,
1 is a refrigerated case whose main body is composed of a heat insulating wall 3 with an opening 2 for entry and exit on one side such as the front;
Reference numeral 4 denotes a partition plate forming a storage chamber 6 having multiple shelves 5, 5, . A blower 9 equipped with a propeller fan 8 and a cooler 10 are arranged in the lower space 7a. 11,
Reference numeral 12 denotes an air outlet and a suction port which are provided oppositely at the upper and lower ends of the opening 2, and the air cooled by the cooler 10 is forcibly circulated by the blower 9 as shown by the arrow in FIG. , opening 2 while cooling the inside of storage chamber 6.
It forms an air curtain. 13 is the upper space 7 of the cold air passage 7 near the outlet 11
b. The rectifying plate 13 is a horizontally elongated rectifying plate made of a perforated plate or the like arranged inside b. Numerous oblong holes 1 as ventilation holes
3', 13'... are formed to uniformize the air blowing from the blower 9 and direct the cold air flow to the blower outlet 11.
This makes it possible to blow out more evenly. Reference numeral 14 denotes a humidity sensor provided near the suction port 12, which controls a humidifier 15, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 15 denotes a humidifying device placed and fixed on the upper surface 3a of the heat insulating wall 3. The humidifying device 15 will be described in detail below. Reference numeral 16 denotes an exterior body formed in the shape of a horizontally long and hollow housing by a circumferential side plate 17, a top plate 18, a bottom plate 19, etc., and the left and right side walls 17 of the circumferential side plate 17
Fixing pieces 20, 20 for mounting and fixing the exterior body 16 on the upper surface of the refrigerated case 1 are bent at the lower ends of the fixing pieces 20, and the fixing pieces 20 have screw holes 21, 21... ...is drilled there. 22 connects the upper end flange portions 23, 23 to the lower surface of the top plate 18 by spot welding to form the exterior body 1.
The atomizing water tank 22 is made of a stainless steel plate and is disposed on one side of the atomizing water tank 22. The atomizing water tank 22 has an open upper surface and is formed into a generally horizontally long rectangular shape in plan view.
In 2a, ultrasonic transducers 24, 24... are placed in the water tank 22.
Four through holes 25, 25, . . . facing the inside are bored at predetermined intervals in the longitudinal direction. 24, 24
. . . are the aforementioned ultrasonic transducers that are liquid-tightly installed on the lower surface of the bottom wall 22a corresponding to the through holes 25, 25 . Ultrasonic oscillators 26, 26...
Driven by..., water columns 27, 27... on the water surface.
to generate a fine particle mist. 28
is a water supply pipe that supplies water from the water pipe 29 into the water tank 22, and an electromagnetic on-off valve 30 is interposed at a suitable position in the exterior body 16, and the water supply port 2
8' is located on one side of the water tank 22 and facing the upper part. Reference numeral 31 designates a first float switch disposed on one side of the water tank 22, which detects water shortage in the water tank 22 by lowering the float, stops energizing the vibrator 24, and stops the water supply in the water tank 22. This is to prevent damage due to load vibration. 32 is a second float switch disposed on the other side of the water tank 22, which opens the electromagnetic on-off valve 30 when the water level in the water tank 22 drops below a predetermined position, and opens the water supply port 28'.
This is for replenishing humidifying water into the water tank 22. Reference numeral 33 denotes an overflow pipe whose upper end opening is located approximately at the center of the water tank 22, and when the water level rises above a predetermined level due to continued water supply when the electromagnetic on-off valve 30 fails, the water overflows through the overflow pipe 33. Therefore, it can be prevented.

34 is a lid plate that closes the upper opening of the water tank 22, and the float switches 31 and 3 are mounted on the bottom surface of the lid plate.
In order to prevent the influence of waves caused by the driving of the vibrator 24 on the vibrator 24, the partition plates 35 and 36 are fixed downwardly, and are located inside the divider plates 35 and 36 and correspond to each of the vibrator 24. circular hole 3
7, 37, . . . are bored, and the cover plate 34 is detachably attached to inward pieces 39, 39 formed on the short side of the upper end of the water tank 22 with screws 38, 38. 40, 40... are the circular holes 3 of the cover plate 34
The lower ends of the vibrators 24 and 2 are inserted into each of the vibrators 24 and 2.
4... is a hollow cylindrical lead-out pipe vertically installed in the water tank 22 so as to face . The outlet pipe 40 is bendable at the portion where the protrusions 41, 41, . . . There is. Reference numeral 43 denotes an elastic sealing packing such as an O-ring fitted to the outer periphery of the outlet pipe 40, and the sealing packing 43 connects the upper surface of the cover plate 34 around the circular hole 37 and the annular protrusion at the lowest stage of the outlet pipe 40. 41 to prevent the mist in the water tank 22 from leaking directly through the circular hole 37. 44 is the rising piece 3 of the cover plate 34
4', 34' with screws 45, 45, etc., and the stop plate 44 has four engaging notches that engage with the grooves 46 between the annular protrusions 41 of the outlet pipe 40. 47, 47... are formed to prevent each of the outlet pipes 40 which are passed through the cover plate 34 from coming out. Each of the outlet tubes 40 is rotatable as shown by the arrow in FIG.

Reference numeral 48 denotes a cross-flow type blower disposed approximately at the center of the other side of the exterior body 16, which is composed of a fan case 48a, a cross-flow fan 48b, and a motor 48c for driving the fan 48b. Suction port 49 to be opened on the right peripheral side wall of
The outside air sucked through the filter 50 is introduced into the fan case 48a from the bottom side of the fan case 48a.
The air is sucked into the water tank 22 and is forced into the water tank 22 through the air outlet 48d. 51 is the suction port 4
A power transformer 51 is disposed between the fan case 9 and the blower 48, and the transformer 51 is cooled by the airflow sucked into the fan case 48a.

Reference numeral 52 denotes an air inlet that is opened in the upper part of the tank wall of the water tank 22 so as to correspond to the air outlet 48d of the air blower 48 and to be located above the lower end opening of the outlet pipe 40. 52 is formed in a horizontally elongated shape as shown in FIG. 8, and its left and right end portions are opened wider in the vertical direction than the center portion. 53 is a horizontal guide plate located slightly below the air inlet 52 and provided between the water tank 22 and the air outlet 48d of the blower 48;
Reference numeral 54 denotes a vertical guide plate that is erected and fixed on the horizontal guide plate 53. As shown in FIG. The vertical guide plates 54, 54 and the horizontal guide plate 53 form an air passage X between the blower 48 and the water tank 22. Further, 55 is a power plug, and 56 is a power switch.

The humidifying device 15 configured as described above is mounted and fixed on the upper surface 3a of the heat insulating wall 3 of the refrigerated case 1 by screwing the fixing pieces 20, 20, etc., as shown in FIG. , then the outlet pipes 40, 40...
After rotating each of the connecting ports 42 to direct the connecting ports 42 in any direction, and connecting one end of each of the communicating pipes 57 made of flexible pipes to the connecting ports 42, The other end of each of the cold air passages 7 is located close to the current plate 13 and upstream of the current plate 13 in the cold air flow.
four pipes 58 with discharge ports 58' facing inside;
Connect to 58... Note that it is desirable for the pipes 58 to face the cold air passage 7 at approximately equal intervals in the lateral direction from the viewpoint of humidification. Furthermore, water supply pipe 2
Connect the water pipe 59 to 8 and the drain pipe 60 to the overflow pipe 33, and connect the power plug 55.
The installation work can be completed by plugging into an outlet (not shown) provided at a suitable location in the refrigerated case 1.

Next, the operation of the refrigerated case of the present invention will be explained. First, turn on the power switch 56 of the humidifier 15.
When the refrigerated case 1 is operated with the switch turned on, the blower 48 and the ultrasonic oscillator 26 of the humidifier 15 are started, and the outside air forced through the air outlet 48d enters the atomizing water tank 22 through the air inlet 52. A water column 27 is generated on the water surface by driving the ultrasonic transducer 24. The fog generated around the water column 27 is removed by the air blown by the blower 48 from the outlet pipe 40.
The air flows into the cold air passage 7 near the current plate 13 through the outlet pipe 40 and the communication pipe 57 through the discharge port 58' of the pipe 58. on the other hand,
The air sucked into the cold air passage 7 through the suction port 12 by the drive of the blower 9 is humidified and then flows into the cooler 10.
The heat is exchanged with the upper space 7b, where it becomes a cold air flow.
sent to. The cool air flow sent to the upper space 7b merges with the mist supplied from the humidifying device 15, and then passes through the through holes 13', 13'... of the rectifier plate 13 and is evenly blown out from the air outlet 11. , has a cooling effect and a humidifying effect in the storage chamber 6.

Therefore, by arranging the current plate 13 along the horizontal direction in the cold air passage 7 near the outlet 11,
The flow of cold air blown into the storage chamber 6 from the outlet 11 can be made uniform, and the mist generated by the humidifier 15 can be supplied into the cold air passage 7 in the vicinity of the rectifying plate 13, so that the cold air can be uniformized. The mist that has flowed into the cold air passage 7 is immediately discharged from the outlet 11 without remaining in the cold air passage 7, and condensation within the cold air passage 7 can be reduced.

(F) Effects of the Invention Since the refrigerating case of the present invention is constructed as described above, it achieves the effects listed below.

A refrigerating case in which an opening is provided in one side of a main body made of a heat insulating wall, a cold air outlet is provided at the upper end of the opening, and a suction port is provided at the lower end of the opening, with these openings facing each other, and cold air is sent to the outlet. The cold air passage is provided with a horizontally long rectifying plate with vents formed across the cold air passage and almost over the entire length in the longitudinal direction to make the cold air flow uniform. The cold air passage is designed to face the outlet of the pipe that takes out the mist generated by the humidifier installed above the main body, so that the mist generated by the humidifier and the outlet pipe upstream of the rectifying plate are The mist and cold air guided into the upper cooling passage can be dammed by the rectifier plate and dispersed laterally in the cold air passage, and then blown out from the air outlet through the vent formed over almost the entire length of the rectifier plate. It is possible to evenly distribute the flow of cold air, including mist, to evenly humidify and cool the inside of the refrigerator.
Furthermore, dew condensation within the cold air passage can be reduced, and good cooling and humidifying effects can be achieved.

The humidifying device is installed on the upper surface of the heat insulating wall, and the mist generated by the humidifying device is conveyed into the cold air passage through the outlet pipe, so the humidifying device is hardly affected by the cold air, making it possible to Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in humidifying ability and freezing of humidifying water, which are problems of conventional devices.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a refrigerated case according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view of Fig. 1, Fig. 3 is a cutaway perspective view of main parts of Fig. A plan view, FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the humidifying device alone, FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view of FIG. 5, FIG. 7 is a plan sectional view of FIG. 5, and FIG. FIG. 1... Refrigerated case, 2... Opening, 3...
Heat insulating wall, 4... Partition board, 6... Storage room, 7... Cold air passage, 9... Blower, 10... Cooler, 11...
...Outlet, 12...Inlet, 13...Buffer plate, 1
3'...Through hole (vent), 15...Humidifier, 40
... Leading pipe.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A refrigerated case having an opening in one side of a main body made of a heat insulating wall, a cold air outlet at the upper end of the opening, and a suction opening at the lower end, with these openings facing each other, The cold air passage that sends cold air to the outlet is provided with a horizontally long rectifying plate that has vents formed therein to uniformize the cold air flow across the cold air passage and over almost the entire length in the longitudinal direction. A refrigerated case in which a discharge port of a pipe for discharging mist generated by a humidifier installed on the main body is exposed to a nearby and upstream cold air passage. 2. The refrigerated case according to claim 1, wherein the mist generating means of the humidifier is an ultrasonic vibrator.