JPH05635B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] This invention relates to a constant temperature cooling device, and more specifically, for example, a constant temperature cooling device for preserving fresh foods such as fish, crabs, etc., vegetables, meat, and other fresh foods, medicines, etc. This relates to constant-temperature cooling devices such as ice-warming warehouses and ice-temperature drying systems that keep the temperature uniform.

[Conventional technology]

In general, constant-temperature cooling equipment used for storing and managing fresh foods, medicines, etc. needs to maintain a uniform temperature inside the refrigerator, etc. that stores fresh foods. It is said that maintaining the temperature below this level will help maintain the freshness of fresh foods. For this reason, conventionally, multi-type coolers, multiple refrigeration units, and the like have been used to control the temperature inside refrigerators and the like. Furthermore, since frost is generated in the cooling part when the cooling part is cooled to a certain extent, it is necessary to defrost the frosted part by using a defrosting means as appropriate.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, in this type of conventional constant-temperature cooling device, there is a problem that the freshness of stored products decreases because the temperature inside the refrigerator increases and the humidity decreases during the defrosting operation. In order to solve this problem, a special cooling method has been adopted in which the temperature is indirectly controlled using a heat exchanger that cools the body through a cold storage body (see Utility Model Application Publication No. 57-97869). However, the equipment and devices were complicated and impractical.

[Means for solving problems]

This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and in order to solve the above technical problem, the warm air generated during defrosting operation is cooled to the temperature inside the refrigerator by a cooling means, and then recirculated into the refrigerator. The present invention aims to provide a constant temperature cooling device characterized by the following.

That is, the present invention has a plurality of compartments in a refrigerator or the like having a heat-insulating structure, a cooler is disposed in each compartment, and a heating means for defrosting is disposed in each compartment. A cooling means for cooling the warm air generated from the defrosting heating means is connected to the heat removal duct led out from the heating means, and a fan is provided for diffusing the cold air cooled by the cooling means into the refrigerator. The present invention aims to provide a constant temperature cooling device characterized by the following.

In this invention, the heat removal ducts led out from each of the compartments may be connected to a cooling means through an air supply fan, but it is preferable to connect them to one cooling means. The above cooling means may be one that cools the warm air from the defrosting heating means to the temperature inside the refrigerator, and specifically, an evaporator connected to the refrigeration unit or an electronic cooling means using the Peltier effect is used. be done. Further, in the case where the cooler is an evaporator connected to a refrigeration unit, it is preferable that the cooling means is connected to the same refrigeration unit, and furthermore, a plurality of the coolers are arranged in parallel in each compartment, Preferably, each cooler is connected to a separate refrigeration unit. Further, the defrosting heating means may be formed by a heater attached to the cooler, or may be formed by a heat exchanger that also serves as a cooler.

[Effect]

The above technical means works as follows.

By connecting a cooling means to a heat removal duct led out from a plurality of compartments that have a cooling section and a heating section for defrosting provided inside a refrigerator, etc., and providing a fan, defrosting can be performed during cooling operation. The warm air generated during defrosting operation is cooled to the temperature inside the refrigerator by the cooling means and recirculated within the refrigerator, thereby maintaining the interior of the refrigerator at a predetermined constant temperature and cooling state.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a piping diagram showing a first embodiment of the constant temperature cooling device of the present invention. ), and each compartment 20 is equipped with an evaporator 40, which is a cooler connected to a refrigeration unit 30 installed outside the refrigerator to cool the inside of the refrigerator. ,
A heater 50, which is a heating means for defrosting, is provided. In addition, each compartment 20 has a heat removal duct 6.
0 has been derived. Each heat removal duct 60 is provided with a fan 70 that takes in and sends warm air generated by the heater 50, and is connected to a cooling means 80 that cools the warm air to the temperature inside the refrigerator. In this case, the cooling means 80 is formed by an evaporator connected to the refrigeration unit 30.

As shown in FIGS. 3a and 3b, the refrigerator 10 is constructed of a heat insulating material such as a heat insulating panel.
Further, on the lower side of the compartment 20 in the ceiling of the refrigerator 10, a porous partition plate 1 is provided with a large number of small holes 12 for circulating cooling air into the refrigerator.
4 are arranged. In this case, the compartment 20
As shown in FIG. 4, a flat rectangular cylinder 22
Each compartment 20 has one or two evaporators 40, 41 as in the second embodiment described later.
is arranged, and the cold air generated by the evaporator 40 is diffused into the warehouse by the cold air supply fan 21 attached to the opening 26 bored on one side of the compartment 20. ing. In this case, the evaporator 40 is formed by a heat exchanger comprising a plurality of parallel fans 42 and heat exchange tubes 44 passing through these fins 42. Furthermore, defrosting is performed by heat from defrosting heaters 50 disposed within each of the compartments 20.
In this case, the heater 50 may be installed alongside the evaporator 40 as shown in FIG. 1, but it may also be a heater 50 embedded in the fin 42 of the evaporator 40 as shown in FIG. . The heater 50 embedded in the fin 42 is, for example, a ceramic heater protected by a copper pipe.

Refrigeration unit 30 connected to the evaporator 40
is composed of a water-cooled or air-cooled condenser 31, a compressor 32, and a gas-liquid separator 33, and the condenser 31, the evaporator 40, and the refrigerant supply side of the evaporator 80, which is a cooling means, are connected to each other. First conduit 34
The refrigerant discharge sides of the evaporators 40 and 80 and the gas-liquid separator 33 are connected by a second pipe line 35. An electromagnetic on-off valve 36 and an expansion valve 37 are provided on the evaporator 40, 80 side of the first pipe line 34, and by switching the electromagnetic on-off valve 36, the evaporator 40 or 80 are adapted to be selectively activated.

In the above embodiment, the evaporator 40 is used only for cooling operation, but the evaporator 40 is formed by the heat exchanger 40', and the refrigeration unit 3
By forming the heat exchanger 40' so that it can be operated in forward and reverse directions and using piping as shown by the dashed line in FIG. It may be possible to subject it to cooling or defrosting. That is, the compressor 32 and both heat exchangers 40', 40' are connected by the third pipe line 38, and the first pipe line 34 connecting the heat exchanger 40' and the condenser 31 is Solenoid on-off valve 3
A bypass line 38' is provided in parallel with the expansion valve 37 and the expansion valve 37. Then, the heat exchanger 40' and the gas-liquid contactor 3
A second conduit 35 and a third conduit 38 connecting the
Electromagnetic on-off valves 39a and 39b are symmetrically provided in the left and right heat exchangers 40' and 40', and a check valve 90 is provided in the bypass pipe 38'. In addition, a bypass pipe 94 is piped in parallel with the electromagnetic on-off valve 92 on the condenser 31 side of the first pipe 34, and this pipe 94
An electromagnetic on-off valve 96 and a differential pressure valve 98 are provided. Further, a cooling pipe line 95 having an electromagnetic on-off valve 91 and an expansion valve 93 is connected between the condenser 31 and the gas-liquid separator 33. By using such piping, for example, when the heat exchanger 40' on the right side in FIG.
At the same time, the electromagnetic on-off valve 3 of the third pipe line 38 is closed.
9b and the first and second conduits 3 on the left side.
Open the electromagnetic on-off valves 36 and 39a of No. 4 and 35, and
The electromagnetic on-off valve 39b of the conduit 38 is closed, and the heat medium from the compressor 32 is sent to the heat exchanger 40' via the third conduit 38, and the heat exchanged (condensed) refrigerant is bypassed. Conduit 38' and the first
It is combined with the refrigerant sent from the condenser 31 to the left heat exchanger 40' via the pipe line 34, and is used for the cooling operation of the left heat exchanger 40'. After this defrosting operation is performed for a predetermined period of time using a timer or the like, the left heat exchanger 40' is put into the defrosting operation, and the right heat exchanger 40' is switched to the cooling operation, or both heat exchangers 40' are switched to the cooling operation. , 40' are cooled, and then the left heat exchanger 40' is defrosted.

In the constant-temperature cooling device of the present invention configured as described above, fresh foods and the like stored in the refrigerator 10 are cooled by the evaporators 40 and 40' in the compartment 20 and cooled by the air supplied from the fan 21. It is stored cold at a temperature of In addition, after a certain amount of use, defrosting is performed, and in this case, the operation of the evaporators 40 and 40' in one of the compartments 20 and the cold air blowing fan 21 are stopped, and the heater 50 is turned on. By performing the defrosting operation and leaving the evaporators 40 and 40' in the other compartment 20 in the cooling operation, the frosted portions generated during the cooling operation are removed by the heat from the heater 50. At the same time, the inside of the refrigerator 10 continues to be cooled by the evaporator 40 or 40' in the other compartment 20.
At this time, the heat from the heater 50 is sucked into the heat removal duct 6 by the suction action by the fan 70 inside the heat removal duct 60.
After being sucked into the cooling means 80 through the cooling means 80 and cooled to a predetermined internal temperature of 0 to 0.5°C by the cooling means 80, it is sucked into the compartment 20 on the cooling side by the fan 70 on the cooling operation side. It is then dispersed into the warehouse. Therefore, fresh foods and the like stored in the refrigerator are uniformly kept cool at a predetermined storage temperature.

FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of this invention.
This is a case where cooling storage can be controlled more reliably. That is, a plurality of evaporators 4 (two shown in the drawing) are provided in each compartment 20.
0 and 41 are installed in parallel, and each evaporator 4
0 and 41 are connected to a large capacity main refrigeration unit 30a and a small capacity auxiliary refrigeration unit 30b to form a plurality of cooling cycles. With this configuration, four evaporators 40, 40;
41, 41 can be selectively operated to perform desired cooling and defrosting operations over a wide range. In the second embodiment, other parts are the same as those in the first embodiment, so the same parts are given the same reference numerals and the explanation thereof will be omitted.

In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which the cooling means 80 is an evaporator connected to the refrigeration units 30, 30a, 30b, but it does not necessarily have to be an evaporator. For example, an electronic cooling means using the Peltier effect may be used. It may be. That is, this electronic cooling means 80', as shown in FIG.
For example, it is made up of P-type and N-type semiconductors 81 and 82 connected in series via a copper plate 83, and holes and electrons in the semiconductors 81 and 82 are moved by an applied current from an external power source 84, and the energy at that time is The movement produces a heat pumping effect. That is, by applying currents in different directions to the two semiconductors 81 and 82, a Peltier effect is generated in which heat is generated or absorbed in addition to Joule heat in the copper plate 83, which is the contact point between the semiconductors 81 and 82, so that the heat If the absorption side of the heat sink is provided adjacent to the chamber 85 connected to the heat removal ducts 60, 60, the warm air supplied into the chamber 85 can be cooled.

In addition, although the above embodiment describes a fixed temperature cooling device, it does not necessarily have to be a fixed type. For example, the constant temperature cooling device of the present invention can be incorporated into a means of transportation such as a ship or a truck to preserve fresh food during transportation. It is also possible to store foods and the like in cold storage.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the constant temperature cooling device of the present invention, the cooling means and the defrosting heating means are arranged in each of the plurality of compartments provided in the refrigerator, and the cooling operation is constantly performed. Since the defrosting operation is enabled, and the warm air generated during the defrosting operation is cooled to a predetermined temperature by the cooling means and recirculated into the refrigerator, the following effects can be obtained.

(1) Since the cooling operation can be performed even during the defrosting operation, it is possible to uniformly keep the predetermined cold storage temperature, and it is possible to keep fresh foods, medicines, and other stored items fresh for a long time.

(2) Since the structure is simple and does not require the use of special equipment or equipment, the refrigerator space can be used effectively, and stored items can be managed efficiently and at low cost.

(3) It can be configured into existing freezers, refrigerators, refrigerated ships, etc. by simple modification, so it has high versatility.

(4) Distribution of highly fresh perishable foods, etc. can be expanded widely.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a piping diagram showing a first embodiment of the constant temperature cooling device of this invention, Fig. 2 is a piping diagram showing a second embodiment of the invention, and Figs. 3 a and b are respectively the constant temperature cooling device of this invention. FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing essential parts of the present invention in a cross-sectional and see-through state; FIG. 5 is a side view showing an example of the defrosting heating means of the present invention. , FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing another embodiment of the cooling means in this invention. Explanation of symbols 10... Refrigerator, 20... Compartment room, 21
...Cold air supply fan, 30, 30a, 30b... Refrigeration unit, 40, 40', 41... Evaporator (cooler), 50... Heater (heating means for defrosting), 60... Heat removal duct, 70... Fan , 80, 80'... cooling means.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A refrigerator or the like having a heat-insulating structure has a plurality of compartments, and each compartment is provided with a cooler and a heating means for defrosting, and each of the compartments is provided with a cooling device and heating means for defrosting. A cooling means for cooling the warm air generated from the defrosting heating means is connected to the heat removal duct led out from the compartment, and a fan is provided for diffusing the cold air cooled by the cooling means into the refrigerator. A constant temperature cooling device characterized by: 2. The constant temperature cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the heat removal ducts leading out from each compartment are connected to one cooling means via a fan. 3. The constant temperature cooling device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the cooling means is an evaporator connected to a refrigeration unit. 4. A constant temperature cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the cooler and the cooling means are connected to the same refrigeration unit. 5. Claims 1 to 4, characterized in that a plurality of coolers are arranged in parallel in each compartment, and each cooler is connected to another refrigeration unit. constant temperature cooling device. 6. The constant temperature cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the defrosting heating means is a heater attached to a cooler. 7. The constant temperature cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooler and the defrosting heating means are formed by a heat exchanger for both cooling and defrosting.