JP4091887B2 - Showcase - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a showcase installed in a store such as a convenience store or a supermarket.

  Conventionally, as this type of showcase, there are a product storage section provided in the showcase body, a cooler for cooling the air in the product storage section, a machine room provided in the lower part of the showcase body, It is known that a blower that circulates air and a drain pan provided in a machine room are configured to receive drain water generated by a cooler by the drain pan (for example, see Patent Document 1).

  Further, in the showcase, a large number of evaporation plates that absorb water by capillary action are provided on the drain pan, and the drain water absorbed in the evaporation plate is evaporated by contact with air, thereby promoting the evaporation of the drain water. ing.

For example, as shown in FIG. 9, a conventional showcase includes a machine room 30 that sucks outside air from the front side and exhausts air from the back side, and is arranged in the width direction at one end in the width direction in the machine room 30. A large number of the evaporated plates 31 are arranged in two rows.
JP 2001-208462 A

  However, in the conventional showcase, the evaporation plates 31 are arranged in two rows on the one end side in the width direction in the machine room 30, so that sufficient air flows to the evaporation plates 31 located on the downstream side in the air distribution direction. However, the drain water absorbed by the evaporation plate 31 cannot be efficiently evaporated by contact with air.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and its object is to show that drain water absorbed by the evaporation promoting member can be efficiently evaporated by contact with air circulating in the machine room. To provide a case.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, in claim 1, a product storage section provided in the showcase body, a cooler for cooling the product storage section, and a drain pan for receiving drain water generated by the cooler. An evaporation promoting member that absorbs drain water in the drain pan and evaporates by contact with air, a machine room provided in a lower portion of the showcase body, a condenser disposed in the machine room, and air in the machine room In the showcase in which the drain pan and the evaporation promoting member are arranged in the machine room, the condenser is arranged on the air inflow side of the evaporation promoting member, and the evaporation promoting member is arranged in the air circulation direction in the machine room. On the other hand, it is formed in a width substantially equal to that of the condenser so as to be horizontally long. Thereby, since the condenser is arrange | positioned at the air inflow side of the evaporation promotion member, the air whose temperature rose by the waste heat of the condenser flows into the evaporation promotion member. At this time, since the evaporation promoting member is formed to have a width substantially equal to that of the condenser so as to be horizontally long with respect to the air flow direction, the air flowing out of the condenser uniformly contacts the entire evaporation promoting member.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the showcase according to the first aspect, the compressor accommodated in the machine room is arranged on the air inflow side of the evaporation promoting member. Thus, in addition to the operation of the first aspect, since the compressor is disposed on the air inflow side of the evaporation promoting member, air whose temperature has been increased by the waste heat of the compressor also flows into the evaporation promoting member.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, the showcase according to the first or second aspect includes a heater that heats the drain pan, and a switch that operates the heater when the drain water in the drain pan reaches a predetermined water level or higher. Thus, in addition to the operation of the first or second aspect, the drain pan is heated by the heater, and when the drain water in the drain pan reaches a predetermined water level or more, the heater operates, so that the heater is not operated more than necessary. .

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the showcase according to the third aspect, a heat insulating material that covers at least a part of the outer surface of the drain pan together with the heater is provided. Thus, in addition to the operation of the third aspect, since the lower surface of the drain pan is covered with the heater by the heat insulating material, the heat of the heater is efficiently transmitted to the drain pan without being released to the outside. Further, since the drain pan is kept warm by the heat insulating material, the drain water in the drain pan is kept warm even after the operation of the heater is stopped.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the showcase according to the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the drain pan is formed so as to cover substantially the entire width of the machine room. Thereby, in addition to the operation of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, since the drain pan is formed so as to cover almost the entire width of the machine room, the area where the drain water in the drain pan contacts the air in the machine room is increased. Become wider.

  According to the showcase of claim 1, since the temperature of the air flowing into the evaporation promoting member can be raised by the waste heat of the condenser, the evaporation action of the evaporation promoting member can be enhanced by the high temperature air. At that time, since the air flowing out of the condenser can be uniformly contacted with the entire evaporation promoting member, the drain water absorbed by the evaporation promoting member can be efficiently evaporated by contact with the air, The labor for discharging drain water by hand can be extremely reduced.

  Further, according to the showcase of claim 2, in addition to the action of claim 1, the temperature of the air flowing into the evaporation promoting member can be raised also by the waste heat of the compressor. The evaporation effect of the accelerating member can be further enhanced.

  According to the showcase of claim 3, in addition to the action of claim 1 or 2, even when the amount of drain water is large, the drain water in the drain pan can be quickly evaporated by the heater, and the heater is Since it is not operated more than necessary, energy consumption can be reduced.

  Further, according to the showcase of the fourth aspect, in addition to the action of the third aspect, since the heat of the heater can be efficiently transmitted to the drain pan without releasing it to the outside, the drain water in the drain pan is efficiently transmitted by the heater. Can evaporate well. Furthermore, since the drain pan can be kept warm, the drain water in the drain pan can be kept at a high temperature even after the heater is stopped, and the natural evaporation of the drain water in the drain pan can be promoted.

  According to the showcase of the fifth aspect, in addition to the effect of the first, second, third, or fourth aspect, the area where the drain water in the drain pan contacts the air in the machine room can be widened. Can be further promoted.

  1 to 8 show an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a showcase, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a front schematic sectional view, and FIG. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan sectional view thereof, FIG. 6 is a plan view of a machine room, FIG. 7 is a side sectional view of a drain pan, and FIG. 8 is a circuit configuration diagram of an electric heater.

  This showcase includes a showcase body 1 having an opening on the front surface, the back surface, and one side surface in the width direction, a first product storage portion 2 provided on each of the front and back sides of the showcase body 1, and the showcase body 1. A second product storage section 3 provided on one side in the width direction, a plurality of product shelves 4 provided in each product storage section 2, 3, a bottom side of the showcase body 1, both sides in the width direction Ventilation paths 5 formed on the surface side and the upper surface side, a first vertical duct 6 provided on the back side of each first product storage unit 2, and a back side of the second product storage unit 3 The second vertical duct 7 is provided, and a cooler 8 and a blower 9 disposed in the bottom-side air passage 5 are provided.

  The showcase body 1 includes a heat-insulating top plate 10 that covers the top surface thereof, a heat insulating wall 11 that covers the front and back surfaces of the showcase body 1, a lower portion of one side surface, and a bottom surface side, and the other side surface in the width direction of the showcase body 1 , A top plate 13 that covers the top surface of each first product storage unit 2, a first bottom plate 14 that covers the bottom surface of each first product storage unit 2, and a second product storage unit 3. And a second bottom plate 15 that covers the bottom surface of the product, and an air suction port 1 a communicating with the inside of the bottom-side air passage 5 at the lower end of the opening of the showcase body 1 is provided at the periphery of each of the product storage units 2, 3, 4. It is provided over.

  Each first product storage unit 2 is formed inside the front side and back side openings of the showcase body 1 and is provided with the vertical ducts 6 and 7 therebetween.

  The second product storage unit 3 is formed inside the opening on one side of the showcase body 1 and communicates with each first product storage unit 2 through both longitudinal sides of one vertical duct 6.

  Each merchandise shelf 4 is provided in a plurality of upper and lower stages in each merchandise storage section 2, 3, and the merchandise shelves 4 at each stage are formed so as to be continuous with each other across the merchandise storage sections 2, 3.

  The ventilation path 5 is formed between the bottom plates 14 and 15 and the heat insulating wall 11 on the bottom surface side, and is formed between the top plate 10 and the top plate 13 on the top surface side. The bottom surface side and the top surface side of the ventilation path 5 communicate with each other through the vertical ducts 6 and 7, and the air in the bottom surface ventilation path 5 flows into the vertical ducts 6 and 7. In addition, air discharge ports 5 a for discharging air to the second product storage portions 3 are provided at both ends in the front-rear direction of the upper surface side ventilation path 5.

  The first vertical duct 6 is formed in a hollow shape extending in the vertical direction along the back surface of each first product storage unit 2, and its upper end and lower end communicate with the upper surface side air passage 5 and the lower surface side air passage 5, respectively. ing. On the front and back surfaces of the first vertical duct 7, air discharge ports 6 a respectively facing the respective first product storage units 3 are provided at a plurality of locations in the vertical direction and the width direction, and each air discharge port 6 a is a first one. Many of the vertical ducts 7 are provided at the top.

  The second vertical duct 7 is formed in a vertically long hollow shape whose width in the front-rear direction gradually increases from the upper end side toward the lower end side, and the upper end and the lower end communicate with the upper surface side air passage 5 and the bottom surface side air passage 5, respectively. I am letting. In this case, the second vertical duct 7 is formed to have a width smaller than that of the second product storage unit 2, and the first vertical duct 6 is communicated with the inside of the first vertical duct 6. It is formed integrally with one side. In addition, on one side surface of the second vertical duct 7, air discharge ports 7 a facing the second product storage unit 2 are provided at a plurality of locations in the vertical direction and the width direction.

  The cooler 8 is composed of an evaporator connected to the compressor 16 and the condenser 17 in the machine room 1b, and a total of two coolers 8 are provided in the bottom-side air passage 5 so as to be adjacent to each other in the front-rear direction.

  The blower 9 is provided in the bottom-side air passage 5 and is disposed below the first bottom plate 15 of each first product storage unit 2.

  Further, the showcase body 1 has a machine room 1b at the lower part thereof, and an intake port 1c is provided on the front surface of the machine room 1b, and an exhaust port 1d is provided on the back surface thereof. A compressor 16 and a condenser 17 are accommodated in the machine room 1b, and a plurality of condenser fans 17a are provided on the back side of the condenser 17 at intervals in the width direction. The condenser 17 is formed in a horizontally long shape so as to extend in the width direction of the machine room 1b, and is disposed on the front side in the machine room 1b so as to face the intake port 1c. A compressor 16 is disposed laterally behind the condenser 17.

  A drain pan 18 that receives drain water generated by the cooler 8 is provided on the back side in the machine room 1 b, and a plurality of evaporation plates 19 that evaporate the drain water are provided on the drain pan 18. The drain pan 18 is formed in a horizontally long shape so as to cover almost the entire width of the machine room 1b, and drain water of each cooler 8 flows through a drain circulation pipe (not shown). Each evaporating plate 19 is made of a well-known flat plate member that sucks up moisture by capillary action, and the lower end side thereof is held slightly above the bottom surface of the drain pan 18 by a support member 19a. In this case, the respective evaporation plates 19 are arranged horizontally and spaced apart from each other in the width direction of the drain pan 18, and are arranged at a slight interval in each row on the left and right sides in the machine chamber 1b. That is, each evaporating plate 19 is an evaporating promotion member formed in a horizontally long shape, and its entire width L1 is formed to be approximately the same as the width L2 of the condenser 17.

  Further, a float switch 20 that detects the water level of the drain water is provided in the drain pan 18, and the float switch 20 is disposed on one end side in the width direction of the drain pan 18. The float switch 20 includes a mounting plate 20a fixed to the side wall of the drain pan 18, a support pin 20b extending downward from the mounting plate 20a, and a float 20c supported by the support pin 20b so as to be movable in the vertical direction. As shown in FIG. 7, when the float 20c rises to a predetermined position in the vertical direction (a one-dot chain line position in the figure), the contact of the switch (not shown) is closed.

  The lower surface of the drain pan 18 is provided with an electric heater 21 as a heating means, and the lower surface of the drain pan 18 is covered with the electric heater 21 by a heat insulating material 22 made of glass wool or the like. As shown in FIG. 8, the electric heater 21 is connected to a power source 23 via a float switch 20. When the contact of the float switch 20 is closed, the power source 23 is energized.

  In the showcase configured as described above, the air sucked into the bottom-side air passage 5 from the air inlet 1a is cooled by each cooler 8, and the air passage 5 in each vertical duct 6, 7 is used. And is discharged into the product storage units 2 and 3 from the air discharge ports 6a and 7a of the vertical ducts 6 and 7 and the air discharge port 5a of the upper surface side ventilation passage 5, respectively.

  Further, in the showcase, when the drain water of each cooler 8 flows into the drain pan 18, the drain water in the drain pan 18 is sucked up by each evaporation plate 19. Each evaporator plate 19 comes into contact with the air flowing through the machine room 1b by each condenser blower 17a, whereby the drain water absorbed by each evaporator plate 19 evaporates. At this time, the respective evaporation plates 19 are arranged so as to be horizontally long with respect to the air flow direction, and are formed to have a width L1 substantially equal to the width L2 of the condenser 17, so that they circulate in the machine chamber 1b. Air uniformly contacts the entire evaporation plate 19.

  Here, when the amount of drain water is large, when the water level of the drain water in the drain pan 18 rises, the float 20c rises and the float switch 20 is turned on, the electric heater 21 is driven, and the electric heater 21 is heated. The drain water in the drain pan 18 evaporates.

  Thus, according to the showcase of the present embodiment, each evaporation plate 19 is formed in a width substantially equal to that of the condenser 17 so as to be horizontally long with respect to the air flow direction, and thus flows through the machine chamber 1b. Air can be uniformly contacted with the entire evaporation plates 19, and the drain water absorbed by the evaporation plates 19 can be efficiently evaporated by contact with air.

  In this case, since the condenser 17 of the machine room 1b is disposed on the air inflow side of each evaporation plate 19, the temperature of the air flowing into each evaporation plate 19 can be raised by the waste heat of the condenser 17, and the temperature The evaporation action of each evaporation plate 19 can be enhanced by the high air.

  Further, since the compressor 16 of the machine room 1b is arranged on the air inflow side of each evaporation plate 19, the temperature of the air flowing into each evaporation plate 19 is not only the waste heat of the condenser 17, but also the waste heat of the compressor 16. The evaporation action of each evaporation plate 19 can be further enhanced.

  Further, since the drain pan 18 is heated by the electric heater 21, the drain water in the drain pan 18 can be quickly evaporated by the electric heater 21 even when the amount of drain water is large. In this case, since the electric heater 21 is operated when the drain water becomes a predetermined water level or more by the float switch 20 that detects the water level of the drain water in the drain pan 18, the electric heater 21 is not operated more than necessary. Thus, power consumption can be reduced.

  Further, since the lower surface of the drain pan 18 is covered with the electric heater 21 by the heat insulating material 22, the heat of the electric heater 21 can be efficiently transmitted to the drain pan 18 without being discharged to the outside, and the drain water in the drain pan 18 can be transferred. Can be efficiently evaporated by the electric heater 21. Furthermore, since the drain pan 18 can be kept warm by the heat insulating material 22, the drain water in the drain pan 18 can be kept warm even after the electric heater 21 is turned off, and natural evaporation of the drain water in the drain pan 18 is promoted. You can also

  Furthermore, since the drain pan 18 is formed so as to cover almost the entire width of the machine chamber 1b, the area where the drain water in the drain pan 18 contacts the air in the machine chamber 1b can be widened, and the natural evaporation of the drain water can be further increased. It can be further promoted.

  In the above-described embodiment, the evaporating plates 19 are arranged on the left and right sides of the machine room 1b with one row at a slight interval, but may be arranged continuously in the left-right direction. In the above embodiment, a so-called open showcase having a front surface, a back surface, and one side surface opened is shown, but other types of showcases may be used such as a door having a door at the opening.

The perspective view of the showcase which shows one Embodiment of this invention Front view of showcase Front schematic sectional view of the showcase Side schematic sectional view of the showcase Plane schematic cross-sectional view of the showcase Plan view of machine room Side view of drain pan Circuit diagram of electric heater Plan view of machine room showing conventional example

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Showcase main body, 1b ... Machine room, 2 ... 1st goods storage part, 3 ... 2nd goods storage part, 8 ... Cooler, 17 ... Condenser, 17a ... Blower for condensers, 18 ... Drain pan, 19 ... Evaporation plate, 20 ... Float switch. 21 ... Electric heater, 22 ... Insulating material.

Claims (5)

A product storage section provided in the showcase body, a cooler that cools the interior of the product storage section, a drain pan that receives drain water generated by the cooler, and the drain water in the drain pan that is absorbed by contact with air An evaporation promoting member for evaporating, a machine room provided in a lower portion of the showcase body, a condenser disposed in the machine room, and a blower for circulating air in the machine room, a drain pan and an evaporation promoting member in the machine room In the showcase where
While disposing the condenser on the air inflow side of the evaporation promoting member,
A showcase characterized in that the evaporation promoting member is formed in a width substantially equal to that of the condenser so as to be horizontally long with respect to the air flow direction in the machine room. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein the compressor housed in the machine room is disposed on the air inflow side of the evaporation promoting member. A heater for heating the drain pan;
The showcase according to claim 1, further comprising a switch that activates the heater when the drain water in the drain pan reaches a predetermined water level or more. The showcase according to claim 3, further comprising a heat insulating material that covers at least a part of an outer surface of the drain pan together with the heater. The showcase according to claim 1, 2, 3, or 4, wherein the drain pan is formed so as to extend over substantially the entire width of the machine room.

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