JP5751051B2 - Cold air circulation open showcase - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention forms a cool air curtain on the front side of the front of the case main body in which the product display shelves arranged in the upper and lower stages are arranged in the warehouse, and also displays the product of each stage from the back side in the warehouse. The present invention relates to an open showcase of a cold air circulation type in which cold air is blown out between shelves to keep displayed products cool.

  As the open showcase described above, a cold air curtain is formed on the front side of the case body with the front open, and cold air is blown from the back side toward the product display shelves in the upper and lower stages. An open showcase of the cold air circulation type that keeps the air cool uniformly is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). Recently, open showcase products that adopt this cold air circulation method are widely deployed in the market. Yes.

  Next, the conventional structure of the showcase is shown in FIG. In the figure, 1 is an open front case body that becomes a heat insulating housing, 2 is a cold air circulation duct defined between the outer box and inner box of the case body 1, 3 is a rear panel of the inner box, and 4 is cooled (Evaporator for refrigerator), 5 is a fan, 6 is a cold air curtain outlet opened to the front of the ceiling of the case body 1, 7 is a suction port (suction grill), and 8 is arranged in the upper and lower tiers. A product display shelf 9 is a deck pan disposed at the bottom of the cabinet, and a cold air outlet 3a (for example, a punching hole) drilled in the back panel 3 of the inner box corresponding to the product display shelf 8 at the upper and lower stages. Is open.

  The cool operation of the showcase is also described in detail in Patent Document 1, and during the cool operation, as indicated by the dotted arrow in FIG. A cold air curtain A is formed toward the mouth 7. In addition, a cold air flow B is blown out from the middle of the cold air circulation duct 2 through the cold air blowing holes 3a formed in the back panel 3 corresponding to the respective product display shelves 8 arranged in the upper and lower stages, and the whole area inside the box is kept cool. To do.

  On the other hand, in supermarkets and convenience stores that sell products by setting up open showcases in stores, the sales volume of products often varies depending on business hours such as weekdays, holiday business days, daytime, nighttime, and just before closing. Even when the sales volume is small, it is wasteful from the viewpoint of power consumption to pack the products in the product display shelves 8 of each stage and keep the entire interior cold.

  Therefore, as a power-saving and energy-saving measure for the open showcase, a sheet-like cover that can be rolled up / drawn is provided on the ceiling of the case body, in addition to the night cover that is standard equipment in the normal open showcase. When the sales volume is low, arrange the quantity of products placed on the display shelves and concentrate them on the product display shelves arranged on the lower side of the cabinet, and then pull down the cover from the storage unit. An open showcase with a structure that can reduce the power consumption of the showcase by covering the front surface of the upper space of the empty product display shelf and reducing the cold storage area in the warehouse is known ( For example, see Patent Document 2).

Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2008-125589 (FIG. 3) Japanese Patent No. 3724613

  In recent years, power saving and energy saving have become important themes for the showcase, and the adoption of the energy saving method disclosed in Patent Document 2 is also being considered for the open showcase of the cold air circulation method shown in FIG.

  By the way, as shown in FIG. 6, the cold air divided from the middle of the cold air circulation duct 2 through the cold air blowing holes 3 a distributed and opened in the back panel 3 corresponding to the upper and lower stages of the product display shelves 8 is provided in the respective shelf. For the open showcase that is blown out toward the upper space, a cover that can be wound / drawn is added to the ceiling part of the cabinet in the same manner as in Patent Document 2, and the cover is drawn out from the storage unit so that there is no display product. When it is hung on the front end of an empty merchandise display shelf so as to cover the front surface of the space above the shelf, the following problems remain in terms of energy saving effect.

  That is, as described above, the sheet-shaped cover is extended from the storage unit of the ceiling of the storage to the upper product display shelf where the displayed products in the storage are rearranged and empty during business hours such as just before closing. Even when the front of the product display shelf is covered, the upper space of the product display shelf communicates with the cold air circulation duct 2 through the cold air blowing hole 3a opened in the rear panel 3 (see FIG. 6), and is extended. A gap remains between the peripheral edge of the cover, the inner box of the case body, and the product display shelf. For this reason, a part of the cold air flowing through the cold air circulation duct 2 is blown out to the upper space of the empty product display shelf covered with the cover through the cold air blowing hole 3a of the back panel 3. As a result, the space above the empty product display shelf, which originally does not need to be kept cool, is kept cold. Even if the cover is covered and the space that needs to be kept cool is reduced, power saving and energy saving functions can be achieved. Cannot fully demonstrate.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and provides a cold air circulation type open showcase that is improved so that high power saving and energy saving effects can be exhibited according to the display state of the products arranged on the product display shelves arranged in the upper and lower stages. The purpose is to do.

In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, a product display shelf arranged in the upper and lower stages is provided in the front open case body, and is cooled between the inner box / outer box of the case body. A cool air circulation showcase that cools and cools the air in the cabinet through a cool air circulation duct in which a container and a fan are arranged, and keeps the displayed products cold. The case body is directed from the front of the ceiling to the front area in the cabinet. A cool air blowout hole that opens a cool air curtain outlet that blows out cool air and blows out cool air from the middle of the cool air circulation duct to the interior of the back panel of the upper and lower stages on the back panel in the store In addition to a sheet-like shielding cover that is extended from a storage unit arranged inside the cold air curtain outlet and arranged on the ceiling in the cabinet and hooked to the front end of the product display shelf, Dispersion opening in panel A shutter mechanism for opening and closing individually corresponding to the cold air blowing ports on the commodity display shelf at each stage, a cover detection means for detecting the latching of the shielding cover on the commodity display shelf at each stage, the detection signal of the cover detection means And a control means for driving and controlling the shutter mechanism disposed on the back cover in the cabinet to the open / close position, and is fed out from the storage part of the ceiling in the cabinet according to the display status of the products arranged in the product display shelves at each stage In the cold operation state in which the shield cover is hung on the front edge of the emptied product display shelf, the product display whose front surface is covered with the shield cover by the shutter mechanism that receives the detection signal of the cover detection means and closes The cold airflow blown out from the middle of the cold air circulation duct toward the upper space of the shelf is stopped .

According to the above configuration, the following power saving and energy saving effects can be achieved.
In other words, for open showcases that are in operation, in the operation state where the products to be arranged on the product display shelf are moved to the product display shelf arranged on the lower side of the cabinet or the deck pan at the bottom of the cabinet and displayed intensively, When the shielding cover extended from the storage section of the product is hung on the empty product display shelf and the front of the space above the shelf is covered with the cover, at the same time, the detection signal of the cover detection means arranged on the product display shelf is received. A shutter mechanism arranged on the rear panel in the cabinet automatically closes and closes the cold air outlet hole of the rear panel corresponding to the empty product display shelf.

  As a result, the cold air blown into the cabinet from the middle of the cold air circulation duct through the cold air outlet hole of the rear panel is limited to the area of the lower product display shelf displaying the product, and the empty product display shelf covered with the shielding cover The cool air does not flow through the cool air blowing holes of the rear panel in the shelf space. As a result, the total required cooling load of the showcase is reduced, the power consumption of the refrigerator is reduced, and high power saving and energy saving effects can be achieved.

It is a side view sectional view showing the inside of the cold air circulation type open showcase by the example of the present invention. It is the figure which represented typically the arrangement | positioning of the shielding cover in FIG. 1, and the cover detection sensor distribute | arranged to the merchandise display shelf, (a), (b) is the perspective view seen from the front, respectively, and a shielding cover is a shelf. It is a side view enlarged view of the state latched on the front edge. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating the shutter mechanism and the arrangement thereof in FIG. 1, wherein (a), (b), and (c) are a side view, a perspective view from the front, and an operation explanatory diagram of the shutter mechanism, respectively. It is. It is a block diagram of the operation control system provided in the showcase of FIG. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of the operation control system corresponding to FIG. 4. It is a side view sectional view showing the inside of the conventional cold air circulation type open showcase.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on the examples shown in FIGS. In addition, in the figure of an Example, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the member corresponding to FIG. 6, and the description is abbreviate | omitted.
That is, the open showcase of the illustrated embodiment is based on the conventional cold air circulation type open showcase described with reference to FIG. A sheet-like shielding cover 10 that can be pulled out is disposed. In addition, a shutter mechanism 11 is newly installed on the inner surface side of the rear panel with respect to the cold air blowing holes 3a formed in the rear panel 3 in the cabinet corresponding to the product display shelves 8 of each stage. A cover detection sensor 12 for detecting the latching state of the shielding cover 10 is provided at the front end of the merchandise display shelf 8 at each stage.

Here, the shielding cover 10 is the same as the normal night cover 13 provided on the canopy portion 1a of the case body 1, provided with a stop 10a over the tip of the shielding cover 10, as shown in Figure 2, the ceiling The hook 10a is hooked on the hook 8a provided at the front end of the commodity display shelf 8 so as to cover the front surface of the upper space of the shelf.

  In addition, for example, reflection type photosensors (two) are arranged as a cover detection sensor 12 at the front end of each stage of the product display shelf 8, and the shielding cover 10 is attached to the product display shelf 8. When hooked, the cover detection sensor 12 detects the hooked state of the cover and outputs the signal to the operation control system described later. Reference numeral 10b denotes a light reflecting plate attached to the lower end of the shielding cover 10 so as to face the reflective photosensor.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, the cover detection sensors 12 installed on the four-stage product display shelves 8 arranged in the upper and lower stages are arranged in the order # 1, # 2,. They shall be referred to as # 3 and # 4.

  On the other hand, the shutter mechanism 11 is individually connected to the cold air blowing holes 3a of each stage, with respect to the cold air blowing holes 3a that are dispersed and opened in the back panel 3 corresponding to the product display shelves 8 arranged in the upper and lower stages (see FIG. 1). Correspondingly, it is installed inside the back panel 3. The shutter mechanism 11 has a structure in which, for example, as shown in FIG. 3, a shutter plate 11a made of a flexible sheet having substantially the same width as that of the rear panel 3 is wound on / taken out on a motor-driven winding frame 11b. As shown in FIG. 3 (c), the shutter plate 11a opens the cold air blowing hole 3a by giving an opening / closing command to the drive motor based on the detection signal of the cover detection sensor 12 described above. It is designed to drive to a position that opens and closes. As with the cover detection sensor 12, the shutter mechanism 11 is also # 1, # 2,. They are referred to as # 3 and # 4 (see FIG. 1).

  Next, the operation control system equipped in the open showcase will be described with reference to the block diagrams and flowcharts shown in FIGS. That is, in the normal cold operation state when the power is turned on, all the shutter mechanisms 11 (# 1 to # 4) are maintained in the UP state in which the shutter plate 11a (see FIG. 3C) is wound up. As described above, cold air is supplied from the cold air circulation duct 2 through the air curtain outlet 6 and the cold air outlet 3a of the rear panel 3 to keep the entire interior of the refrigerator cool.

  From this cold storage operation state during normal times, the products arranged on the product display shelf 8 at each stage are arranged at the time of closing the store, and the upper display product is used as the product display shelf on the lower side or the deck pan at the bottom of the cabinet. After the transfer, when the shielding cover 10 arranged on the ceiling part of the cabinet is extended from the storage part and hooked to the front end of the upper product display shelf 8 which is empty, the front of the upper space is covered (FIG. 2). The cover detection sensor 12 equipped on the empty merchandise display shelf detects the latching state of the shielding cover 10 and inputs the ON signal to the calculation unit of the control system. Thereby, in response to the output command from the calculation unit, the shutter mechanism 11 corresponding to the product display shelf 8 (empty state) covered with the shielding cover 10 is closed and the shutter plate 11a is extended from the storage unit ( DOWN), the cool air blowing hole 3a opened in the back panel 3 is closed (see FIG. 3C). As a result, the empty merchandise display shelf 8 whose front surface is covered with the shielding cover 10 stops the cold airflow blown out from the cold air blowing holes 3a of the rear panel 3 toward the upper space. Note that the shutter mechanism 11 is open (UP) for the product display shelf 8 (not covered with the shielding cover 10) of the other stage displaying the product, and is passed through the cold air outlet 3a of the rear panel 3. Cool air is ventilated toward the shelf space.

  As is clear from the above explanation, the cold storage operation state in which the display products in the showcase are transferred from the upper product display shelf to the lower product display shelf or the deck pan at the bottom of the store at the time of closing. Then, when the shielding cover extended from the storage part of the ceiling part of the cabinet is hung on the empty upper product display shelf and the front of the space above the shelf is covered with the cover, it simultaneously corresponds to the product display shelf The shutter mechanism arranged on the back panel automatically closes and stops the blowout of cool air from the back, so that high power and energy saving effects can be achieved.

  Note that the shutter mechanism 11 and the cover detection sensor 12 described above are not limited to those in the illustrated embodiment. For the shutter mechanism, for example, a sliding shutter plate driven by an electromagnetic actuator is adopted. As for the cover detection sensor, a limit switch may be employed instead of the reflective photosensor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Case main body 2 Cold-air circulation duct 3 Back panel 3a Cold-air blowing hole 4 Cooler 5 Fan 6 Air curtain outlet 8 Product display shelf 10 Shielding cover 11 Shutter mechanism 12 Cover detection sensor

Claims (1)

Equipped with product display shelves lined up and down in the cabinet of the open front case body, cool air inside the cabinet through a cool air circulation duct that is defined between the inner box / outer box of the case body and arranged with a cooler and fan A cool air circulation type showcase that keeps the displayed products cool by circulating air, and the case body has a cold air curtain outlet for blowing cool air from the front of the ceiling toward the front area of the interior, Inside the cold air curtain outlet, the back panel has a cold air blowout hole that blows cold air from the middle of the cold air circulation duct to the inside corresponding to the upper and lower product display shelves. In addition to the sheet-like shielding cover that is extended from the storage section arranged on the ceiling in the cabinet and hooked to the front end of the merchandise display shelf, the cold air blowout holes distributed and opened in the back panel in the cabinet are provided for each stage of product display Corresponding to the shelf Closing a shutter mechanism, a cover detection means for detecting the latching of the shielding cover on the commodity display shelf at each stage, the shutter mechanism arranged to-compartment rear cover detection signal based on the said cover detecting means for opening and closing separate Control means for driving and controlling the position, and the shielding cover extended from the storage part of the ceiling in the cabinet according to the display status of the products arranged on the product display shelves at each stage is attached to the front edge of the empty product display shelf In the cold-keeping operation state, the cold airflow blown from the middle of the cold air circulation duct toward the upper space of the product display shelf whose front surface is covered with the shielding cover by the shutter mechanism that receives the detection signal of the cover detection means and closes Cold air circulation open showcase, characterized by stopping the operation .