JP6986098B2 - Cooling system - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a cooling device.

In recent years, in order to maintain the quality of foods and pharmaceuticals, there is a demand for a technique for keeping these cold storage objects at a constant temperature.
The present application claims priority to Japanese Patent Application No. 2017-2536662 filed in Japan on December 28, 2017, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Here, the required "constant temperature" differs depending on the object to be kept cold. For example, when the object to be cooled is a pharmaceutical product, it is required to keep the object to be cooled at 2 ° C to 8 ° C. When the object to be kept cold is fresh fish and shellfish, it is preferable to keep it cold at a temperature different from that of the pharmaceutical product.

Conventionally, as described above, a cold insulating material for keeping an object to be cooled cold at a temperature different from the melting point of ice "0 ° C" has been known (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The cold insulating material described in Patent Document 1 has a melting temperature of 0 to 10 ° C., and can preferably hold the object to be cooled at a desired temperature. For example, a cold insulating material having a melting temperature of 5 ° C. can be suitably used for cooling an object to be cooled, which is required to be kept cold at 2 ° C. to 8 ° C.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2007-163045

Before using the cold insulating material described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to freeze it in a freezer or the like in advance to change it to a solid phase. For example, when the cold insulation material is frozen in a freezer, the cold insulation material changes to a solid phase and then is cooled to the temperature inside the freezer. Therefore, even if the cold insulation material has a melting temperature of 5 ° C, if the temperature inside the freezer is -5 ° C, the cold insulation material that has changed to a solid phase (frozen) will be cooled to -5 ° C. Become.

The cold insulating material cooled to −5 ° C. in this way is not suitable because the temperature is too low, for example, when cooling an object to be cooled to be cooled to 2 ° C. to 8 ° C. Therefore, there is a problem that the cold insulating material cannot be used until the temperature of the cold insulating material reaches an appropriate temperature after the cold insulating material is taken out from the freezer.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device capable of appropriately cooling a cold insulating material and keeping the cold insulating material at an appropriate temperature.

In order to solve the above problems, one embodiment of the present invention includes 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. The control means comprises a control means for controlling the temperature of the internal space based on the measurement result by the measurement means, and the control means sets the temperature of the internal space to the object of the liquid phase based on the measurement result. Provided is a cooling device for controlling to change from a first set temperature lower than the temperature at which solidification starts to a second set temperature higher than the first set temperature and lower than the melting temperature of the object.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means detects the solidification heat and the melting temperature of the object based on the measurement result, and then the reference temperature at which the measurement result is lower than the melting temperature. The configuration may be such that the temperature of the internal space is controlled to be changed from the first set temperature to the second set temperature by detecting that the temperature has become.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means detects the melting temperature based on the measurement result, and then detects that the measurement result reaches a reference temperature which is lower than the melting temperature. As a result, the temperature of the internal space may be controlled to be changed from the first set temperature to the second set temperature.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means acquires the temperature of the object from the measuring means every unit time, and detects the heat of solidification based on the amount of change in the measurement result per unit time. It may be configured.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means acquires the temperature of the object from the measuring means every unit time, and detects the melting temperature based on the amount of change in the measurement result per unit time. It may be configured.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means may be configured so that the unit time can be changed.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit has a mounting unit on which the object is placed, and the measuring means may be a contact-type temperature sensor provided in the above-mentioned mounting unit. good.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the temperature sensor may have a plurality of probes, and the plurality of probes may be provided in the above-mentioned mounting portion.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the measuring means may be configured to be a non-contact temperature sensor provided in the internal space.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit has a mounting unit on which the object is placed, and the above-mentioned mounting unit has a measuring means for measuring the mass of the object, and the control means. Is a configuration for estimating the estimated cooling time of the entire amount of the object housed 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. May be good.

In one embodiment 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 moved from the first space to the second space. The first space has a moving means for moving to a space, the first space is provided with the measuring means, and is provided so as to be changeable between the first set temperature and the second set temperature, and the second space is the second space. The configuration may be set to a third set temperature higher than the set temperature and lower than the melting temperature of the object.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit may have a cooling means for cooling the internal space, and the cooling means may be a compressor type cooling unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the cooling unit may have a cooling means for cooling the internal space, and the cooling means may be configured to be a Pelche type cooling unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound, and the control means outputs the alarm sound from the alarm unit after changing the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature. It may be configured.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the control means has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound, 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. After reaching, the alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit.

In one embodiment of the present invention, there is an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound, the control means 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 temperature reaches.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cooling device capable of appropriately cooling a cold insulating material (object) and keeping the cold insulating material at an appropriate temperature.

It is a schematic perspective view which shows the cooling apparatus 1 of 1st Embodiment. It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows the cooling apparatus 1. It is explanatory drawing explaining the control of the internal space S based on the temperature of a cold insulation material I. It is explanatory drawing explaining the control of the internal space S based on the temperature of a cold insulation material I. It is explanatory drawing explaining the control of the internal space S based on the temperature of a cold insulation material I. It is explanatory drawing explaining the control of the internal space S based on the temperature of a cold insulation material I. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling apparatus 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling apparatus 3 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling apparatus 4 which concerns on 4th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling apparatus 5 which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling apparatus 5 which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is explanatory drawing of the cooling apparatus 6 which concerns on 6th Embodiment.

[First Embodiment]
Hereinafter, the cooling device according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12. In all the drawings below, the dimensions and ratios of the components are appropriately different in order to make the drawings easier to see.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view showing the 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 that can appropriately cool the cold insulating material (object) I to be cooled and keep the cold insulating material I at an appropriate temperature.

In the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, a cold insulating material I using a phase change material which is a liquid at room temperature and becomes a solid when cooled is adopted as an object to be cooled. As the cold insulating material I, for example, a form in which the phase change material is liquid-tightly sealed in a bag-shaped container is adopted.

As the phase change material used for the cold insulating material I, a generally known material can be used. An example is a solution containing one or more salts selected from the group consisting of a quaternary ammonium salt, a potassium salt, and a sodium salt as a main component, or a material 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 the clathrate hydrate.

"Clathrate hydrate" is a crystal in which other substances (molecules, salts) are contained in the cage-like structure of water molecules formed by hydrogen bonds. For example, it is known that an aqueous solution of a quaternary ammonium salt having a predetermined concentration forms a clathrate hydrate when cooled. Clathrate hydrates absorb heat during the formation of cage-like crystals, much like the phase-changing material stores latent heat during the phase-changing. Therefore, the clathrate hydrate can be used in the same manner as the phase change material.

As an additive for the purpose of suppressing supercooling, sodium tetraborate can be mentioned. For example, when tetrabutylammonium bromide (TBAB) is used as the quaternary ammonium salt, sodium tetraborate is additionally added to the TBAB 40% by mass aqueous solution (hereinafter referred to as TBAB aqueous solution) to use 2% of the TBAB aqueous solution mass. This makes it possible to suppress overcooling of the obtained aqueous solution.

In addition, 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 (measuring means) 20, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The cooling unit 10 has an internal space S for accommodating the cold insulating 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 101a 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 device main body 101 and the door member 102 may have a generally known heat insulating structure. Further, in the figure, the device main body 101 has an opening 101a on the side surface of the device main body 101, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the device main body 101 may have an opening on the upper surface.

The apparatus main body 101 has a mounting portion 103 on which the cold insulating material I is placed in the lower part of the internal space S. The cooling device 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a temperature sensor 20 and a mass sensor (measuring means) 104 in the mounting portion 103.

The temperature sensor 20 measures the temperature of the cold insulating material I mounted on the mounting portion 103. The temperature sensor 20 is a contact type sensor that contacts the cold insulating material I and measures the temperature of the cold insulating material I. For example, the temperature sensor 20 has a probe on the upper surface of the mounting portion 103, and detects the temperature of the cold insulating material I in contact with the probe.

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

The mass sensor 104 measures the mass of the cold insulating material I mounted on the mounting unit 103.

The cooling unit 108 is provided in, for example, 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, a generally known configuration such as a compressor type cooling unit or a Pelche type cooling unit can be adopted. Further, as the cooling method using the cooling unit 108, a fan type or a direct cooling method, 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, and controls 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 views illustrating the control of the internal space S based on the temperature of the cold insulating material I.

(When the cold insulation material I is supercooled)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled by using a conventional cooling device. FIG. 3 is a graph showing the correspondence between the cooling time of the cold insulating material I and the temperature of the cold insulating material I. The horizontal axis of FIG. 3 shows the cooling time, and the vertical axis shows the temperature of the cold insulating material I.

First, as shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the cold insulating material I having a temperature T is cooled. The temperature T is, for example, normal temperature, and the phase changing 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.

When the cold insulation material I shown in the figure is cooled by a conventional cooling device set to a temperature sufficiently low (temperature Tx) for solidifying the cold insulation material I, the temperature of the cold insulation material I changes from temperature T to temperature Tx. Decline towards. In the liquid phase phase change material, 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-changing material drops to the melting temperature of the phase-changing material, solidification of the phase-changing material does not start, and the temperature may further drop. Such a phenomenon is known as "supercooling". FIG. 3 shows that when the cold insulating material I having a temperature T is cooled, the temperature of the cold insulating material I falls below the melting temperature Tb and drops to the temperature Ta at time t1 (time t0 to time t1).

The temperature of the cold insulating material I drops to the temperature Ta and then starts to rise. This is a phenomenon that occurs because the phase change material of the cold insulating material I begins to solidify and releases latent heat. The temperature of the cold insulating material I rises at time t2 until the melting temperature Tb of the phase changing material is reached (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 insulating material I.

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

After the solidification of the phase-changing material is completed (time t 3 ) and all the phase-changing materials become solid-phase, the temperature of the cold insulating material I begins to decrease again. The cold insulating material I drops 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, the cold insulating material I is kept constant at the melting temperature of the phase changing material when the phase changing material contained in the cold insulating material I melts. Therefore, the cold insulating material I is preferably used when the temperature of the cold insulating material I is kept at the melting temperature of the phase change material contained in the cold insulating material I.

Therefore, when the cold insulating material I is cooled by the conventional cooling device, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device has a temperature lower than the temperature at which the cold insulating material I is preferably used, so that the cold insulating material I undergoes a phase change. It was necessary to wait until the melting temperature of the material was reached.

On the other hand, in the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, the temperature of the cold insulating material I is measured by 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 an explanatory diagram showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled by using the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment. FIG. 4 is a graph showing the correspondence relationship between the cooling time of the cold insulating material I and the temperature of the cold insulating material I, and is a diagram corresponding to FIG. The horizontal axis of FIG. 4 shows the cooling time, and the vertical axis shows the temperature of the cold insulating material 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, which is the temperature at which the phase change material of the cold insulating material I starts solidifying, 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 housed in the internal space S of the cooling device 1 decreases from the temperature T toward the temperature Tx. The temperature of the cold insulating material I drops to the temperature Ta, which is the temperature at which the phase changing material used for the cold insulating material I starts solidification, then starts to rise, and rises to the melting temperature Tb.

After the solidification of the phase changing material contained in the cold insulating material I is completed (time t3) and all the phase changing materials become solid phase, the temperature of the cold insulating material I begins to decrease again. Based on the measurement result by the temperature sensor 20, the control unit 30 obtains each temperature required for controlling the cooling device 1 as follows.

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

The control unit 30 can obtain the temperature Ta and the melting temperature Tb from the obtained amount of change. That is, the control unit 30 can obtain the temperature at the measurement time when the obtained change amount changes from negative to positive as the temperature Ta.

Further, the control unit 30 determines in advance that the obtained change amount is equal to or less than the predetermined standard, the temperature of the cold insulating material I has not changed, and the temperature of the cold insulating material I has not changed. If it continues for longer than the above period, the temperature can be determined as the melting temperature Tb.

At this time, if the measured temperature of the cold insulating material I is within a predetermined swing width, the control unit 30 may determine that "the temperature of the cold insulating material I has not changed". For example, when the cooling unit 108 is a compressor type cooling unit, the temperature of the internal space S may change periodically, making it difficult to reach a stable state. Such a phenomenon is known as so-called "hunting".

In the cooling device 1 using the compressor type cooling unit, the temperature drop during hunting may be mistaken for the temperature drop when the solidification of the cold insulating material I is completed and the temperature of the cold insulating material I starts to decrease again. Therefore, it is advisable to estimate the temperature fluctuation width due to hunting in advance, and if the temperature change of the cold insulating material I is within the swing width, it is determined that the temperature fluctuation of the cold insulating material I has not changed.

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 solidification heat (Tb-Ta) of the phase change material used for the cold insulating material I from the temperature Ta and the melting temperature Tb obtained as described above.

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, and then the temperature of the cold insulating material I is a reference temperature lower than the melting temperature Tb. When it is detected that the temperature has changed to Tr, the temperature of the internal space S may be reset (time t4).

That is, when the control unit 30 detects that the temperature of the cold insulating material I has reached the reference temperature Tr, the control unit 30 changes the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty higher than the temperature Tx and lower than the 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 the control unit 30 using the temperature Tx which is the initial set temperature and the obtained melting temperature Tb, 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 indirectly know the temperature of the internal space S.

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

In FIG. 4, the temperature Ty is shown to be lower than the reference temperature Tr, but the temperature Ty is not limited to this. For example, the temperature Ty may be higher than the reference temperature Tr and smaller than the melting temperature Tb (Tr ≦ Ty <Tb).

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 rises from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty. Along with this, the temperature of the cold insulating material I is also cooled to the temperature Ty and maintained at that temperature.

(When the cold insulation material I is not supercooled)
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled by using a conventional cooling device, and is a diagram corresponding to FIG. FIG. 5 is a graph showing the correspondence between the cooling time of the cold insulating material I and the temperature of the cold insulating material I. The horizontal axis of FIG. 5 shows the cooling time, and the vertical axis shows the temperature of the cold insulating material I.

First, as shown in FIG. 5, it is assumed that the cold insulating material I having a temperature T is cooled. When the cold insulation material I shown in the figure is cooled by a conventional cooling device set to a temperature sufficiently low (temperature Tx) for solidifying the cold insulation material I, the temperature of the cold insulation material I changes from temperature T to temperature Tx. Decline towards. In the liquid phase phase change material, 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 insulating material I whose temperature has reached the melting temperature Tb, solidification of the phase changing material proceeds while maintaining the melting temperature Tb (time t2 to time t3). During the time t2 to the time t3, the solid phase and the liquid phase are mixed in the phase change material of the cold insulating material I.

After the solidification of the phase changing material is completed (time t3) and all the phase changing materials become solid phase, the temperature of the cold insulating material I starts to decrease again. The cold insulating material I drops 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.

With respect to such a cold insulating material I, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment measures the temperature of the cold insulating material 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. 6 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the cold insulating material I is cooled by using the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment, and is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4. The horizontal axis of FIG. 6 shows the cooling time, and the vertical axis shows the temperature of the cold insulating material 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 insulating material I, and controls the cooling unit 108 to control the temperature of the internal space S. The temperature of the cold insulating material I housed in the internal space S of the cooling device 1 decreases from the temperature T toward the temperature Tx. The temperature of the cold insulating material I is maintained at a constant temperature at the melting temperature Tb when the phase changing material used for the cold insulating material I reaches the melting temperature Tb.

After the solidification of the phase changing material contained in the cold insulating material I is completed (time t3) and all the phase changing materials become solid phase, the temperature of the cold insulating 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 temperature of the cold insulating material I is a reference temperature lower than the melting temperature Tb. When it is detected that the temperature has changed to Tr, the temperature of the internal space S may be reset (time t4).

That is, when the control unit 30 detects that the temperature of the cold insulating material I has reached the reference temperature Tr, the control unit 30 changes the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty higher than the temperature Tx and lower than the 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 rises from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty. Along with this, the temperature of the cold insulating material I is also cooled to the temperature Ty and maintained at that temperature.

In FIG. 6, the temperature Ty is shown to be lower than the reference temperature Tr, but the temperature Ty is not limited to this. For example, the temperature Ty may be higher than the reference temperature Tr and smaller than the melting temperature Tb (Tr ≦ Ty <Tb).

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 indirectly know the temperature of the internal space S.

Further, 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 insulating material I reaches the temperature Ty (time t6). Thereby, the user of the cooling device 1 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulating material I.

According to the cooling device 1 having the above configuration, the cold insulating material I can be appropriately cooled and solidified, and the cold insulating material I can be kept warm at a temperature Ty higher than the temperature Tx when the cold insulating material I is solidified. Therefore, as compared with the case where the cold insulating material I is kept warm at the temperature Tx, the cold insulating material I reaches the melting temperature of the phase change material in a short time, and the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 1 is used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage. It will be possible.

Further, in the cooling device 1 having the above configuration, after the solidification of the phase changing material contained in the cold insulating material I is completed (after the time t3 has elapsed), the temperature of the internal space S is raised to the temperature Ty according to a predetermined control. do. Unlike the case where the temperature rise of the internal space S is performed according to the empirical rule, the control is based on the measured value, so that it is easy to control from the time t3 to the temperature rise control in a short time.

Further, in the cooling device 1 having the above configuration, since the temperature of the internal space S is controlled based on the measured value of the temperature of the cold insulating material I, reliable temperature control can be performed even if the type of the cold insulating material I changes.

From these, according to the cooling device 1 having the above configuration, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 1 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage.

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

Further, the control unit 30 may predict the temperature change of the cold insulating material I based on the mass of the cold insulating material I measured by the mass sensor 104. If the temperature change of the cold insulating material I when the control unit 30 cools the cold insulating material I of the temperature T using the cooling device 1 in which the temperature of the internal space S is the temperature Tx is known, the cold insulating material is determined from the specific heat of the cold insulating material I. The temperature change per unit mass of I can be estimated, and the time t1 to t6 for the cooling material I of the unit mass can be estimated. The approximate values of such times t1 to t6 correspond to the "assumed cooling time per unit mass" in the present invention.

The control unit 30 estimates the estimated cooling time per unit mass of the cold insulation material I stored in advance and the estimated cooling time of the total amount of the cold insulation material I housed in the internal space S based on the measurement result of the mass sensor 104. can do. The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the cold insulation material I at fine measurement intervals in the vicinity of the time predicted as the time t1 to t6 according to the assumed cooling time obtained from the mass of the cold insulation material I in this way, and is coarse in other cases. The temperature of the cold insulating material I may be measured at measurement intervals.

The control unit 30 may display the obtained "estimated cooling time of the total amount of the cold insulating material I" on the monitor 31.

Further, in the present embodiment, the control unit 30 changes the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty after detecting that the temperature of the cold insulating material I has reached the reference temperature Tr lower than the melting temperature Tb. I decided to control it so that it does not, but it is not limited to this.

For example, 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 after detecting that the temperature of the cold insulating material I has started to decrease again. .. By performing such control, the control unit 30 can control the temperature of the internal space S without waiting from the time t3 to the time t4 in FIGS. 4 and 6. Therefore, the cooling device 1 that performs such control can shorten the time until the cold insulating material I can be used.

Further, the control unit 30 changes the set temperature of the internal space S from the temperature Tx to the temperature Ty after the preset reference time elapses after detecting that the temperature of the cold insulating material I has started to decrease again. It may be controlled to. By performing such timer control by the control unit 30, control becomes easy.

Further, in the present embodiment, as the temperature sensor 20, a contact type sensor that contacts the cold insulation material I and measures the temperature of the cold insulation material I is used, and the temperature of the cold insulation material I is directly measured. Not exclusively.

For example, the probe of the temperature sensor 20 may be brought close to the cold insulation material I so as not to come into contact with the cold insulation material I, the atmospheric temperature may be measured, and the solidification heat of the cold insulation material I may be indirectly detected from the measurement result. Further, even if the solidification heat of the cold insulating material I is indirectly detected by bringing the heat transfer jig formed of a material having high thermal conductivity close to the cold insulating material I and measuring the temperature of the heat transfer jig. good.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling device 2 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 2 of the present embodiment has a part in common with the cooling device 1 of the first embodiment. In the following embodiments, the components common to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

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

The apparatus main body 101 has a plurality of (three in FIG. 7) mounting portions 103 for mounting the cold insulating material I in the internal space S. In the cooling device 2 of the present embodiment, the temperature sensor 21 is provided in the mounting portion 103.

The temperature sensor 21 is provided in the mounting portion 103 and measures the temperature of the cold insulating material I housed in the internal space S. The temperature sensor 21 is a contact type sensor that contacts the cold insulating material I and measures the temperature of the cold insulating material 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 insulating material I in contact with each probe 211.

For example, the temperature sensor 21 outputs the measurement result of the cold insulating material I detected by the plurality of probes 211 to the control unit 30. The control unit 30 detects the temperatures of the plurality of cold insulation materials I, respectively, and obtains a temperature profile as shown in FIG. 4 or FIG. 6 of the first embodiment described above for each of the cold insulation materials 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. As a result, the user of the cooling device 2 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulating material I.

According to the cooling device 2 having the above configuration, the plurality of cold insulating materials I can be appropriately cooled and solidified, and the plurality of cold insulating materials I can be kept warm at a temperature Ty higher than the temperature Tx when solidifying the plurality of cold insulating materials I. 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.

Further, in the above description, the case where the temperature of the plurality of mounting portions 103 (three in FIG. 7) to be mounted is collectively managed as the temperature of the internal space S is described, but the present embodiment is limited to this. No. In the present embodiment, the temperature sensors 21 are provided in each of the plurality of mounting units 103, and the temperature of the internal space S may be managed by the control unit 30 for each mounting unit 103.

As shown in FIG. 7, the plurality of mounting portions 103 may be arranged in the internal space S, for example, in the vertical direction to form a three-level floor. For example, in FIG. 7, it is assumed that the order in which all the cold insulating materials I for each floor have the reference temperature Tr is the order of the middle mounting portion 103, the top mounting portion 103, and the bottom mounting portion 103. ..

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

An alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit 109 after the temperature of all the cold insulating materials I placed on the central mounting unit 103 reaches the temperature Ty. As a result, the user of the cooling device 2 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulating material I mounted on the mounting portion 103 in the middle.

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

An alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit 109 after the temperature of all the cold insulating materials I placed on the top mounting unit 103 reaches the temperature Ty. As a result, the user of the cooling device 2 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulating material I mounted on the top mounting portion 103.

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

An alarm sound may be output from the alarm unit 109 after the temperature of all the cold insulating materials I mounted on the bottom mounting unit 103 reaches the temperature Ty. As a result, the user of the cooling device 2 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulating material I mounted on the bottom mounting portion 103.

It should be noted that the alarm sound after the temperature of all the cold insulating materials I mounted on the mounting section 103 for each floor reaches the temperature Ty may be different. By doing so, the user of the cooling device 2 can indirectly know the temperature of the cold insulating material I mounted on the floor mounting portion 103.

In this way, the temperature can be reset by the control unit 30 in each mounting unit 103, and the timing at which the cold insulating material I can be used by the user can be notified by an alarm sound or the like for each floor. By doing so, for example, as described above, the cold insulator I included in the lowermost mounting portion 103 including the slowest freezing holder I and the other (top and middle) mounting portions 103. Is managed separately from.

By controlling the temperature of the internal space S for each mounting unit 103 in this way, the cold storage with the slowest freezing is not affected by the cold storage device I with the slowest freezing in the entire internal space S. The cold insulation device I included in the mounting portion 103 on the floor that does not include the tool can be frozen. For this reason, it is possible to prevent the cooler I included in the floor mounting portion 103, which does not include the cooler that freezes the slowest, from maintaining the temperature for freezing even though it has already been frozen. Can be done.

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

The temperature sensor 22 is provided on the mounting portion 103. The temperature sensor 22 measures the temperature of the reference material Ref mounted on the mounting portion 103. As the reference material Ref, a material in which the reference substance is liquid-tightly sealed in a bag-shaped container is adopted. As the reference substance, a substance that is liquid at room temperature and does not undergo a phase change in the temperature range in which the internal space S can be set 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.

It is preferable that the container used for the reference material Ref and the container used for the cold insulating material I are the same container. Further, it is assumed that the mass of the reference substance used for the reference material Ref, the specific heat, the surface area of the container for sealing the reference substance, and the heat transfer coefficient are known.

In the cooling device 3, the reference material Ref is placed on the mounting portion 103 together with the cold insulating material I to cool the cooling device 3. 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 by the reference material Ref from the obtained measurement result, the mass of the reference substance, the specific heat, the surface area of the container for sealing the reference substance, and the heat transfer coefficient. Further, the control unit 30 can obtain the amount of heat released by the reference material Ref per unit time.

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

Therefore, if the latent heat amount of the cold insulation material I is known, the "time required for the cold insulation material I to release the latent heat" can be obtained from the "latent heat amount" and the "heat amount released by the cold insulation material I per unit time". Can be done. The time corresponds to the elapsed time between the time t2 and the time t3 in FIGS. 4 and 6.

According to the cooling device 3 as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 3 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage. Further, the length of the period (the period between the time t2 and the time t3) in which the cold insulating material I maintains the melting temperature Tb during cooling can be estimated, and the time until the cold insulating material I freezes can be predicted. Can be done.

[Fourth Embodiment]
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram of the cooling device 4 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 4 includes a cooling unit 10, an image pickup device (measuring means) 25, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The image pickup apparatus 25 is provided in the internal space S and takes an image of the cold insulating material I housed in the internal space S. As the image pickup apparatus 25, a known infrared thermography camera can be used. The image pickup device 25 is used as a non-contact temperature sensor.

The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the cold insulating material I based on the image captured by the image pickup device 25, and adjusts the set temperature of the internal space S based on the measurement result. As a method for 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 4 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage.

[Fifth Embodiment]
10 and 11 are explanatory views of the cooling device 5 according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. The cooling device 5 includes a cooling unit 11, an image pickup device (measuring means) 25, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The cooling unit 11 has an internal space S for accommodating the cold insulating material I to be cooled. The cooling unit 11 includes a device main body 111, a door member 112, and a cooling unit (cooling means) 118.

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

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

The door member 112 has a first door member 112a that closes the opening on the first space S1 side of the apparatus main body 111, and a second door member 112b that closes the opening on the second space S2 side of the apparatus main body 111. The first door member 112a and the second door member 112b can be opened and closed independently of each other.

The image pickup apparatus 25 is provided at a position where the inside of the first space S1 can be imaged.

The cooling unit 118 has 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 the control signal input from the control unit 30. At that time, the first unit 118a is provided on the first space S1 side and is used for cooling the first space S1. Further, the second unit 118b is provided on the second space S2 side and is used for cooling 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 as in the cooling device 1 shown in the first embodiment described above.

The control unit 30 measures the temperature of the cold insulating material I housed in the first space S1 using the image pickup device 25, and changes the set temperature of the first space S1 to the temperature Ty based on the measurement result. As a method for 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 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 insulating material I has reached the temperature Ty (time t6), the control unit 30 opens the opening 105a of the mounting unit 105. As shown in FIG. 11, the cold insulating material I falls from the opening 105a, moves to the second space S2, and is housed in the second space S2.

Another cold insulating material I can be accommodated in the first space S1 to solidify the cold insulating material I. The cold insulating material I housed in the second space S2 is taken out from 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 5 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage.

Further, in the cooling device 5, the space for solidifying the cold insulating material I (first space S1) and the space for storing the solidified and usable cold insulating material I (second space S2) are different. Therefore, in the cooling device 5, the other cold insulating material I solidified in the first space S1 is less likely to receive a temperature change due to 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 control the temperature of the solidified cold insulating material I, and can easily control the temperature of the first space S1.

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

The cooling device 6 includes a cooling unit 12, an image pickup device (measuring means) 25, and a control unit (control means) 30.

The cooling unit 12 has an internal space S for accommodating the cold insulating material I to be cooled. The cooling unit 12 includes a device main body 121 , a door member 122, and a cooling unit (cooling means) 118.

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

The apparatus main body 121 further has a mounting portion (moving means) 107 on which the cold insulating material I is placed. The mounting unit 107 has a driving unit (not shown) and can move between the first space S1 and the second space S2. As such a mounting portion 107, a normally known moving stage or the like can be used. Further, as the mounting portion 107, a known transport device can be adopted.

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

The image pickup apparatus 25 is provided at a position where the inside of the first space S1 can be imaged.

The cooling unit 118 has a first unit 118a and a second unit 118b. The cooling unit 118 is provided in the device main body 121, and cools the internal space S (first space S1, second space S2) in the same manner as the above-mentioned cooling device 5 based on the control signal input from the control unit 30. ..

In such a cooling device 6, the temperature of the first space S1 and the second space S2 is controlled in the same manner as in the cooling device 5 described above.

After detecting that the temperature of the cold insulating material I has reached the temperature Ty (time t6), the control unit 30 opens the lower end portion 106a of the partition portion 106. Further, the control unit 30 uses the mounting unit 107 to move the cold insulating material I from the first space S1 to the second space S2.

According to the cooling device 6 as described above, the cold insulating material I taken out from the cooling device 6 can be used at an appropriate temperature at an early stage. Further, the cooling device 6 makes it easy to measure and control the temperature of the solidified cold insulating material I, and makes it easy to control the temperature of the first space S1.

In the embodiments described so far, it is desirable that the space S2 for storing the frozen cold storage device I is designed so that the space S2 has a heat capacity sufficiently larger than the heat capacity of the cold storage device I to be stored. By doing so, it is possible to prevent the atmospheric temperature in the space S2 from being lowered as much as possible due to the introduction of the cold insulator I.

Although the preferred embodiments of 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 various shapes and combinations of the constituent members shown in the above-mentioned example are examples, and can be variously changed based on design requirements and the like within a range not deviating from the gist of the present invention.

Claims (17)

A cooling unit with an internal space for accommodating an object,
Measuring means for measuring the temperature of the object contained in the internal space,
A control means for controlling the temperature of the internal space based on the measurement result by the measuring means is provided.
Based on the measurement result, the control means raises the temperature of the internal space from a first set temperature lower than the temperature at which the object in the liquid phase starts to solidify to a temperature higher than the first set temperature. A cooling device that controls to change to a second set temperature lower than the melting temperature of. The control means detects the heat of solidification of the object and the melting temperature based on the measurement result, and then detects that the measurement result reaches a reference temperature which is lower than the melting temperature. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature of the internal space is controlled to be changed from the first set temperature to the second set temperature. The control means detects the melting temperature based on the measurement result, and then detects that the measurement result reaches a reference temperature lower than the melting temperature, whereby the temperature of the internal space is reached. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the temperature is changed from 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 from the measuring means every unit time, and detects the heat of solidification based on the amount of change in the measurement result per unit time. .. The control means obtains the temperature of the object from the measuring means every unit time, and detects the melting temperature based on the amount of change in the measurement result per unit time. The cooling device according to item 1. The cooling device according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the control means can change the unit time. The cooling unit has a mounting unit on which the object is placed.
The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measuring means is a contact-type temperature sensor provided in the above-mentioned place. The temperature sensor has a plurality of probes and has a plurality of probes.
The cooling device according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of probes are provided in the above-mentioned mounting portion. The cooling device according to claim 7 or 8, wherein there are a plurality of pre-described rests, and the plurality of pre-described rests are installed side by side in the vertical direction and the temperature is controlled for each of the pre-described rests. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the measuring means is a non-contact type temperature sensor provided in the internal space. The cooling unit has a mounting unit on which the object is placed.
The above-mentioned place has a measuring means for measuring the mass of the object, and has a measuring means.
The control means estimates the estimated cooling time per unit mass of the object stored in advance and the estimated cooling time of the entire amount of the object housed in the internal space based on the measurement result of the measuring means. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The internal space is spatially divided into a first space and a second space different from the first space, and has a moving means for moving the object from the first space to the second space. death,
The first space is provided with the measuring 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 higher than the first set temperature and lower than the melting temperature of the object. The cooling unit has a 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 has a 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 Pelche type cooling unit. It 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 outputs the alarm sound from the alarm unit after changing the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature. It has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound.
The control means changes the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature, and after the temperature of the internal space reaches the second set temperature, the alarm unit outputs the alarm sound according to claim 1. 14. The cooling device according to any one of 14. It has an alarm unit that outputs an alarm sound.
The control means changes the temperature of the internal space to the second set temperature, and after the temperature of the object reaches the second set temperature, the alarm unit outputs the alarm sound according to claim 1. 14. The cooling device according to any one of 14.

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