JP7630349B2 - Refrigerated showcase - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerated showcase having a storage chamber for storing items in a cooled state, and a machine chamber that houses a compressor, a condenser, and a fan.

Refrigerated showcases are widely used, which display items such as food and beverages in a storage compartment while cooling them so that they can be seen from the outside. Refrigerated showcases have a machine room that is partitioned off from the storage compartment, and this machine room houses a cooling mechanism (compressor, condenser, expansion valve, etc.) for cooling the storage compartment, as well as a fan. The machine room is connected to the outside through an air intake and an exhaust port, and is configured such that a fan inside the machine room (near the air intake) operates to draw in outside air from the air intake port into the machine room and exhaust the air inside the machine room from the exhaust port. Refrigerated showcases are thus configured to replace the air inside the machine room by operating the fan, promoting heat dissipation from the condenser and compressor located inside the machine room and preventing excessive temperature rise in the machine room.

JP 2008-298382 A

For example, a refrigerated showcase called a neta case, which displays fresh ingredients such as sushi toppings while storing them in a refrigerator, is generally long from side to side and is installed at the counter of a sushi restaurant. Customers sit in front of the counter where the neta case is placed, and behind it, a staff member takes ingredients in and out, so the neta case has a machine room at one of the left and right ends, and is configured to draw air into the machine room from the rear of the neta case and exhaust it to the side of the neta case. At the end of the neta case where the machine room is formed, an exhaust port is provided in the side panel that forms one side of the neta case, and the exhaust port is close to the intake port of the rear panel. In other words, since the intake port and the exhaust port are not positioned so as to sandwich the compressor, some of the air taken into the machine room from the intake port is exhausted to the outside by taking a shortcut around the compressor and close to the exhaust port. The air that is exhausted by taking a shortcut inside the machine room in this way is exhausted without sufficient heat exchange with the compressor inside the machine room, so there is a risk that the temperature inside the machine room will become high and have a negative effect on the compressor and related equipment.

The present invention has been proposed in consideration of the above-mentioned problems inherent in conventional refrigerated showcases, and aims to provide a refrigerated showcase that can prevent adverse effects on the compressor and related equipment caused by compressor heat.

In order to overcome the above problems and achieve the intended purpose, the first means comprises:
A refrigerated showcase comprising: a machine room provided on one side of the inside of a box body constituting an outer shell and housing a compressor and a fan; an air intake formed in a back panel forming the machine room and allowing outside air to flow into the machine room by operation of the fan; and an air exhaust formed in a side panel forming the machine room and allowing air within the machine room to flow out to the outside by operation of the fan, the compressor being disposed on the opposite side of the air intake across the fan,
The gist of the invention is that an obstruction means is provided between the outlet side of the fan and the exhaust port in the enclosed space of the compressor formed in the machine room so as to communicate with the exhaust port, for obstructing the flow of air from the outlet side of the fan in the direction in which the exhaust port is located, and for guiding the air to a path on the side of the enclosed space away from the exhaust port.
According to this configuration , the amount of air flowing through the path in the space surrounding the compressor that is away from the exhaust port is increased in the machine room, and air stagnation in the machine room is prevented. Therefore, the compressor dissipates heat sufficiently, the machine room is efficiently ventilated, and an excessive rise in temperature of the compressor and related equipment in the machine room is prevented. In other words, adverse effects caused by the heat generated by the compressor (such as adverse effects that reduce the durability and shorten the lifespan of the compressor and related equipment) can be prevented.

The second means is
The inhibiting means is a capacitor electrically connected to a drive source of the compressor.
According to this configuration , by using a capacitor as the impeding means, it is possible to suppress disadvantages such as an increase in the number of parts in the machine room, complexity in the machine room, and increased costs.

The third means is
The gist of the invention is that an expansion valve connected via a refrigerant piping to an evaporator that cools a storage chamber in which goods are cooled and stored is arranged in the machine chamber so as to be located above the opposing area of the fan and the compressor.
According to this configuration , the movement of air upward from the opposing region due to contact with the compressor or the obstruction means is obstructed by the expansion valve, and the air can be guided to the path away from the exhaust port in the enclosed space. This increases the amount of air flowing in the path away from the exhaust port in the enclosed space, preventing air stagnation in the machine room, and thus preventing adverse effects of heat generated by the compressor (such as adverse effects that reduce the durability of the compressor and related equipment and shorten their lifespan).

The refrigerated showcase of the present invention can prevent the adverse effects of compressor heat on the compressor and related equipment.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the refrigerated showcase according to the embodiment as viewed from the upper right front side, in which a machine room formed inside the box body is indicated by a dashed line. 1 is a perspective view of a machine unit housed in the right end of a refrigerated showcase, as viewed from the upper left front side. The outline of a machine room is indicated by a dashed line. It is a plan view showing a machine unit, with the front, rear, left and right walls of the machine room (rear panel, front panel, right side panel, partition plate) shown crossing the machine unit near the bottom end. FIG. 2 is a right side view of the mechanical unit. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the shroud, with the condenser, fan, etc. shown in dashed lines. This is an explanatory diagram of the air flow in the machine room due to the operation of the fan, and the relative positions of the intake port, exhaust port, condenser, fan, compressor, capacitor, expansion valve, etc. are simply shown using dashed dotted lines based on the position of the shroud (first plate portion) in a plan view of the machine room, and the air flow from the intake port to the exhaust port is shown by an arrow (dashed two-dot line).

Next, the refrigerated showcase according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the attached drawings, giving a preferred embodiment. In the description of the specification, "left" and "right" refer to the left and right sides of the refrigerated showcase 10 as viewed from the front side (front). In the embodiment, a refrigerated showcase 10 in the form of a "sushi case" will be described, but the present invention can also be applied to other forms of refrigerated showcases.

(General configuration of the refrigerated showcase 10)
As shown in Fig. 1, the refrigerated showcase (sushi case) 10 of the embodiment has an outer shell formed by a box body 12 long in the left-right direction. Inside the box body 12, a storage chamber 14 for cooling and storing food (items) so that they can be seen from the outside (front), and a machine room 16 for accommodating components of a cooling mechanism 18 for cooling the storage chamber 14 (compressor CM, condenser CD, expansion valve EV, and refrigerant piping P), a fan F, etc. are formed. The storage chamber 14 and the machine room 16 are formed side by side on the left and right, and about three-quarters (or four-fifths) of the left side of the box body 12 is the storage chamber 14, and the remaining one-quarter (or one-fifth) of the right side is the machine room 16. The box body 12 is supported by a dish-shaped box body base 34 long in the left-right direction, and the outer surface is formed by a plurality of panels 24, 26, 28, 30, 32 that are assembled along a frame (not shown) that forms a skeleton on the upper surface side of the box body base 34. In addition, a transparent windshield 20 is provided on the front side of the box body 12 so that the storage chamber 14 can be viewed from the front, and a sliding door 22 is provided on the rear side of the box body 12 so that it can be opened and closed freely on the left and right sides so that items such as fresh food ingredients can be put in and taken out of the storage chamber 14.

Here, the storage compartment 14 is formed by the windshield 20, the sliding door 22, the box base 34 (excluding the right end), the top panel 24 (excluding the right end) that forms the top surface of the box 12, the left side panel 30 that forms the left side surface of the box 12, and a partition plate 36 that separates the storage compartment 14 from the machine compartment 16.

The machine room 16 is formed by the right end of the top panel 24 and the box base 34, the partition plate 36, the front panel 26 that forms the front surface of the box 12, the rear panel (back plate) 28 that forms the rear surface of the box 12, and the right side panel (side plate) 32 that forms the right side surface of the box 12. That is, the machine room 16 is formed by four plate surfaces (front, rear, left and right plate surfaces) including the rear surface of the front panel 26, the front surface of the rear panel 28, the right side surface of the partition plate 36, and the left side surface of the right side panel 32. The machine room 16 contains a compressor CM, a condenser CD, an expansion valve EV, a fan F, etc., which are integrally assembled (as a machine unit U). The machine unit U contained in the machine room 16 is shown in Figures 2 to 4.

In addition, the cooling mechanism 18 is connected to the compressor CM, condenser CD, expansion valve EV, and evaporator EP through refrigerant piping P so that the refrigerant circulates in this order. That is, the vaporized refrigerant compressed by the compressor CM is condensed and liquefied in the condenser CD through the refrigerant piping P, then depressurized by the expansion valve EV, flows into the evaporator EP, expands all at once, and evaporates, exchanging heat with the air in the storage chamber 14 to cool the storage chamber 14. The vaporized refrigerant that has evaporated and exchanged heat in the evaporator EP returns to the compressor CM through the refrigerant piping P, repeating this cycle. The evaporator EP is disposed at the top of the storage chamber 14 so as to communicate with a specific refrigerant piping Pa (see Figures 2 and 3) that extends from the expansion valve EV to the left (partition plate 36 side) among the refrigerant piping P that constitutes the cooling mechanism 18. Some of the refrigerant piping P, including this specific refrigerant piping Pa, are covered on the outside with a cylindrical insulating material 38 for thermal insulation. In addition, a fan F (see Figure 4) arranged in the machine unit U facing the condenser CD is used as a means of air-cooling the condenser CD.

As shown in FIG. 3, the rear panel 28 covering the machine room 16 from the rear is formed with an intake port 51 that connects the machine room 16 to the external space behind the box body 12. The right side panel 32 covering the machine room 16 from the right side is formed with an exhaust port 52 that connects the machine room 16 to the external space on the right side of the box body 12. The compressor CM is mounted in the approximate center of the machine room 16, and an enclosed space 55 that connects to the exhaust port 52 and surrounds the compressor CM is defined between the outer peripheral surface of the compressor CM and each plate surface (front, rear, left and right plate surfaces) that form the machine room 16 from the front, rear, left and right. In the machine room 16, the compressor CM is located in front of the intake port 51 formed in the rear panel 28 and to the left of the exhaust port 52 formed in the right side panel 32. In addition, a condenser CD is disposed in the machine room 16 behind the compressor CM so as to face closely the front surface (inner surface) of the rear panel 28, and a fan F is disposed in front of the condenser CD with its central axis of rotation facing the front-to-rear direction (see Figures 4 and 5).

The condenser CD is arranged in the machine room 16 with its upper and front surfaces covered by a shroud 60 formed by bending a metal plate. As shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, the shroud 60 includes a first plate portion 61 extending vertically and with its rear surface facing the front surface of the condenser CD, and a second plate portion 62 extending rearward from the upper edge of the first plate portion 61 and with its lower surface facing the upper surface of the condenser CD. A large circular vent 61a is formed in the approximate center of the first plate portion 61. The fan F is attached to the first plate portion 61 by a mounting frame (not shown) in accordance with the position of the vent 61a. A cylindrical cover member 63 opening in the front-rear direction is attached to the front surface of the first plate portion 61 and is positioned so as to cover the fan F from the outer periphery. The vent 61a of the first plate portion 61 and the fan F are located forward of the range in which the intake port 51 is formed in the rear panel 28.

In this way, the machine room 16 is arranged from the front to the rear of the compressor CM in the following order: fan F, condenser CD, rear panel 28 (intake port 51), and exhaust port 52 of the right side panel 32 opens to the right of the compressor CM. That is, air (outside air) taken into the machine room 16 from the intake port 51 passes forward through the condenser CD and is sent out from the fan F towards the compressor CM. When outside air is taken into the machine room 16 from the intake port 51, the air inside the machine room 16 passes around the compressor CM (enclosed space 55) and is pushed out from the exhaust port 52 to the right side of the box body 12, thereby ventilating the machine room 16.

The enclosed space 55 in the machine room 16 has, on the compressor CM side (front side) of the shroud 60 (first plate portion 61), excluding the side where the condenser CD is arranged, an area between the fan F (its rotational operating range) and the compressor CM (hereinafter referred to as the "opposing area 55a"), a spatial portion formed between the first plate portion 61 and the compressor CM so as to connect the right end of the opposing area 55a to the exhaust port 52 (hereinafter referred to as the "first area 56"), and a spatial portion formed between the partition plate 36/front panel 26 and the compressor CM so as to connect the left end of the opposing area 55a to the exhaust port 52 (hereinafter referred to as the "second area 57"). Here, in the refrigerated showcase 10, the right edge of the rear panel 28 in which the intake port 51 is formed and the rear edge of the right side panel 32 in which the exhaust port 52 is formed are connected, the plate surface of the rear panel 28 and the plate surface of the right side panel 32 are in a positional relationship in which they face in a perpendicular direction, and the exhaust port 52 is positioned biased to the right with respect to the intake port 51, so that the moving distance of the air passing from the facing region 55a to the exhaust port 52 through the first region 56 is significantly shorter than the moving distance of the air passing from the facing region 55a to the exhaust port 52 through the second region 57. That is, the first region 56 functions as a direct path in which the air taken into the machine room 16 goes directly to the exhaust port 52, so that the flow of the air passing through the first region 56 and exhausted from the exhaust port 52 shortens the moving distance of the air in the machine room 16, and sufficient heat exchange with the compressor CM is not performed. On the other hand, the second area 57 can function as a bypass path for the air taken into the machine room 16 to bypass and reach the exhaust port 52, but if the air sent out from the fan F flows easily from the opposing area 55a to the first area 56, the air will flow less easily in the second area 57, causing the temperature of the compressor CM to rise and the temperature of the entire machine room 16 to also rise. As a result, the temperature of the compressor CM and related equipment in the machine room 16 will rise and cause problems. Therefore, in this embodiment, the air flow in the machine room 16 (enclosed space 55) is controlled by the inhibition means (capacitor 70) described later, thereby achieving sufficient heat exhaust from the compressor CM.

(Regarding the inhibiting means (capacitor 70))
As shown in FIG. 5, the shroud 60 is provided with a support piece 64 extending forward from the upper right edge of the first plate portion 61, and a band-shaped fixed plate 65 facing the left side surface of the support piece 64. The support piece 64 and the fixed plate 65 are used to fix a capacitor (inhibiting means) 70 electrically connected to the drive source of the compressor CM. The capacitor 70 is a start capacitor that imparts starting torque to a motor (single-phase induction motor) serving as the drive source of the compressor CM, and is cylindrical as a whole. The capacitor 70 is a consumable item (when deterioration progresses, a decrease in starting torque, an increase in current, vibration, etc. occur), and is therefore provided replaceably outside the compressor CM. The capacitor 70 is generally provided in a position in the machine room 16 where replacement work is easy, for example, on the ceiling surface of the machine room 16. In contrast, in the present embodiment, the capacitor 70 is sandwiched between the support piece 64 and the fixed plate 65, and in this state, the extended ends (front ends) of the fixed plate 65 and the support piece 64 are screwed in place, thereby fixing the capacitor 70 to the right side of the front surface of the shroud 60 (first plate portion 61).

Here, the capacitor 70 is disposed in a position in the enclosed space 55 where it can obstruct the flow of air from the blowing side (the front end of the rotational range) of the fan F toward the side where the exhaust port 52 is located (i.e., it functions as an obstruction means). Specifically, the capacitor 70 is disposed in the enclosed space 55 in the machine room 16, in front of the first plate portion 61, in the first region 56 or in a position to the right (closer to the exhaust port 52) in the facing region 55a, so that the capacitor 70 comes into contact with the air blown out from the fan F and induces the air to flow more toward the second region 57 than toward the first region 56. Here, the position (range) of the capacitor 70 in this embodiment will be described more specifically with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. The range that the capacitor 70 occupies in the left-right direction of the machine chamber 16 is a range whose left end is a position adjacent to the fan F from the right (a position adjacent to the right side surface of the cover member 63 that surrounds the fan F from the outer periphery) and whose right end is a position overlapping with the right end of the first plate portion 61 in the front-rear direction. That is, as shown in Fig. 6, the capacitor 70 in this embodiment is disposed in a position (the left end portion of the first region 56) adjacent to the opposing region 55a (the front region of the fan F) from the right side. Also, the range that the capacitor 70 occupies in the front-rear direction of the machine chamber 16 is a range whose rear end is a position adjacent to the front surface of the first plate portion 61 and whose front end is a position slightly forward of the rear end of the compressor CM. 4, the range that the capacitor 70 occupies in the vertical direction of the machine room 16 is a range whose upper end is a position above the fan F (rotational operating range) or the cover member 63 and overlaps with the upper edge of the first plate portion 61 in the front-to-rear direction, and whose lower end is a position below the fan F (rotational operating range) or the cover member 63. That is, in this embodiment, the vertical dimension of the capacitor 70 is larger than the vertical dimension of the fan F (rotational operating range), and the entire fan F (rotational operating range) is located in the range from the upper end to the lower end of the capacitor 70, and the capacitor 70 is disposed according to the height position of the fan F.

As shown in FIG. 4, the capacitor 70 is disposed in a position (vertical position with its longitudinal direction facing up and down) aligned with the extension direction (vertical direction) of the gap between the shroud 60 (first plate portion 61) and the compressor CM, and fills a wide range of the gap between the shroud 60 (first plate portion 61) and the compressor CM in the vertical and front-to-back directions. As shown in FIG. 6, the capacitor 70 is located in the first region 56, and its front side is close to the compressor CM, narrowing the path through which air can go directly to the exhaust port 52 in the first region 56 (the portion where the air movement path is narrowed is hereinafter referred to as the "narrowed portion 56a"). That is, the air flow resistance is large in the narrowed portion 56a of the first region 56, and it becomes difficult for the air from the opposing region 55a to pass through the narrowed portion 56a. Therefore, although some air passes through the narrowed portion 56a, most of the air does not pass through the narrowed portion 56a and flows toward the opposing region 55a. The air flowing toward the opposing region 55a in this way is pushed by the air sent out from the fan F immediately thereafter, and proceeds to the second region 57 in the enclosed space 55, which is separated from the exhaust port 52. As a result, the flow of air from the first region 56 to the exhaust port 52 is suppressed, and the flow of air from the second region 57 to the exhaust port 52 is increased. By disposing the capacitor 70 at a position that functions as an obstruction means in the enclosed space 55 of the machine room 16 in this way, the air taken in from the outside into the machine room 16 flows sufficiently to the second region 57. That is, this configuration can sufficiently solve the problem of the air flow in the conventional machine room 16, that the air from the fan F tends to go straight to the exhaust port 52 through the first region 56. Note that the capacitor 70 does not completely block the movement path of the air going straight from the delivery side of the fan F to the exhaust port 52, but is disposed so as to secure the narrowed portion 56a between the capacitor 70 and the compressor CM. Therefore, around the compressor CM, air flows not only through the second area 57 but also through the first area 56 in response to the rotation of the fan F, and the air around the compressor CM flows as a whole, efficiently exchanging heat with the entire outer circumferential surface of the compressor CM, and is then discharged from the machine room 16.

(Regarding the second inhibiting means (expansion valve EV))
In addition to the above-mentioned obstruction means (capacitor 70), in this embodiment, the expansion valve EV connected to the evaporator EP through the refrigerant pipe P (the specific refrigerant pipe Pa) is arranged to function as a second obstruction means for obstructing the movement of air upward from the facing region 55a. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the expansion valve EV is arranged to be located above the facing region 55a of the fan F and the compressor CM. As described above, in the facing region 55a, the flow of air passing through the fan F and moving from the facing region 55a to the first region 56 is obstructed by the capacitor 70. In this case, when the air that has come into contact with the capacitor 70 moves upward, the air passes through the capacitor 70 and passes through the exhaust port 52 via the first region 56, and sufficient heat exchange with the compressor CM is not performed. Therefore, by arranging the expansion valve EV to cover the facing region 55a from above, the air sent from the fan F to the compressor CM side is restricted from rising from the facing region 55a and is guided to flow to the second region 57. 2 to 4, the expansion valve EV is provided with insulation 75 to prevent condensation, and has a horizontally wide, flat shape as a whole. The entire expansion valve EV including the insulation is located above the facing region 55a so as to cover an area exceeding the front-to-rear distance from the rear end position of the compressor CM to the front end position of the fan F (the front end position of the cover member 63). A part (right part) of the insulation 75 is located so as to cover from above and in close proximity to the upper surface of the capacitor 70 disposed at the upper right part of the shroud 60, thereby narrowing the gap between the expansion valve EV and the capacitor 70.

(Regarding the third obstruction means (specific refrigerant piping Pa))
Furthermore, in this embodiment, in addition to the above-mentioned obstruction means (capacitor 70) and second obstruction means (expansion valve EV), the specific refrigerant pipe Pa connecting the expansion valve EV and the evaporator EP is arranged to function as a third obstruction means for obstructing the movement of air upward from the left end of the facing region 55a or the rear end of the second region 57. Specifically, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the specific refrigerant pipe Pa is arranged to be folded back in a serpentine shape on the upper left side of the expansion valve EV, and covers from above the region of the enclosed space 55 from the left end of the facing region 55a to the rear end of the second region 57. In addition, the outer surface of the specific refrigerant pipe Pa is covered with the heat insulating material 38 as described above, and the diameter dimension is greatly enlarged by this heat insulating material 38, so that a wide range is covered above the left end of the facing region 55a and the rear end of the second region 57. That is, the specific refrigerant pipe Pa, the outer surface of which is covered with the heat insulating material 38, restricts the air from rising at the left end of the facing region 55a and the rear end of the second region 57, and allows the air to move from the second region 57 to the exhaust port 52. Note that the specific refrigerant pipe Pa does not completely cover the upper positions above the left end of the facing region 55a and the rear end of the second region 57. That is, by allowing the air to rise to the upper part of the machine chamber 16 to a certain extent, condensation on the upper part of the compressor CM and on the refrigerant pipe P is prevented.

[Function of the embodiment]
Next, the operation of the refrigerated showcase 10 according to the embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.

In the refrigerated showcase 10 of the embodiment, air (outside air) is taken into the machine chamber 16 from the rear air intake 51 by the rotation of the fan F arranged in the machine chamber 16. The air (outside air) that passes through the air intake 51 passes forward through the condenser CD, passes through the air vent 61a formed in the first plate portion 61 of the shroud 60, and is sent forward (the opposing area 55a of the fan F and compressor CM) by the fan F. As the compressor CM is arranged in front of the fan F, the air sent out from the fan F comes into contact with the rear of the outer circumferential surface of the compressor CM. Here, since the capacitor (obstruction means) 70 is located in the first region 56, the air that tries to take a shortcut from the facing region 55a to the right exhaust port 52 due to contact with the outer circumferential surface of the compressor CM forms a narrowed portion 56a between the capacitor 70 and the compressor CM in the first region 56, narrowing the path of the air sent out from the fan F going directly to the exhaust port 52, and thus is obstructed from moving toward the exhaust port 52. Therefore, although part of the air that reaches the narrowed portion 56a passes through the narrowed portion 56a (first region 56) and reaches the exhaust port 52, most of the air changes its moving direction and proceeds to the second region 57. That is, the flow of air from the first region 56 to the exhaust port 52 is suppressed, and the flow of air from the second region 57 to the exhaust port 52 is increased. The upper part of the facing region 55a is covered by the expansion valve EV provided with insulation 75. In addition, the upper part of the area from the left end of the facing area 55a to the rear end of the second area 57 is covered by a specific refrigerant pipe Pa insulated with the insulating material 38. Therefore, the air in the facing area 55a flows toward the side away from the first area 56 and the exhaust port 52, that is, toward the second area 57 of the enclosed space 55, in response to the continuous blowing of air from the fan F thereafter. The air that travels from the facing area 55a through the second area 57 to the exhaust port 52 comes into contact with a wide area of the outer circumferential surface of the compressor CM, and therefore exchanges heat sufficiently with the compressor CM and is discharged to the outside from the exhaust port 52 in a heated state.

In this way, the refrigerated showcase 10 of the embodiment is configured with an obstruction means (capacitor 70) that obstructs the air flow from the blowing side of the fan F toward the location of the exhaust port 52 (air flow through the first area 56 to the exhaust port 52), so that the amount of air flowing through the path (second area 57) away from the exhaust port 52 in the enclosed space 55 increases, and air stagnation in the machine room 16 is suppressed. Therefore, the compressor CM dissipates heat sufficiently, the machine room 16 is efficiently ventilated, and excessive temperature rise of each device in the machine room 16 (compressor CM, condenser CD, and other related devices) is prevented. In other words, adverse effects caused by the heat generated by the compressor CM (such as reducing the durability and shortening the lifespan of the compressor CM and related devices) can be suppressed.

Here, by using a capacitor 70 electrically connected to the drive source of the compressor CM as an impeding means, it is possible to suppress disadvantages such as an increase in the number of parts in the machine room 16, complexity inside the machine room 16, and increased costs.

In addition, the expansion valve EV, which is connected via refrigerant piping P to the evaporator EP that cools the storage chamber 14 in which goods are stored, is disposed in the machine room 16 so as to be located above the opposing area 55a of the fan F and compressor CM. This allows the expansion valve EV to inhibit the upward movement of air from the opposing area 55a due to contact with the compressor CM or the capacitor 70, and guides the air to a path (second area 57) in the enclosed space 55 that is away from the exhaust port 52. This increases the amount of air flowing into the second area 57, preventing air from stagnating in the machine room 16, and thus preventing adverse effects of heat generated by the compressor CM (such as adverse effects that reduce the durability and shorten the lifespan of the compressor CM and related equipment).

[Example of change]
The present invention is not limited to the configurations of the above-described embodiments, but can be modified as follows, for example.
(1) In the embodiment, a configuration has been described in which an obstruction means prevents the air blown out from the fan from going directly to the exhaust port (the obstruction means guides the air to bypass the compressor and reach the exhaust port) for a refrigerated showcase in which a storage chamber and a machine chamber are formed side by side inside a box body. However, the obstruction means of the present invention can be applied to a refrigerated showcase in which a storage chamber and a machine chamber are formed side by side inside a box body as long as an air intake port is formed in the back panel (rear panel) that forms the machine chamber and an exhaust port is formed in the side panel (right side panel).
(2) In the embodiment, the machine room is formed on the right side of the storage room inside the box body, but the machine room may be formed on the left side of the storage room (i.e., the positional relationship with the storage room may be reversed). In this case, the machine room is formed by the upper surface of the left end of the box body base, the lower surface of the left end of the top panel, the rear surface of the front panel, the front surface of the rear panel, the left surface of the partition plate, and the right surface of the left side panel, and an intake port is formed in the rear panel (back panel) and an exhaust port is formed in the left side panel (side panel), and a capacitor as an obstruction means can be disposed between the delivery side of the fan in front of the intake port (rear of the compressor) and the exhaust port on the left side of the compressor. In this case, the positional relationship between the compressor, the fan, the condenser, and the rear panel may be the same as in the embodiment.
(3) In the embodiment, an obstruction means (capacitor) is provided to obstruct the air blown out from the fan in the machine room from flowing directly to the exhaust port, and a second obstruction means (expansion valve) is provided to obstruct the movement of air upward from the opposing area of the fan and compressor in the machine room. However, even if only an obstruction means (capacitor) is provided and the opposing area is opened upward, the effect of the obstruction means to suppress the adverse effects of heat from the compressor can be expected.
(4) In the embodiment, a capacitor electrically connected to the drive source of the compressor is used as the obstruction means for obstructing the flow of air from the blowing side of the fan toward the exhaust port. However, other components (such as a dedicated plate-shaped component) may also be used as the obstruction means.
For example, a plate-like member that rises so as to extend upward from the bottom surface of the machine unit (or machine room) and is located closer to the exhaust port (on the first area) than the facing area in front of the fan is provided with its plate thickness direction directed toward the facing area and the exhaust port, and the plate-like member entirely or partially blocks the space between the shroud (condenser) and the compressor (blocks or narrows the air movement path in the first area). By configuring in this way, the plate-like member can function as an obstruction means.
(5) In the embodiment, the obstruction means (capacitor) is disposed at the left end of the first region (close to the opposing region), but the obstruction means may be disposed closer to the exhaust port in the opposing region, or may be disposed at the right end of the first region along the side plate (right side panel). Even with such an obstruction means placement, the obstruction means can obstruct the air flow from the blowing side of the fan toward the exhaust port, thereby increasing the amount of air flowing through the path (second region) on the side of the enclosed space that is away from the exhaust port.
(6) In the embodiment, the lower end of the rotational operating range of the fan is configured to be lower than the lower end of the obstruction means (capacitor). However, even if the lower end of the rotational operating range of the fan is configured to be lower than the lower end of the obstruction means, for example, if the upper end of the obstruction means is located above the rotational operating range of the fan and the lower end of the obstruction means is located below the center of rotation of the fan, the height position of the rotational operating range of the fan and the height position of the obstruction means overlap over a relatively wide range. Therefore, the position of the obstruction means in this case can be said to be aligned with the height position of the rotational operating range of the fan (the opposing area in front of it), and the obstruction means can efficiently obstruct the flow of air from the outlet side of the fan toward the exhaust port.
In addition, in the embodiment, the entire rotational operating range of the fan is positioned within the range from the upper end to the lower end of the obstruction means in the vertical range of the machine room. However, for example, if the vertical dimension of the obstruction means is smaller than the vertical dimension of the rotational operating range of the fan, the entire obstruction means can be positioned within the range from the upper end to the lower end of the rotational operating range of the fan, so that the obstruction means can be positioned to match the height position of the rotational operating range of the fan (the opposing area in front of it).
(7) In the embodiment, a cover surrounding the fan is provided on the front surface of the first plate portion of the shroud, and the inner space of the cover is described as the rotational operation range of the fan, but the cover may be omitted. In the configuration in which the fan (rotational operation range) is covered from the outer periphery with a cover as in the embodiment, the air from the fan (rotational operation range) is sent forward (opposing area with the compressor), and the cover prevents the air from being sent in the radial direction of the fan. In contrast, when the cover is omitted, the air from the fan (rotational operation range) is basically sent forward (opposing area), but to some extent, it is sent in the radial direction of the fan (rotational operation range). In this case, the air sent in the radial direction from the fan can move directly to the first area without passing through the opposing area, but by arranging a capacitor as an obstruction means so as to be close to the outer periphery of the fan (rotational operation range) as in the embodiment, the movement of the air sent in the radial direction from the fan to the first area can be suitably obstructed by the capacitor.
(8) In the embodiment, an expansion valve connected to the evaporator via a refrigerant piping is used as the second obstruction means located above the opposing area of the fan and compressor in the machine room and obstructing the movement of air upward from the opposing area. However, other components (e.g., a dedicated plate-shaped component, etc.) may also be used as the obstruction means.
(9) In the embodiment, an expansion valve with added insulation is used, but an expansion valve without added insulation may be used as the second obstruction means.

12 box body, 14 storage compartment, 16 machine compartment, 28 rear panel,
32 Right side panel (side panel), 51 Air intake, 52 Exhaust port,
55a opposing region, 57 second region (path), 70 capacitor (obstruction means),
CM Compressor, EP Evaporator, EV Expansion valve, F Fan, P Refrigerant piping

Claims (3)

A refrigerated showcase comprising: a machine room (16) provided on one side of the inside of a box body (12) constituting an outer shell, accommodating a compressor (CM) and a fan (F); an air intake port (51) formed in a back plate (28) forming the machine room (16) for allowing outside air to flow into the machine room (16) by operation of the fan (F); and an exhaust port (52) formed in a side plate (32) forming the machine room (16) for allowing air in the machine room (16) to flow out to the outside by operation of the fan (F), wherein the compressor (CM) is disposed on the opposite side of the air intake port (51) across the fan (F),
A first obstruction means (70) is provided between the exhaust port (52) and the discharge side of the fan (F) in an enclosed space (55) of the compressor (CM) formed in the machine room (16) so as to communicate with the exhaust port (52), for obstructing the flow of air from the discharge side of the fan (F) toward the position of the exhaust port (52) and guiding the air to a path (57) on the side of the enclosed space (55) away from the exhaust port (52) ,
a second obstruction means (EV) for obstructing an upward air flow from an opposing region (55a) of the fan (F) and the compressor (CM) is provided in the machine room (16) above the opposing region (55a),
the first obstruction means (70) is disposed between a cylindrical cover member (63) covering an outer periphery of the fan (F) and the side plate (32) in which the exhaust port (52) is provided, so as to extend from above to below the cover member (63), and the entire fan (F) is positioned within a range from the upper end to the lower end of the first obstruction means (70);
The second obstruction means (EV) is configured to cover an area above the opposing region (55a) that exceeds the front-rear distance from the rear end position of the compressor (CM) to the front end position of the cover member (63).
A refrigerated showcase characterized by the above. 2. The refrigerated showcase according to claim 1, wherein air is allowed to flow between the first obstruction means (70) and the bottom surface of the machine room (16), and the second obstruction means (EV) is configured to reach the upper surface of the first obstruction means (70) . 3. The refrigerated showcase according to claim 1, wherein a narrowed portion (56) through which air can flow is formed between said first obstructing means (70) and said compressor (CM) .

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