JP7639405B2 - Showcase drain structure - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drain structure for a showcase.

Conventionally, a drain outlet is formed in the insulated bottom wall of a showcase to discharge drain water generated to cool the storage chamber of the showcase, and a drain water receiving member is installed in a manner that blocks this drain outlet.

This drain water receiving member has a trap section formed at the bottom to temporarily store drain water, and when the level of the drain water stored in the trap section exceeds a predetermined height, the drain water is discharged from the outlet.

However, the drain water flowing toward the drain outlet generally contains dust and other debris, and to prevent the drain outlet from becoming clogged with this debris, a filter member is placed on the drain water receiving member.

The filter member has a cylindrical filter base with a bottom and a filter flange portion that extends radially outward from the upper end of the filter base, and a number of inlets are formed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction on the side periphery of the filter base.

This filter member allows dust particles that flow in together with the drain water to accumulate inside the filter base, allowing only the drain water to pass through the inlet (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2007-215799 A

However, with the drain structure proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, although dust can be stored inside the filter base, if the amount of dust stored becomes large, there is a risk that the inlet will become blocked, causing the filter to become clogged. In order to prevent such filter clogging, it is necessary to remove the dust that has accumulated inside the filter base, but if this work is performed frequently, it becomes troublesome for the worker.

In view of the above-mentioned circumstances, the present invention aims to provide a showcase drain structure that can extend the time until the filter becomes clogged.

In order to achieve the above object, the drain structure of the showcase according to the present invention is a drain structure in which a filter member having a filter base in the form of a bottomed cylinder and a filter flange portion extending in the axial direction on the side peripheral portion at a predetermined interval along the circumferential direction is placed on a drain water receiving member installed in a manner that allows drain water to flow out of a drain formed in an insulating bottom wall of the showcase, the filter member having a filter base having a bottomed cylindrical shape and a filter flange portion extending from the upper end of the filter base to the outside in the radial direction of the filter base, the filter member having a plurality of first weir portions provided on the outer peripheral edge portion of the filter flange portion in a manner that extends in the axial direction at a predetermined interval along the circumferential direction, and a plurality of second weir portions provided on the inner peripheral edge portion of the filter flange portion in a manner that extends in the axial direction at a predetermined interval along the circumferential direction, the plurality of second weir portions being characterized in that the distance between adjacent ones of the second weir portions is smaller than the distance between adjacent first weir portions.

The present invention is also characterized in that, in the drain structure of the showcase, the multiple inlets are formed in such a way that their widths gradually increase as they approach the upper end of the filter base, and the multiple second dam sections have a spacing between adjacent ones that is approximately the same as the maximum width of the inlets.

The present invention is also characterized in that in the above-mentioned showcase drain structure, the second dam portion is integrally formed with the filter flange portion.

According to the present invention, the filter member includes a plurality of first dam parts provided on the outer peripheral edge of the filter flange part in a manner extending in the axial direction at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and a plurality of second dam parts provided on the inner peripheral edge of the filter flange part in a manner extending in the axial direction at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and the distance between adjacent second dam parts is smaller than the distance between adjacent first dam parts, so that dust guided together with drain water can be stored in the area of the filter flange part formed by the plurality of first dam parts and the plurality of second dam parts, and the time required for dust to be stored inside the filter base of the filter member can be extended, thereby achieving the effect of lengthening the time until the filter becomes clogged.

FIG. 1 is a sectional side view of a showcase to which a drainage port structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the drain outlet and its surrounding structure shown in FIG. 1 as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view of the drain water receiving member and the filter member shown in FIGS. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the drain water receiving member and the filter member shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. FIG. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing the flow of drain water in the drain outlet structure formed of the drain water receiving member and the filter member shown in FIGS.

The following describes in detail a preferred embodiment of the drainage structure of a showcase according to the present invention with reference to the attached drawings.

Figure 1 is a cross-sectional side view of a showcase to which a drainage hole structure according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The showcase illustrated here has a case body 10.

The case body 10 is a roughly rectangular housing, and includes a storage chamber 10a with a thermally insulated structure and a machine chamber 10b provided below the storage chamber 10a. The storage chamber 10a has an opening 11 on the front side (hereinafter also referred to as the front opening), within which a storage chamber 12 is defined and an air circulation means 20 is provided.

The storage room 12 is a room defined in such a manner that it faces the front opening 11, and multiple product placement shelves 13 are arranged in multiple tiers in the vertical direction.

The air circulation means 20 is configured with an air passage 21 and a circulation fan 22. The air passage 21 is an air passage that leads from the suction port 23 to the air outlet 24. The suction port 23 is an opening for sucking in air inside the storage chamber 12, and extends along the left-right direction of the storage chamber 12. This suction port 23 is disposed at the lower front edge of the storage chamber 12, i.e., at the lower part near the front opening 11 of the case body 10.

The air outlet 24 is an opening for blowing air into the interior of the storage chamber 12, and extends along the left-right direction of the storage chamber 12. This air outlet 24 is disposed at the upper front edge of the storage chamber 12, i.e., at the upper part near the front opening 11 of the case body 10, and is fitted with a straightening member 24a having a honeycomb structure with pores arranged in a honeycomb shape.

This air passage 21 is configured in such a way that a lower duct 21a located below and outside the storage room 12, a rear duct 21b located on the rear side of the storage room 12 and outside the storage room 12, and an upper duct 21c located above and outside the storage room 12 are connected to each other.

The circulation fan 22 circulates air and is disposed at a predetermined location in the lower duct 21a. In this embodiment, the circulation fan 22 is disposed at a predetermined location in the lower duct 21a, but in the present invention, the location of the circulation fan 22 is not particularly limited, and the circulation fan 22 may be disposed at any location as long as it can perform its function.

In this type of air circulation means 20, the circulation fan 22 is driven to draw in air from inside the storage chamber 12 through the suction port 23, and the drawn-in air is sent to the air outlet 24 in a manner that passes through the air passage 21, and the air is then blown out through the air outlet 24 into the storage chamber 12, thereby circulating air between the inside and outside of the storage chamber 12.

An evaporator 25 is provided in the rear duct 21b of the air passage 21. The evaporator 25 constitutes a refrigerant circulation means for circulating the refrigerant together with refrigeration equipment such as a compressor and a condenser (not shown) arranged in the machine room 10b. Here, the compressor compresses the refrigerant, and the condenser condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor. The refrigerant condensed by the condenser is adiabatically expanded by an expansion valve to a low temperature and low pressure state.

The evaporator 25 exchanges heat between the air passing through the rear duct 21b from bottom to top as the circulation fan 22 is driven and the refrigerant adiabatically expanded by the expansion valve, and more specifically, cools the air passing through the rear duct 21b (air passage 21) by evaporating the refrigerant. The refrigerant evaporated by this evaporator 25 is returned to the compressor and compressed again.

The machine room 10b is located below the storage room 10a and is closed at the rear and on the left and right. A machine room opening 10c is formed in the front of the machine room 10b, and the machine room opening 10c is closed by a kick plate 10d.

An exhaust duct 26 is connected to the machine room 10b. The exhaust duct 26 is provided on the rear side of the rear duct 21b of the air passage 21, separated from the rear duct 21b, and is connected in the vertical direction. This exhaust duct 26 has an exhaust inlet 26a formed at the bottom and an exhaust outlet 26b formed at the top. The exhaust inlet 26a is an opening that is connected to the machine room 10b. The exhaust outlet 26b is an opening for discharging air that has passed through the exhaust duct 26 to the outside.

In the case body 10, a drain hole 16 is formed in the insulated bottom wall 15 that separates the storage room 12 and the machine room 10b. The drain hole 16 is a hole for discharging drain water generated in the evaporator 25, etc., and is formed in a manner that penetrates the insulated bottom wall 15 from top to bottom. The upper opening of this drain hole 16 faces the lower duct 21a and forms the drain outlet 16a.

Figure 2 is a plan view showing the drain outlet 16a and its surrounding structure shown in Figure 1 as seen from above, and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A in Figure 2.

As shown in Figs. 2 and 3, the drain water receiving member 30 and the filter member 40 constituting the drain outlet structure according to the embodiment of the present invention are installed in a manner that blocks the drain outlet 16a. The configuration of the drain water receiving member 30 and the filter member 40 will be described with the drain water receiving member 30 and the filter member 40 installed in a manner that blocks the drain outlet 16a.

The drain water receiving member 30 is made of, for example, a resin material, and as shown in Figures 4 and 5, is composed of a bottomed cylindrical receiving body 31 and a receiving flange 32 that extends radially outward from the upper end of the receiving body 31, which are molded as one unit.

The outer diameter of the receiving body 31 is smaller than the diameter of the drain outlet 16a, i.e., the inner diameter of the drain hole 16. The receiving body 31 is also formed so that its axial extension length is slightly larger than the vertical dimension of the drain hole 16.

A cylindrical outflow pipe section 312 is formed in the center of the bottom 311 of the receiving body section 31 and extends along the axial direction of the receiving body section 31.

The outflow pipe section 312 is formed so that its outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the receiving body section 31, with its upper end portion protruding upward from the bottom section 311 and its lower end portion protruding downward from the bottom section 311. An inlet 312a that allows drain water to flow in is formed at the upper end of the outflow pipe section 312, and an outlet 312b that allows drain water to flow out is formed at the lower end of the outflow pipe section 312. The receiving flange section 32 is formed so that its outer diameter is larger than the diameter of the drain port 16a.

Such a drain water receiving member 30 is installed in such a manner that it enters the drain hole 16 from above, and the receiving flange portion 32 is placed on the opening edge of the drain outlet 16a in the insulated bottom wall 15, thereby blocking the drain outlet 16a.

When drain water is introduced into the drain water receiving member 30, the drain water can be temporarily stored in the bottom 311 until the drain water level reaches the inlet 312a. When the drain water level is above the inlet 312a, the drain water receiving member 30 allows a portion of the drain water stored in the bottom 311 to flow in through the inlet 312a, pass through the inside of the outlet pipe section 312, and then flow out downward from the outlet 312b.

In other words, in the drain water receiving member 30, the bottom 311 and the outflow pipe section 312 form a trap section that temporarily stores the drain water.

A drain pan 27 is provided directly below the drain hole 16, and drain water flowing downward from the outlet 312b of the drain water receiving member 30 is stored in the drain pan 27. A drain sheet 271 is provided on the drain pan 27. The drain sheet 271 sucks in the drain water stored in the drain pan 27 by capillary action. A blower fan 28 is provided on the rear side of the drain pan 27.

The filter member 40 is formed, for example, from a resin material, and as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, is configured by integrally molding a bottomed cylindrical filter base 41 and a filter flange portion 42 that extends radially outward from the upper end of the filter base 41.

The filter base 41 is formed so that its outer diameter is smaller than the inner diameter of the receiving body 31 and its inner diameter is larger than the outer diameter of the outflow pipe 312.

The bottom wall 411 that forms the bottom of the filter base 41 is curved in such a way that it gradually slopes upward from the periphery toward the center, and a rod-shaped knob 411a is formed in the center so that the upper end opening of the filter base 41 protrudes upward.

The side circumferential portion 412 of the filter member 40 extends from the bottom wall portion 411 toward the upper end, and also extends downward from the bottom wall portion 411. In the region of the side circumferential portion 412 from the bottom wall portion 411 to the upper end, a plurality of inlets 412a extending along the axial direction (vertical direction) are formed at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. These multiple inlets 412a are formed in such a manner that the width dimension gradually increases as it approaches the upper end from the bottom wall portion 411.

The filter flange portion 42 is annular and has an outer diameter dimension larger than the inner diameter dimension of the receiving flange portion 32. This filter flange portion 42 has a plurality of first dam portions 421 (eight in the illustrated example) and a plurality of second dam portions 422 (30 in the illustrated example).

The first dam portions 421 are integrally provided on the outer peripheral edge of the filter flange portion 42 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction and extend along the axial direction (up-down direction) of the filter member 40. Each of the first dam portions 421 is a plate-like body curved in an arc.

The second dam parts 422 are integrally provided on the inner peripheral edge of the filter flange part 42, and extend along the axial direction of the filter member 40 at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. These second dam parts 422 are long rod-shaped members whose longitudinal direction is the up-down direction.

These second dam sections 422 are formed so that the distance between adjacent ones is smaller than the distance between adjacent first dam sections 421, and more specifically, the distance between adjacent ones is formed so that it is approximately the same as the maximum width dimension of the inlet 412a.

Such a filter member 40 is placed on the drain water receiving member 30 so that the filter flange portion 42 contacts the receiving flange portion 32 to form a drain outlet structure.

When the filter member 40 is placed on the drain water receiving member 30, a gap is formed between the outflow pipe section 312 and the bottom wall section 411, opening the inlet 312a, and a gap is also formed between the inner surface of the portion of the side periphery 412 of the filter base 41 that extends downward from the bottom wall section 411 and the outer surface of the outflow pipe section 312.

In the drain outlet structure having the above configuration, as shown in FIG. 6, the drain water guided to the drain outlet 16a passes between the first weir sections 421, then between the second weir sections 422, and is introduced from the inlet 412a to be stored in the bottom 311 of the drain water receiving member 30. When the water level of the drain water stored in the bottom 311 of the drain water receiving member 30 is above the inlet 312a of the outlet pipe section 312, a portion of the drain water flows into the outlet pipe section 312 from the inlet 312a, and the drain water that passes downward inside the outlet pipe section 312 flows out downward from the outlet 312b and is stored in the drain pan 27.

In the above drain structure, the filter member 40 includes a plurality of first weir portions 421 provided on the outer peripheral edge of the filter flange portion 42 in a manner extending in the axial direction at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction, and a plurality of second weir portions 422 provided on the inner peripheral edge of the filter flange portion 42 in a manner extending in the axial direction at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction. Since the intervals between adjacent second weir portions 422 are smaller than the intervals between adjacent first weir portions 421, as shown in FIG. 2, a circular catch area CE consisting of the plurality of first weir portions 421 and the plurality of second weir portions 422 can be formed at the top of the filter flange portion 42, and dust guided together with the drain water can be stored in the catch area CE. Since dust can be stored in the catch area CE in this way, the time required for dust to be stored inside the filter base 41 in the filter member 40 can be extended. Therefore, the above drain structure can increase the time it takes for the filter to become clogged.

In addition, because the catch area CE is formed on the upper part of the filter flange portion 42, even when the filter member 40 is detached and removed from the drain water receiving member 30, the dust portion accumulated in the catch area CE can be easily removed.

The above describes a preferred embodiment of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this and various modifications can be made.

In the above-described embodiment, the distance between adjacent second dam sections 422 is approximately the same as the maximum width dimension of the inlet 412a, but in the present invention, the size of the distance between adjacent second dam sections is not particularly limited as long as it is smaller than the distance between adjacent first dam sections.

In the above-described embodiment, the first dam portion 421 and the second dam portion 422 are integrally provided on the filter flange portion 42, but in the present invention, the first dam portion and the second dam portion may be separate from the filter flange portion as long as they are provided on the filter flange portion.

10...case body, 10a...storage chamber, 10b...machine chamber, 12...storage chamber, 13...product placement shelf, 15...insulated bottom wall, 16...drain hole, 16a...drain outlet, 20...air circulation means, 21...air passage, 22...circulation fan, 25...evaporator, 30...drain water receiving member, 31...receiving body, 311...bottom, 312...outlet pipe, 312a...inlet, 312b...outlet, 32...receiving flange, 40...filter member, 41...filter base, 411...bottom wall, 411a...grip, 412...side periphery, 412a...inlet, 42...filter flange, 421...first dam, 422...second dam, CE...catch area.

Claims (3)

a filter base having a bottomed cylindrical shape and a plurality of inlets extending along the axial direction on a side circumferential portion thereof at predetermined intervals along the circumferential direction;
and a filter flange portion extending from an upper end portion of the filter base toward the outside in a radial direction of the filter base. The filter member is placed on a drain water receiving member that is installed in a manner that allows drain water to flow out of a drain outlet formed in a heat-insulating bottom wall of the showcase,
The filter member is
a plurality of first dam portions provided on an outer peripheral edge portion of the filter flange portion at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction and extending along the axial direction;
a plurality of second dam portions provided on an inner peripheral edge portion of the filter flange portion at predetermined intervals along a circumferential direction so as to extend along the axial direction,
The plurality of first dam portions are plate-like bodies curved in an arc shape,
A drain structure for a showcase, characterized in that the distance between adjacent second dam sections is smaller than the distance between adjacent first dam sections, and the second dam sections are long rod-shaped members whose longitudinal direction is in the up-down direction . All of the plurality of inlets are formed in such a manner that their widths gradually increase as they approach the upper end of the filter base,
The drain structure of a showcase according to claim 1, characterized in that the spacing between adjacent ones of the plurality of second dam portions is approximately the same as the maximum width dimension of the upper end portion of the inlet. The drain structure of a showcase according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the second dam portion is integrally formed with the filter flange portion.

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