JP2000180015A - Food freezer - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent stagnation of air in a freezer on a food shelf. SOLUTION: Between a condenser and a food shelf 5 in a freezer a plurality of cooling fans 6 are disposed like a lattice vertically and horizontally over the entire stages and entire width of the food shelf 5. By disposing in such a manner the cooling fans 6 without any gap horizontally and vertically an air amount to the food shelf 5 of each shelf is increased and hence air velocity is increased, and even for food shelf having a large incident angle of cooling air (angle with respect to an axial direction of the cooling fan) an amount of air reflected on a wall surface in the freezer is increased, so that stagnation of air in the freezer is improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a food freezer mainly used for business purposes for storing meat and processed foods in a frozen state.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIGS. 11 and 12 show a conventional example of the above-mentioned food freezer (hereinafter simply referred to as a freezer).
Is a vertical sectional view of the freezer, and FIG. 12 is a front view of the inside thereof. 11 and 12, the door 1 is provided on the front (FIG. 11).
Along the wall of the back wall 2a of the box 2, a cooler having a rectangular front shape substantially the same size as the wall (evaporation of the refrigerator) ) 3 is installed, and a plurality of food shelves 5 are placed one above the other in a freezing space 4 formed between the cooler 3 and the door 1 and inserted into guide rails (not shown). I have. A front end portion of the food shelf 5 formed of a plate is bent at a right angle to form a front wall 5a.

[0003] Between the cooler 3 and the food rack 5, there is arranged a cooling fan 6 for blowing air in the refrigerator perpendicular to the front surface of the cooler 3 in the direction of the arrow in FIG. 11. The front surface of the cooler 3 becomes substantially square when divided into two vertically, and two cooling fans 6 are provided so as to be located on a diagonal line of each square. Here, in the case of the illustrated example, FIG.
As can be seen from FIG. 1, one cooling fan 6 is arranged so as to correspond to the upper and lower four food shelves 5. As shown in FIG. 12, food (not shown) on the food
As a result, the air in the refrigerator, which is circulated and blown through the cooler 3, is frozen.

FIG. 13 is a plan view showing the flow of cooling air from, for example, the right cooling fan 3 in FIG. FIG.
As indicated by the arrow in FIG. 3, the cooling air from the cooling fan 6 is:
After flowing from the front to the direction in which the cooling fan 3 is not installed and flowing through the food shelf 5, a part passes through the fin portion of the cooler 3 and another part is between the food shelf 5 and the inner wall of the refrigerator. And enters the back of the cooler 3 through the gap, passes through the cooler 3 again, and is blown forward. The path of the cooling air has been confirmed by an observation experiment using a visualization experiment device in which the box 2 is made of a transparent member.

[0005]

In order to freeze foods with high quality, it is most important to freeze the water inside the foods into fine particles so as not to destroy the cell tissues of the foods. To make the cooling rate faster, that is, to quickly pass through the maximum ice crystal formation temperature zone (0 ° C to -7 ° C),
It is important to keep the food below the slow ice crystal growth temperature range (-8 ° C to -25 ° C). Since the cooling speed is determined by the temperature difference and the wind speed (air volume), the temperature of the cooling air must be reduced by -3 to increase the cooling speed and rapidly freeze the food with high quality.
Keep the temperature as low as possible below 0 ° C, increase the cooling air velocity as much as possible to increase the heat transfer coefficient on the food surface,
It is necessary to blow cooling air over the entire surface of the food.

However, when the flow of the cooling air from the cooling fan 3 is viewed, for example, with respect to the right cooling fan 3 in FIG. 12, as shown by an arrow in FIG. Clockwise). Therefore, in FIG. 14, the first stage 5-1 to the fourth stage 5 of the four-stage food rack 5 corresponding to one cooling fan 3
-4 shows the flow of the cooling air on each shelf, as shown in FIG.
(D), as indicated by the arrow, the fourth stage food rack 5-4 (FIG. 1) into which cooling air having a particularly large velocity component in the lateral direction is incident.
4), the direction of the wind direction is largely deviated, and there is a place where the cooling air does not flow and the air is stagnated in a portion shown by oblique lines in FIG. Naturally in such places the cooling rate of the food slows down,
High quality freezing cannot be expected.

On the other hand, when freezing food, evaporation occurs simultaneously with freezing of water in the food. The evaporated water adheres as frost to the fins of the cooler 3 which has the lowest temperature in the refrigerator. This frost prevents heat exchange between the cooler 3 and the air in the refrigerator, and causes a reduction in the cooling speed of the food.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to correct the bias of the wind direction of the cooling fan, eliminate the stagnation of air on the food shelf, and suppress the formation of frost on the cooler fins.

[0009]

First, the present invention provides a plurality of cooling fans between a cooler and a food shelf in a vertical direction and a horizontal direction so as to cover all the steps and the entire width of the food shelf. Are arranged in a lattice shape (claim 1). According to the first aspect, the cooling fans are installed vertically and horizontally without any gap, the air volume to the food shelves in each stage increases, the wind speed increases, and the incident angle of cooling air (the angle with respect to the axial direction of the cooling fan). Large food shelves, because of the large amount of wind reflected on the inside wall and the front wall of the food shelves,
As a result, air stagnation is improved.

The present invention also provides a plurality of cooling fans arranged in a staggered pattern in the vertical and horizontal directions between the cooler and the food shelves so as to cover all stages and the entire width of the food shelves. It shall be arranged (claim 2). According to the second aspect, since the two cooling fans adjacent to each other on the left and right are vertically offset from each other, the bias of the cooling air of the cooling fan having a large incident angle is corrected by the cooling air of the adjacent cooling fan. And stagnation of the air is improved.

Next, according to the present invention, a plurality of cooling fans are provided between the cooler and the wall surface of the box so as to extend over all the stages of the food shelf (claim 3). This claim 3
Is to install the cooling fan not between the cooler and the food shelf but between the cooler and the wall surface of the box, that is, on the back of the cooler. According to the third aspect, since the cooling air from the cooling fan passes through the fins of the cooler and is blown out to the food shelf, the fins function as a flow straightening plate to correct the bias of the cooling air, and the food shelf is corrected. Air stagnation on the top is reduced. However,
Since the cooler existing between the cooling fan and the food rack acts as an obstacle for reducing the wind speed against the cooling air, the pitch of the fins is preferably made large in order to reduce the resistance.

Further, according to the present invention, blocking plates are provided on both sides of the cooler, between the front surface of the cooler and the back surface of the food shelf, and from the bottom surface of the freezer box to the ceiling wall. Item 4). According to the fourth aspect, the short cycle in which the cooling air from the cooling fan returns to the back of the cooler through the fin portion of the cooler is reduced, and most of the cooling air returns to the back of the cooler bypassing the closing plate. As a result, frost on the cooler also occurs at the U-bend end of the evaporator tube, and accordingly, frost on the fin portion is reduced and the heat exchange capacity is improved. The closing plate may be formed by extending an end plate of the cooler (claim 5).

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Referring to FIGS.
An embodiment of the present invention will be described. It is to be noted that the same reference numerals are used for portions corresponding to the conventional example, and the description of the portions substantially the same as the conventional example is omitted. First, FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 show an embodiment according to claim 1, FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are front views showing different arrangement states of cooling fans, and FIG. It is a top view which shows a wind direction. In FIG. 1 and FIG.
Between the food shelves 5 (see FIG. 11), a plurality of cooling fans 6 are provided in the vertical direction and the horizontal direction so as to extend over the entire height of the food shelf 5 (only eight levels are shown in the figure) and the entire width. Are arranged in a grid pattern. Here, in FIG. 1, one cooling fan 6 is provided in every four stages of the food shelves 5 in the vertical direction, and two in the horizontal direction. In FIG. 2, the cooling fan 6 is provided in the vertical direction. One for every two tiers of shelves 5, 4 for left and right
A table is provided.

FIGS. 3A to 3D show the configuration of FIG.
For example, four adjacent cooling fans 6
Regarding the first stage 5-1 to the fourth stage 5-4 of the food shelf 5 in the stage,
The flow of cooling air on each shelf is indicated by arrows. As described with reference to FIG. 14, the cooling air from the cooling fan 6 has a bias in a different direction depending on the height position of the food rack 5, and this bias is the same for the two cooling fans 6. In the fourth embodiment, a plurality of (two) cooling fans 6 are installed in the left-right direction also in the fourth food shelf 5-4 (see FIG. 15D) in which air stagnation has occurred. In this case, since the amount of air reflected by the inner wall of the refrigerator or the front wall of the food shelf is large, air stagnation does not occur as shown in FIG.

4 to 6 show a second embodiment of the present invention. FIGS. 4 and 5 are front views showing different arrangement states of a cooling fan, and FIG. It is a top view which shows the wind direction. 4 and 5,
Between the cooler 3 and the food shelves 5, a plurality of cooling fans are arranged in a staggered pattern in the up-down direction and the left-right direction so as to cover all the steps and the whole width of the food shelves 5, and are adjacent to each other. 2
The cooling fans 6 in the row are arranged so as to be shifted from each other by １ ／ pitch in the vertical direction. Here, in FIG. 4, one cooling fan 6 is provided for every four stages of the food shelves 5 and two cooling fans 6 are provided in the left-right direction. In FIG. One unit is provided for each step, and four units are provided in the horizontal direction.

FIGS. 6A to 6D show the state of FIG.
For example, the upper right cooling fan 6 (6-1) corresponds to the upper left cooling fan 6 (6-2), and the lower left cooling fan 6 (6-2) corresponds to the lower two stages. ), The flow of the cooling air on each shelf is indicated by an arrow. FIG.
In the fourth stage food shelf 5-4 in which air stagnation has occurred, the cooling air incident on the food shelf 5-4 from the right cooling fan 6-1 is inclined leftward as shown by the arrow a. However, the wind entering from the cooling fan 6-2 on the left is directed downward as shown by the arrow b (see FIG. 14). Therefore, the arrow a
Is changed rightward by the wind of arrow b as shown by arrow c. This wind hits the front wall 5a of the food shelf 5 and the inner wall surface of the front door 1 (see FIG. 11) and diffuses right and left. Does not occur. That is, in FIG. 6, since the two cooling fans 6 adjacent to each other on the left and right are vertically offset from each other, the bias of the cooling air from the cooling fan 6-1 having a large incident angle causes the adjacent cooling fans 6-6. It is corrected by the cooling wind of 2,
Air stagnation is improved.

7 and 8 show a third embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a vertical sectional view of a freezer,
FIGS. 8A to 8D are plan views showing the wind directions on the food shelves 5 (5-1 to 5-4) in, for example, four stages from the top in FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, in the embodiment, a plurality of cooling fans (here, four cooling fans) are provided between the cooler 3 and the back wall 2 a of the box 2 so as to cover the entire food shelf 5. 6 are arranged, and each cooling fan 6 corresponds to the food shelf 5 in four stages. In this embodiment, since the cooling air from the cooling fan 6 passes through the fins 7 (FIG. 8) of the cooler 3 and is blown out to the food rack 5, the fins 7 function as a flow straightening plate, and The bias is corrected, and the cooling air is blown almost vertically to any of the food shelves 5 as shown by an arrow a in FIG.
Therefore, the stagnation of the air due to the bias of the wind does not occur. However, since the cooler 3 existing between the cooling fan 6 and the food rack 5 becomes an obstacle for reducing the wind speed against the cooling air, the pitch of the fins 7 is made as coarse as possible to reduce the resistance. Is good.

9 and 10 show a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a front view of a cooler,
FIG. 10 is a plan view thereof. 9 and 10,
In this embodiment, blocking plates are provided on both sides of the cooler 3 so as to extend between the front surface of the cooler 3 and the back surface of the food shelf 5 and to reach the ceiling wall 2b from the bottom surface (not shown) of the box body 2. 8
Is provided. In the illustrated example, the closing plate 8 is formed by extending the end plate of the cooler 3 vertically and forward. According to this embodiment, since the side surface of the gap between the cooler 3 and the food shelf 5 is closed by the closing plate 8, the wind flowing out of the cooling fan 6 and directed sideward is indicated by an arrow in FIG. As shown in the figure, most of the short circuit that returns to the back of the cooler bypassing the blocking plate and returns to the back through the fin portion from the front of the cooler 3 is reduced. 9 also occurs at the U-bend end portion 9a, and accordingly, frost formation on the fin portion is reduced and the heat exchange capacity is improved.

[0019]

As described above, according to the present invention, the stagnation of air on food shelves is improved, and cooling air can be applied to the entire surface of food at a high wind speed, thereby improving the freezing quality of food. I do. Further, the heat exchange between the cooler and the air in the refrigerator is less hindered by the frosting, and also from this aspect, the deterioration of the quality due to the decrease in the cooling rate of the food is prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view showing an arrangement of a cooling fan of a food freezer according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view showing an arrangement of a cooling fan of a food freezer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the wind direction on the food shelf in FIG. 1, wherein (A) to (D) are the first to fourth stages of the food shelf, respectively.

FIG. 4 is a front view showing an arrangement of a cooling fan of a food freezer according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a front view showing an arrangement of a cooling fan of a food freezer according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a plan view showing the wind direction on the food shelf in FIG. 5, where (A) to (D) are the first to fourth stages of the food shelf, respectively.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view of a food freezer showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

8 is a plan view showing the wind direction on the food shelf in FIG. 7, wherein (A) to (D) are the first to fourth tiers of the food shelf, respectively.

FIG. 9 is a front view of a cooler of a food freezer showing still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of FIG. 9.

FIG. 11 is a longitudinal sectional view of a food freezer showing a conventional example.

12 is a cross-sectional view of the food freezer of FIG. 11 taken along the line XII-XII.

13 is a plan view illustrating a circulation path of air inside the food freezer of FIG. 11.

14 is a front view illustrating a correspondence between a food shelf and a cooling fan in the food freezer in FIG. 11.

15 is a plan view showing the wind direction on the food shelf in FIG. 14, wherein (A) to (D) are the first to fourth tiers of the food shelf, respectively.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Door 2 Box 3 Cooler 4 Freezing space 5 Food shelf 6 Cooling fan 7 Fin 9 Evaporation tube 9a U bent part

Claims (5)

[Claims] An inside of a box surrounded by a heat-insulating box having a door at the front, along a wall surface of one of a back wall and right and left side walls of the box, and a front surface having substantially the same size as the wall surface. A cooler having a shape is installed, and the inside air is circulated and blown by a cooling fan through the cooler, and a plurality of coolers are formed in a freezing space formed between the cooler and the door or the side wall of the box. In a food freezer in which food shelves are installed one above the other, a plurality of food shelves are provided between the cooler and the food shelves in the vertical and horizontal directions so as to cover all of the shelves and the entire width of the food shelves. Wherein the cooling fans are arranged in a grid. 2. In a cabinet surrounded by a heat-insulating box having a door on the front surface, a front surface having substantially the same size as the wall surface along one of the back wall and the left and right side walls of the box body. A cooler having a shape is installed, and the inside air is circulated and blown by a cooling fan through the cooler, and a plurality of coolers are formed in a freezing space formed between the cooler and the door or the side wall of the box. In a food freezer in which food shelves are installed one above the other, a plurality of food shelves are provided between the cooler and the food shelves in the vertical and horizontal directions so as to cover all of the shelves and the entire width of the food shelves. Wherein the cooling fans are arranged in a houndstooth check pattern. 3. A front view having substantially the same size as a wall along a wall, either a back wall or a left and right side wall, of a box surrounded by a heat insulating box having a door on a front side. A cooler having a shape is installed, and the inside air is circulated and blown by a cooling fan through the cooler, and a plurality of coolers are formed in a freezing space formed between the cooler and the door or the side wall of the box. In a food freezer in which food shelves are installed one above the other, a plurality of the cooling fans are arranged between the cooler and the wall surface of the box so as to cover all the stages of the food shelves. A food freezer characterized by that: 4. In a cabinet surrounded by a heat-insulating box having a door on the front side, a front surface having substantially the same size as the wall along one of the back wall and the left and right side walls of the box. A cooler having a shape is installed, and the inside air is circulated and blown by a cooling fan through the cooler, and a plurality of coolers are formed in a freezing space formed between the cooler and the door or the side wall of the box. In a food freezer in which food shelves of tiers are installed one above the other, on both sides of the cooler, between the front of the cooler and the back of the food shelf, and reach the ceiling wall from the bottom of the box. A food freezer having a closing plate. 5. The food freezer according to claim 3, wherein said closing plate is formed by extending an end plate of said cooler.