JP2006056431A - Freezing container - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a freezing container capable of certainly preventing the over-cooling of the inside of the container to store a refrigerating article lower than a refrigerating temperature by a simple structure. <P>SOLUTION: This freezing container is constituted to partition the inside into a front room 2A on the front wall side and a back room 2B on the back wall side by a partition 13 provided in the container, to set the front room 2A on the low temperature side and the back room 2B on the high temperature side and to cool the front room 2A by a freezing unit 3 and cool the back room 2B by introducing the cold air of the front room 2A to the back room 2B. An electric contact to detect that the partition 13 is at a storing position is provided and prevents two temperature zone control for controling the front room 2A at freezing temperature and the back room 2B, respectively, at a refrigerating temperature when the partition 13 is at the storing position. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a refrigeration container.

  In general, in order to reduce the unit price of transportation, it is necessary to secure a baggage full of transportation equipment at the time of a round trip. In this case, when transporting cargo that does not require temperature management, cargo can be secured by mixed loading, but when transporting cargo that requires temperature management, the restriction that the management temperature is the same is added. It becomes difficult.

  For this reason, in refrigeration trucks and refrigerated containers, the cargo compartment is divided into a plurality of rooms with heat-insulating partitions, and the partitions are movable so that they can be adjusted to the cargo volume. The interior is controlled in a plurality of temperature zones by arranging an internal unit (heat exchanger) and managing the temperature at individual temperatures (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

On the other hand, guide rails are provided on the left and right side walls, and a traveling body having rollers is disposed on the guide rails, and the partition is connected to the traveling body via a hinge so as to be rotatable. It is known to select between a storage position along the ceiling wall and a work position for partitioning the inside of the cargo box back and forth by jumping up the partition (see, for example, Patent Document 3). ).
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-59057 JP-A-5-238306 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-114079

  By the way, when a frozen product (−20 ° C. level) and a refrigerated product such as fresh food (0 ° C. to 15 ° C.) are mixed in a freezer truck or a freezing container, the temperature difference between the two rooms is large, so the higher temperature side A large amount of heat moves from the room to the room on the low temperature side along the inner wall. As a result, the room on the high temperature side may be overcooled, or the room on the low temperature side may be insufficiently cooled, which may reduce the quality of the cargo.

  In this case, in order to prevent overcooling of the room on the high temperature side, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, heating using cooling water of the engine or high temperature refrigerant of the refrigerator is performed. However, it is necessary to connect the refrigerator and engine to the inside of the warehouse, which not only complicates the structure, but also causes problems such as leakage of cooling water and refrigerant due to faulty piping work. . When such a failure occurs during unmanned transport of a refrigerated container, for example, during rail transport, the product value may be lost because it cannot be handled for a long time.

  On the other hand, when the so-called two-temperature zone control is performed in which each room is controlled to the freezing temperature and the refrigeration temperature in a state where the frozen product and the refrigerated product are mixed and the partition is erroneously fixed at the storage position, Since it is not partitioned by the partition, cold air at the freezing temperature flows into the entire container, and as a result of freezing the refrigerated product, the commercial value of the refrigerated product is lost.

  The present invention has been made in view of such problems. When the partition is in the storage position, the two temperature zone control for controlling each room to the freezing temperature and the refrigeration temperature is prevented, and the refrigerated product is mistakenly detected. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration container that can reliably prevent cooling to a refrigeration temperature.

  The present invention comprises a container formed of a front wall, a ceiling wall, a bottom wall, left and right side walls, and a rear wall each having heat insulation properties, and a refrigeration unit provided on the outer surface of the front wall of the container. The interior is partitioned into a front chamber on the front wall side and a rear chamber on the rear wall side through a partition that is movable between the storage position and the working position, and the front chamber is A refrigeration container that sets the rear chamber to the high temperature side on the low temperature side and cools the front chamber by the refrigeration unit while cooling the rear chamber by introducing the cool air in the front chamber to the rear chamber, and the partition is in the storage position When the partition is in the retracted position, two temperature zone control for controlling the front chamber to the freezing temperature and the rear chamber to the refrigeration temperature based on the detection signal of the electrical contact is blocked when the partition is in the retracted position. It is characterized by this.

  According to the present invention, cargo (frozen goods) is loaded into the front chamber, the partition is pulled down from the storage position, rotated to the work position, and moved to the partition position to be fixed. Then, after loading cargo (refrigerated goods) into the rear chamber, the refrigeration unit is operated to cool the front chamber to the freezing temperature. That is, the compressor of the refrigeration apparatus is driven, and the air in the front chamber is heat-exchanged in the evaporator to cool to the freezing temperature. On the other hand, the cool air of the front chamber is guided to the rear chamber, and the rear chamber is cooled to the refrigeration temperature.

  Here, when the partition is fixed at the storage position, an electrical contact such as a limit switch is activated, and a detection signal is input to the control device of the refrigeration apparatus. In this state, even if a two-temperature zone selection switch that controls the front chamber to the refrigeration temperature and the rear chamber to the refrigeration temperature is operated, the input of the two-temperature zone selection switch is invalidated and the refrigeration temperature and the refrigeration temperature are set. It is controlled so that it cannot move to the stage.

  However, since the entire container is frozen or refrigerated at the set temperature, when the one temperature zone selection switch is operated, it is possible to move to the next stage in which the temperature is set based on the detection signal in which the partition is at the storage position.

  As a result, when the container is divided into a front chamber and a rear chamber and each chamber is controlled at a set temperature, the two temperature zone control cannot be performed in a state where the partition is fixed at the storage position. It is possible to reliably prevent the product from being cooled to the freezing temperature.

  In the present invention, when the partition is in the retracted position, it is preferable to issue an alarm based on the detection signal of the electrical contact so that the partition can be in the retracted position with a buzzer or a lamp.

  According to the present invention, when the partition is in the storage position, the two-temperature zone control for controlling each room to the refrigeration temperature and the refrigeration temperature is prevented, and the refrigerated product is reliably prevented from being cooled to the refrigeration temperature by mistake. can do.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of the refrigerated container 1 of the present invention.

  The refrigerated container 1 is a container comprising a bottom wall 2a, a ceiling wall 2b, left and right side walls 2c, a front wall 2d and a rear wall 2e that are pivotally supported so as to be openable and closable with respect to the left and right side walls 2c. 2 and a refrigeration unit 3 provided along the outer surface of the front wall 2d of the container 2, and the internal space of the container 2 is divided into a front chamber 2A on the front wall 2d side and a rear wall 2e by a partition 13 described later. It is divided into a rear chamber 2B on the side.

  The bottom wall 2a of the container 2 is formed by sticking a heat insulating material to a flat stainless steel plate, and a saw is installed on the upper surface thereof. Specifically, an aluminum slat body 11A is detachably installed along the front wall 2d and the rear wall 2e, and a plurality of aluminum slat bodies are positioned between the slat bodies 11A and 11A. The unit saw 11B is detachably installed. A partition 13 is disposed between the slat body 11A and the unit slat 11B or between the adjacent unit slats 11B and 11B.

  Specifically, the partition 13 is disposed between the front wall 2d side saw body 11A and the rear unit saw 11B to form the minimum volume front chamber 2A (maximum volume rear chamber 2B) (FIG. 1). In the case of forming a front chamber 2A having the maximum volume (the rear chamber 2B having the minimum volume) by arranging a partition 13 between the main body 11A on the rear wall 2e side and the front saw 11B. (Refer to the two-dot chain line state in FIG. 1) and between these, the case where the partition 13 is arranged between any adjacent unit saws 11B and 11B to form the front chamber 2A and the rear chamber 2B is selected. The volume of the front chamber 2A and the rear chamber 2B can be changed in accordance with the cargo amount of the frozen product or the cargo amount of the refrigerated product.

  On the other hand, guide rails 12 having a substantially C-shaped cross section are fixed to the upper portions of the left and right side walls 2c so as to be positioned below a ventilation duct 14 provided on a ceiling wall 2b, which will be described later. Although not shown in detail, each guide rail 12 is fitted with a traveling body in which rollers are rotatably supported in the front and rear directions, and a partition 13 is provided behind the left and right traveling bodies via hinges, respectively. It is connected so that it can rotate freely.

  Here, the partition 13 has heat insulation properties, and as shown in FIG. 3, the partition 13 is formed in a rectangular shape substantially corresponding to the inner shape of the container 2 and can be folded in two via the hinge sheet 13e. The partition 13 is provided with a sealing material 13a (see FIG. 1) around it, and is provided with a fixing belt 13b having mounting brackets 13c on one surface and a plurality of air ribs 13d on both surfaces. It is provided and formed. Further, a buckle (not shown) is provided at the lower end of the partition 13 so that it can be engaged with and disengaged from a hook (not shown) provided at the rear end of the ventilation duct 14.

  Therefore, by grasping a handle (not shown) and pushing in or pulling out the partition 13, the partition 13 can be moved along the guide rail 12 to an arbitrary position in the front-rear direction. Then, at an arbitrary position, the mounting bracket 13c is locked to the locking portion (not shown) of the lashing rail disposed on the inner surface of the side wall 2c of the container 2, and the fixing belt 13b is stretched to be adjacent. A partition 13 is arranged at an arbitrary position in the container 2 at an interval of the length of the unit saw 11B between arbitrary saws, that is, between the rear end of the front saw body 11A on the front wall 2d side and the front saw body 11A on the rear wall 2e side. Can be fixed.

  At this time, the partition 13 has sealing members 13a provided around it on the inner surface of the flat bottom wall 2a, the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 2c, and the outer surface of the flat ventilation duct 14 provided on the ceiling wall 2b. Because of the close contact, leakage of heat between the front chamber 2A and the rear chamber 2B can be suppressed as much as possible. In addition, an air passage can be secured between the air rib 13d and the cargo, and it is possible to prevent the cargo from contacting the partition 13 and transferring heat directly to the cargo.

  When loading or unloading cargo, the partition 13 can be flipped up and the buckle engaged with a hook provided on the ventilation duct 14 to be held in the retracted position along the ventilation duct 14. it can. A limit switch (not shown) that operates when the partition 13 is in the retracted position is provided in the ventilation duct 14.

  By the way, the inner surface of the ceiling wall 2b of the container 2 has a width substantially corresponding to the distance between the inner surfaces of the left and right side walls 2c, is located in the vicinity of the front wall 2d and has one end opened to the front chamber 2A and the rear wall 2e. A flat ventilation duct 14 having the other end opened to the rear chamber 2B at a fixed distance from is fixed. The ventilation duct 14 has a substantially middle portion in the width direction and is divided into left and right by a partition wall 14a (see FIG. 2). Of these, the right ventilation passage 14R is seen from the rear wall 2e side to the front wall 2d side. The cool air in the front chamber 2A is set to guide the cool air to the rear chamber 2B, and the left vent passage 14L is set to guide the cool air in the rear chamber 2B to the front chamber 2A. The shutter 15 is rotatable at the front wall 2d side opening and the rear wall 2e side opening of the right ventilation path 14R and the front wall 2d side opening and the rear wall 2e side opening of the left ventilation path 14L. Is provided.

  Here, each shutter 15 normally closes each opening by its own weight, and when a cool air fan 17 to be described later is driven, each shutter 15 rotates against its own weight and moves from the front chamber 2A to the rear. Cold air can be guided to the chamber 2B, and relatively high-temperature cold air can be guided from the rear chamber 2B to the front chamber 2A. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, when the cool air fan 17 is driven, the shutter 15 rotates against its own weight and opens the rear wall 2e side opening, so that the cool air in the front chamber 2A is moved to the right. It can be led to the rear chamber 2B through the air passage 14R.

  Further, the rear end portion of the ceiling wall 2b has a width substantially corresponding to the inner surface interval of the left and right side walls 2c, and has a mixing chamber 16a inside and an opening communicating with the mixing chamber 16a in the front and rear. A box-shaped mixing duct 16 is fixed, and in the mixing chamber 16 a of the mixing duct 16, one cold air fan 17 and a plurality of circulation fans 18 are disposed. The other side of the suction duct 19 whose one end is connected to the opening on the rear wall 2e side of the right ventilation path 14R is connected to the front opening of the mixing duct 16 communicating with the mixing chamber 16a in which the cool air fan 17 is provided. The ends are connected (see FIG. 5). On the other hand, an electric heater 20 is provided in the front opening of the mixing duct 16 that communicates with the mixing chamber 16a in which the circulation fan 18 is provided, and the front opening is provided with the left vent path described above. 14L is opened to the rear chamber 2B at a certain distance from the rear wall 2e side opening (see FIGS. 2 and 6). Further, the rear opening of the mixing duct 16 is formed so as to face only the mixing chamber 16a provided with the circulation fan 18, and the opening is formed on the inner surface of the rear wall 2e via the sealing material 16b. Is connected to an air passage 21 extending in the vertical direction.

  The mixing chamber 16a of the mixing duct 16 is partitioned by a partition wall 161 (see FIG. 2) between the cool air fan 17 and the circulation fan 18 on the suction side where the cool air fan 17 and the circulation fan 18 are disposed. . For this reason, the cold air in the front chamber 2A can be guided only to the cold air fan 17 through the ventilation duct 14 and the suction duct 19.

  Although not shown in detail, the refrigeration unit 3 is a motor, for example, a diesel engine provided with a fuel tank, a generator driven by the diesel engine, and an electric motor driven by using electricity generated by the generator. It is composed of a refrigeration system including a compressor, and is designed so that the refrigeration capacity can be maintained over a set time even when there is no power source, such as rail transport, ship transport, trailer transport.

  A heat exchanger 22 that exchanges heat with the evaporator of the refrigeration apparatus is provided at the front end of the ceiling wall 2b, and a fan 23 that supplies the cold air heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 22 to the front chamber 2A. Is provided. An air passage 21 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the inner surface of the front wall 2d in order to guide the cool air supplied by the fan 23 downward.

  The refrigeration unit 3 is controlled by a control device (not shown), and the cold air fan 17, the circulation fan 18, the electric heater 20, and the fan 23 described above are wired to the control device and are connected via the control device. ON-OFF control. Further, the detection signal of the limit switch described above, the main switch (not shown), the one temperature zone selection switch for controlling the entire container 2 to the freezing temperature or the refrigeration temperature, the front chamber 2A is set to the freezing temperature, and the rear chamber 2B is set to the refrigeration temperature. The operation signals of the two temperature zone selection switches for controlling each of the two are input to the control device.

  Next, the operation of the refrigerated container 1 configured as described above will be described.

  First, in the pickup area, the sword body 11A is installed along the front wall 2d, and after placing an appropriate number of unit swords 11B in abutment with the rear end of the sword body 11A, the sword body 11A and the unit sword 11B are installed. Cargo (frozen products) is loaded on top of it using forklifts and other transportation equipment. When the loading of the frozen products is completed, the partition 13 is lowered from the stored state to the working state, and is moved and fixed along the rear end of the unit saw 11B, whereby the inside of the container 2 is set in the front chamber 2A and the rear chamber 2B. Divide into Thereafter, the remaining unit saw 11B is installed on the bottom wall 2a serving as the rear chamber 2B, and the saw body 11A is installed along the rear wall 2e. Similarly, the cargo on the unit saw 11B and the saw body 11A ( The refrigerated product) is loaded using a transportation device such as a forklift, and the rear wall 2e is closed.

  Thereafter, the refrigerated container 1 is transported toward the delivery place. Specifically, trucks can be used to transport trucks directly to delivery areas, or to trailers using freight stations to transport to the target freight station. Or, use a trailer to transport to the port, ship to the target port, and then transport the truck again from the port to the delivery location.

  When the refrigerated container 1 is transported from such a collection point to a delivery point, the main switch is turned on, the two temperature zone selection switch is turned on, and the refrigeration temperature and the refrigeration temperature are set through a display panel (not shown). Then, the refrigeration unit 3 is operated.

  That is, when the diesel engine is driven by turning on the two temperature zone selection switch, the generator is driven, and the electric compressor of the refrigeration apparatus is driven by the electricity generated by the generator. When the electric compressor is driven, the refrigerant is compressed and supplied to the condenser, and cooled by the condenser to become a liquid having a high pressure. Thereafter, when the liquefied refrigerant is blown out to the evaporator through the expansion valve, the liquefied refrigerant is vaporized, and the heat of vaporization is taken from the periphery of the evaporator to be cooled. The refrigerant that has become gas is sucked into the electric compressor, and the refrigeration cycle is performed again.

  Here, the air in the front chamber 2A is sucked by the fan 23, is heat-exchanged by the heat exchanger 22 and cooled, and is then supplied to the saw body 11A through the air passage 21 provided in the front wall 2d. The unit is blown upward from the unit saw 11B. In this way, the air in the front chamber 2A is circulated, and the interior of the front chamber 2A is controlled to maintain a set temperature, for example, −20 ° C.

  On the other hand, the circulation fan 18 is driven in the rear chamber 2B. Therefore, the air in the rear chamber 2B is sucked into the circulation fan 18 and supplied to the main body 11A through the air passage 21 provided in the rear wall 2e. The snowboard body 11A and the unit snowboard 11B are blown upward. In this way, the air in the rear chamber 2B is circulated, and the interior of the rear chamber 2B is controlled to maintain a set temperature, for example, 15 ° C.

  By the way, when the internal temperature of the rear chamber 2B detected by the temperature sensor 24 (see FIG. 6) exceeds the set temperature by a certain temperature, the cool air fan 17 is driven and the right air passage is connected via the suction duct 19. A suction force is applied to the shutter 15 provided in the opening on the rear wall 2e side of 14R. For this reason, the shutter 15 provided in the opening on the rear wall 2e side of the right ventilation path 14R and the shutter 15 provided in the opening on the front wall 2d side are rotated against their own weights. Therefore, the cold air in the front chamber 2A is sucked into the mixing block 16 through the right air passage 14R and the suction duct 19 of the ventilation duct 14, and is then fed from the cold air fan 17 side mixing chamber 16a to the circulation fan 18 side mixing chamber 16a and the rear wall 2e. It is supplied to the saw body 11A through the air passage 21 provided in the top and blown upward from the saw body 11A and the unit saw 11B.

  At this time, since the air in the rear chamber 2B is circulated by the circulation fan 18, the cold air in the front chamber 2A sucked into the mixing duct 16 and the cold air in the rear chamber 2B are mixed in the mixing chamber 16a of the mixing duct 16. And gradually cooled.

  Further, since the cool air in the front chamber 2A is supplied to the rear chamber 2B by the cool air fan 17, a positive pressure is generated in the rear chamber 2B. For this reason, the shutter 15 of the left vent passage 14L is rotated against its own weight, and the air in the rear chamber 2B is supplied to the front chamber 2A via the left vent passage 14L. That is, the air supplied from the front chamber 2A to the rear chamber 2B returns to the front chamber 2A from the rear chamber 2B by that volume, and always maintains an equilibrium state.

  In this case, since the opening on the front wall 2d side of the ventilation passage 14L on the left side of the ventilation duct 14 is opened in the vicinity of the front wall 2d, the cool air in the rear chamber 2B returned to the front chamber 2A is immediately cooled by the fan 23. The air is sucked and cooled by the heat exchanger 22. Therefore, the relatively high-temperature cold air that has been refluxed from the rear chamber 2B to the front chamber 2A is prevented from coming into contact with the cargo (frozen product) in the front chamber 2A, and the quality of the cargo is not degraded.

  As described above, when the air in the rear chamber 2B is cooled and reaches the set temperature, the temperature sensor 24 detects the temperature and stops the driving of the cool air fan 17.

  On the other hand, when the cool air of the front chamber 2A is guided to the rear chamber 2B or due to heat leakage from the rear chamber 2B to the front chamber 2A, the temperature of the rear chamber 2B is lower than the set temperature by a predetermined temperature or more. Then, when the cool air fan 17 is being driven, the drive of the cool air fan 17 is stopped and the electric heater 20 is operated to circulate the air in the rear chamber 2B via the circulation fan 18, and the sucked air is Heated by the electric heater 20. When the air in the rear chamber 2B is heated and reaches a set temperature, the operation of the electric heater 20 is stopped.

  As described above, when the temperature of the rear chamber 2B exceeds the set temperature, the cool air fan 17 is driven, the cool air in the front chamber 2A is guided to the rear chamber 2B, and the interior is cooled. When the temperature is lower than the set temperature, the electric heater 20 is operated, and the air in the rear chamber 2B is heated and circulated to easily control the internal temperature of the rear chamber 2B so as to maintain the set temperature. be able to. Moreover, it is only necessary to lay an electrical wiring between the refrigeration unit 3 and the rear chamber 2B, and the operation can be easily performed as compared with the case where the engine coolant or the high-temperature refrigerant is guided to the rear chamber 2B through the pipe. In addition, it is not necessary to consider the leakage of cooling water or refrigerant, and the degree of occurrence of defects is reduced.

  By the way, when the partition 13 is fixed at the storage position, the limit switch is activated, and the detection signal of the limit switch is input to the control device of the refrigeration unit 3. When the main switch is turned on in this state and the two temperature zone selection switch is turned on, an abnormality is displayed on the operation panel and an alarm is issued, and control is performed so that the stage cannot be set to the freezing temperature or refrigeration temperature. Is done. Therefore, it is possible to grasp that the partition 13 is in the storage position, and since the two-temperature zone control cannot be performed, it is possible to reliably avoid cooling the refrigerated product to the freezing temperature.

  In addition, in order to freeze or refrigerate the entire container 2 at the set temperature, when the one temperature zone selection switch is operated, the temperature is set based on the detection signal of the limit switch that detects that the partition 13 is in the storage position. You can move on to the next stage.

  As a result, when the container 2 is divided into the front chamber 2A and the rear chamber 2B and each chamber is controlled at the set temperature, the two-temperature zone control cannot be performed with the partition 13 fixed at the storage position. It is possible to reliably prevent the refrigerated product from being cooled to the freezing temperature by mistake.

  As described above, according to the present invention, when both frozen and refrigerated goods are mixed and improved in transport efficiency using a refrigerated container, the interior of each cabinet is surely set in two temperature zones corresponding to the frozen and refrigerated goods. In addition, it can be controlled over a long period of time, and the cargo can be transported from the shipper to the shipper without impairing the quality.

It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the outline of one Embodiment of the freezing container of this invention. It is a top view which abbreviate | omits and shows the rear-end part of the refrigeration container of FIG. It is a perspective view which shows an example of a partition. It is sectional drawing which shows the shutter provided in the ventilation path of the right side in a ventilation duct. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the position corresponding to a cold air fan of a mixing duct. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view in the position corresponding to a circulation fan of a mixing duct.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Refrigeration container 2 Container 3 Refrigeration unit 11A Snowboard body 11B Unit snowboard 12 Guide rail 13 Partition 14 Ventilation duct 16 Mixing duct 17 Cold air fan 18 Circulation fan 20 Electric heater 22 Heat exchanger 23 Fan

Claims (2)

  It consists of a container formed from a front wall, ceiling wall, bottom wall, left and right side walls, and rear wall that have heat insulation properties, and a refrigeration unit provided on the outer surface of the front wall of the container, and can move along the inner surface of the container And partitioning the interior into a front chamber on the front wall side and a rear chamber on the rear wall side through a partition that is rotatable between a storage position and a work position, and the front chamber on the low temperature side, Each of the rear chambers is set to a high temperature side, and the refrigeration unit cools the front chamber by the refrigeration unit, and cools the rear chamber by introducing the cool air of the front chamber to the rear chamber, and the partition is in the storage position. An electrical contact for detection is provided, and when the partition is in the retracted position, two temperature zone control for controlling the front chamber to the freezing temperature and the rear chamber to the refrigeration temperature based on the detection signal of the electrical contact is blocked. Refrigeration container. 2. The refrigerated container according to claim 1, wherein when the partition is in the storage position, an alarm is issued based on a detection signal of an electrical contact.

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