JP2006214630A - Storing device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a storing device capable of storing foods in a refrigerated state without reducing taste and freshness of the foods and displaying and selling the foods favorably. <P>SOLUTION: This storing device 10 is provided with a commodity storing part 20 for storing and displaying the foods by cooling them. The commodity storing part 20 is provided with an exterior case 12 and an interior case 14 surrounded by the exterior case 12 except a rear part side for bringing the foods in and out and arranged by ensuring a space for storing and displaying the foods in the inside. A circulation box 30 provided with a circulation fan 38 communicating with a ventilation layer formed between an inner face of the exterior case 12 and an outer peripheral face of the interior case 14 to circulate cold air between the ventilation layer and it and a cooling device 32 for cooling circulation air is arranged in a lower part of the commodity storing part 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a storage device that stores and stores food for display and sale at a store such as a convenience store.

In supermarkets and convenience stores, sealed showcases (storage devices) for displaying and selling cooked foods are provided. This showcase is provided such that the temperature and humidity are appropriately controlled according to the cooked food to be stored, and an appropriate texture of the food is maintained.
These storage devices are formed so that foods after cooking can be held and displayed in a heated state, but they do not impair the freshness of the food, and to maintain the quality of the product. Foods that have been on display for a long time are discarded and replaced with newly cooked foods for display and sale.

However, replacing foods displayed in the showcase with new foods in a short time increases product disposal costs and makes handling difficult, so that food can be stored and sold for as long as possible in the showcase. Therefore, a method has been considered in which food in a state before cooking is stored in a showcase in a cold state, and the food is taken out from the showcase at the time of sale and cooked and sold on the spot.
In this way, if the method is to store and sell the food before cooking in the showcase in a cool temperature state, the food will be kept in the showcase for a long time compared to the conventional method of displaying and storing cooked products. There is an advantage that the product can be stored, the waste of the product can be eliminated, and the complications such as replacement of the product can be eliminated.

  However, when food is stored and displayed in a cool condition in the showcase, it should be possible to maintain the inside of the showcase while keeping the food moist so as not to reduce the freshness of the food, and the inside of the showcase should be condensed. It is required that the product can be visually recognized from the outside of the showcase in a good-looking state. In the case of a sealed showcase used at a convenience store, etc., outside air enters the showcase when opening and closing the door provided in the showcase when putting in and out of products, etc., and the temperature inside the showcase is outside air. This is because the inner surface of the showcase may condense due to being lower.

  Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve these problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a storage device that can store food in a fresh state for a long time and can display and sell food appropriately. It is what.

The present invention has the following configuration in order to achieve the above object.
That is, a storage device including a product storage unit for cooling and storing and displaying food, wherein the product storage unit is surrounded by the outer case except for an outer case and a rear side where food is taken in and out. And an interior case arranged to secure a space for storing and displaying the food, and a ventilation formed between an inner surface of the exterior case and an outer peripheral surface of the interior case at a lower portion of the product storage unit. A circulation box including a circulation fan that circulates cold air between the ventilation layer and the ventilation layer and a cooling device that cools the circulation air is disposed.

In addition, since the interior case is provided with a communication hole for preventing condensation, the inside air of the interior case is exchanged with cold air through the communication hole, and it becomes possible to prevent condensation and fogging of the interior case. .
In addition, since the outer case is formed in a double structure in which an air layer is provided in the middle, the outer case is thermally insulated, and the product storage unit can be efficiently kept in a cold temperature state.
In addition, the back panel constituting the back surface of the product storage unit is provided in an inclined arrangement in which the front and rear width of the product storage unit is wide on the upper side and narrow on the lower side, whereby the product storage unit It is possible to easily secure a space for arranging the heating cooker behind, and efficiently secure a space for displaying and storing products and a cooking space.

Further, the storage device includes a product storage unit that cools, stores, and displays food, and the product storage unit includes an exterior case that secures a space for storing and displaying food inside, and the product storage unit A circulation box including a circulation fan that communicates with the exterior case and circulates cool air between the exterior case and a cooling device that cools the circulation air is disposed below the exterior case.
In addition, one end side of the ventilation duct is provided in communication with the air supply port of the circulation box, and the other end of the ventilation duct is provided to be opened in the outer case. It becomes possible to diffuse cold air and keep the inside of the outer case in a cold state.

  According to the storage device of the first aspect, the food stored in the interior case is indirectly provided by providing the circulation box for circulating the cold air between the outer case and the ventilation layer formed between the interior case. The food can be cooled and stored in a suitably moisturized state without being dried, and can be stored in a fresh state for a long time without impairing the texture of the food. Further, according to the storage device of claim 5, the food can be stored in a cooled state in the outer case, and can be stored for a long time without impairing the food texture. It is possible to reduce waste such as disposal.

Hereinafter, the best embodiment of the storage device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a storage device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The storage device 10 according to the present embodiment includes an outer case 12 and an inner case 14 that secures a space for storing and displaying food in an arrangement surrounded by the outer case 12 inside the outer case 12. A product storage unit 20 is provided.
On the back side (rear side) of the product storage unit 20, an opening / closing unit for putting products into and out of the product storage unit 20 is provided, and a ventilation layer is formed between the inner surface of the outer case 12 and the outer peripheral surface of the inner case 14. Yes.

  The outer case 12 is formed in a double structure in which an air layer 12a is provided in the middle as a heat insulating layer. In the present embodiment, the exterior case 12 and the interior case 14 are formed of a transparent acrylic resin so that food stored in the interior case 12 can be seen from the outside of the product storage unit 20. Of course, the exterior case 12 and the interior case 14 are not limited to acrylic resin, and can be appropriately formed of a transparent material.

  In the upper and lower portions of the interior case 14, communication holes 15 a and 15 b that communicate the space inside the exterior case 12 and the interior of the interior case 14 are provided. These communication holes 15 a and 15 b are provided to circulate air between the interior of the interior case 14 and the ventilation layer surrounded by the exterior case 12 and the interior case 14. A plurality of communication holes 15a and 15b are formed in the interior case 14 in the shape of small round holes in order to adjust the amount of air flow.

The front surface of the exterior case 12 that forms the front surface of the product storage unit 20 is formed in a substantially vertical direction, and the rear panel 22 that forms the back surface of the product storage unit 20 has a front and rear width of the product storage unit 20 that is wide on the upper side and lower. It is mounted so as to be narrower on the side. Three trays 16a, 16b, and 16c are attached to the back panel 22 in an arrangement spaced apart in the vertical direction.
All of the trays 16a, 16b, and 16c are linked to the open / close doors 24a, 24b, and 24c attached to the back panel 22, and are supported by the support frame 23 and the support frame 23 supported by the back panel 22. The link 25 is supported by the link 25 and is provided so as to enter and exit the interior case 14 in conjunction with the opening / closing operation of the opening / closing doors 24a, 24b, 24c.

  The trays 16a, 16b, and 16c are provided with the back panel 22 inclined in the front-rear direction, so that the lower tray is positioned forward of the upper tray. As a result, the products at each stage displayed in the showcase can be suitably viewed from the front side of the showcase, and the product can be displayed with good appearance.

A circulation box communicated with the product storage unit 20 via an air supply port 18 provided on the front side of the product storage unit 20 and an exhaust port 19 provided on the lower side of the interior case 14 at the lower part of the product storage unit 20. 30 is provided.
In the circulation box 30, a Peltier module 32 using a Peltier element as a cooling device, a heat dissipation heat exchanger 34 disposed on the exhaust heat side of the Peltier module 32, and a cooling disposed on the heat absorption side of the Peltier module 32 A heat exchanger 36 is provided.
A circulation fan 38 is provided on the downstream side of the cooling heat exchanger 36, and a heat radiation fan 40 is provided at the rear of the circulation box 30 adjacent to the heat radiation heat exchanger 34.

The rear side of the storage device 10 is used as a cooking space for cooking food. In the present embodiment, a hot plate 50 is installed as a heating cooker at the rear of the storage device 10 so that food taken out from the product storage unit 20 can be cooked on the spot.
The front and rear width of the storage device 10 is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, so a large space for installing a cooking device such as the hot plate 50 can be secured at the rear of the storage device 10. In the space-saving area, it is possible to easily display products and cook them.

Hereinafter, the operation of the storage device 10 of the present embodiment will be described.
In the storage device 10 of the present embodiment, food is placed on the trays 16a, 16b, and 16c disposed in the interior case 14, and displayed and sold while the food is stored in the product storage unit 20. Since the trays 16a, 16b, and 16c are provided by being linked with the open / close doors 24a, 24b, and 24c by the link 25 or the like, the trays 16a, 16b, and 16c are provided on the back panel 22 together with an operation for opening the open / close doors 24a, 24b, and 24c. It moves to the opening side which is present, and the operation which puts food in and out of tray 16a, 16b, 16c can be performed easily.

With the open / close doors 24a, 24b, 24c closed, the food is stored in the interior case 14 in a state of being placed on the trays 16a, 16b, 16c.
The food stored in the interior case 14 is indirectly cooled and moisturized by cooling air flowing into the ventilation layer between the exterior case 12 and the interior case 14 from the circulation box 30 and cooling the interior case 14. It is saved in the state.
The cold air sent out from the circulation box 30 is blown upward from an air-permeable layer formed between the outer case 12 and the inner case 14 through an air supply opening 18 that opens at the lower part of the product storage unit 20.

After the cool air sent between the exterior case 12 and the interior case 14 from the lower part of the product storage unit 20 wraps around the upper surface of the interior case 14 on the upper side of the product storage unit 20 and diffuses around the interior case 14 Then, the air flows into the circulation box 30 from the exhaust port 19 provided below the interior case 14.
The air that has flowed into the circulation box 30 is cooled by exchanging heat with the cooling heat exchanger 36, and is sent into the product storage unit 20 from the air supply port 18 by the circulation fan 38. In this way, cold air circulates between the circulation box 30 and the product storage unit 20, the product storage unit 20 is cooled as a whole, and the food stored in the interior case 14 is stored in a cold state.

  In the circulation box 30, the cooling heat exchanger 36 is cooled by driving the Peltier module 32, and the heat radiating from the heat radiating heat exchanger 34 provided on the exhaust heat side of the Peltier module 32 is radiated by the radiating fan 40. By promoting, a more effective cooling action is exhibited.

The storage device 10 according to the present embodiment cools the interior case 14 by heat conduction by circulating cool air around the outer periphery of the interior case 14, thereby enabling food to be stored in a cooled state. It is. Since the interior case 14 is indirectly cooled from the outside while the food is substantially sealed in the interior case 14, the food stored in the interior case 14 is not directly exposed to cold air. The food can be refrigerated without taking away moisture from the food. That is, according to the storage device 10 of the present embodiment, the food can be stored in a cooled state while keeping the humidity without drying the food, without reducing the freshness of the food that needs to be kept fresh, It can be stored for a long time.
Since the outer case 12 is formed in a double layer structure having an air layer 12a in the middle, the outer case 12 has sufficient heat insulation and can efficiently maintain the product storage unit 20 in a cold state. become.

In addition, when opening and closing the doors 24a, 24b, and 24c and putting food in and out of the interior case 14, high temperature outside air enters the interior case 14 and the interior case 14 is cooled. When the inner surface is condensed and the product storage unit 20 is viewed from the outside, the interior case 14 may be clouded.
Condensation of the interior case 14 can be prevented by gradually replacing the air in the interior case 14 with cold air through the communication holes 15a and 15b provided in the upper and lower portions of the interior case 14, respectively.

  The cold air that has flowed into the showcase along the front surface of the product storage section 20 flows from the upper side to the lower side of the interior case 14, and a flow of airflow from the top to the bottom occurs in the side surface portion of the interior case 14. ing. Therefore, in the interior case 14, the upper side becomes positive pressure and the lower side becomes negative pressure, and an air flow flows from the upper side to the lower side. That is, the cool air enters the interior case 14 from the communication hole 15a and the airflow moves so as to be discharged from the communication hole 15b, whereby the inside air of the interior case 14 is exchanged for cold air, and condensation can be eliminated. Since the amount of airflow in the interior case 14 depends on the size and the number of communication holes 15a and 15b, the communication holes 15a, 15a, 15b, What is necessary is just to design the arrangement number of 15b. Of course, it is also possible to attach an adjusting mechanism for changing the opening diameter and the number of arrangement of the communication holes 15a and 15b. In that case, it is better to design considering the appearance of food as a showcase.

According to the storage device 10 of the present embodiment, the humidity in the cabinet can be adjusted to about 90% at maximum, and can be refrigerated by appropriately adjusting the humidity according to food. As a result, the food can be stored in a fresh state, the frequency of operations such as discarding the food after the best food period has elapsed can be reduced, and waste can be eliminated.
Also, food can be taken out from the refrigerated state, cooked and sold on the spot using a heating cooker such as the hot plate 50, etc., so that the taste can be improved and the product value can be increased. become.

(Second Embodiment)
FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the configuration of the second embodiment of the storage apparatus according to the present invention. The storage device 11 according to the present embodiment is configured to keep the inside of the outer case 12 in a cold state by supplying cold air to the outer case 12 made of a transparent acrylic resin.
Unlike the product storage unit 20 in the first embodiment, the product storage unit 21 for storing food is configured not to provide the interior case 14 but to arrange the trays 16 a, 16 b, and 16 c in the exterior case 12. The configuration in which the opening / closing doors 24a, 24b, 24c are arranged on the back panel 22 and the trays 16a, 16b, 16c are provided by being linked with the opening / closing doors 24a, 24b, 24c is the same as that of the first embodiment.

Further, similarly to the first embodiment, the product storage unit 21 is provided with a Peltier module 32, a heat-dissipating heat exchanger 34, a cooling heat exchanger 36, a circulation fan 38a, and a circulation fan 40. A box 31 is provided. The other members excluding the circulation fan 38a are the same as those in the first embodiment.
The circulation fan 38a in the storage device 11 of the present embodiment is provided so as to generate a circulation air flow from the front side to the rear side of the circulation box 31, and the front side of the circulation box 31 (the front surface of the product storage unit 21). The exhaust port 18 a communicating with the product storage unit 21 is provided on the side), and the air supply port 19 a is provided on the rear side of the circulation box 31.

  In the storage device 11 according to the present embodiment, the ventilation duct 60 is disposed over substantially the entire length of the back panel 22 along both side edges of the back panel 22, and the base (one end) of the ventilation duct 60 is provided in the circulation box 31. It is characterized by being provided in communication with the mouth 19a. In addition, about the upper part of the ventilation duct 60, the duct is formed in the air supply part 60a bent to the front from the back along the upper inner surface of the exterior case 12, and the other end of the ventilation duct 60 is the rear part of the upper surface of the exterior case 12. Open on the side.

The storage device 11 of the present embodiment cools the inside of the outer case 12 in which food is stored by circulating cold air between the circulation box 31 and the product storage unit 21, and the food in the outer case 12 is moisturized. Allows to be refrigerated at.
The cold air sent into the ventilation duct 60 from the air supply port 19a of the circulation box 31 is sent along the upper inner surface of the outer case 12 from the air supply portion 60a, and moves from the upper side to the lower side in the outer case 12 , Diffuse and cool the whole chamber.
The gas that has moved to the lower side of the outer case 12 is taken into the circulation box 31 from the exhaust port 18 a, cooled by heat exchange with the cooling heat exchanger 36, and sent into the ventilation duct 60.

In this way, cool air circulates between the circulation box 31 and the inside of the outer case 12, and the inside of the outer case 12 is always kept in a cold state.
In the present embodiment, when the cool air is circulated in the outer case 12, the air flow is preferably circulated at a low speed of about 0.5 (m / s) or less natural convection. In this way, by slowly circulating the cold air, the food is wrapped by the cold air, and the food can be kept moist without being dried. In the storage device 11 of the present embodiment, the outer case 12 is formed as a smooth curved container, and since the heat insulating effect of the outer case 12 is excellent, the airflow slowly moves in the outer case 12, The entire interior can be cooled uniformly.

  The temperature of the cool air sent out from the circulation box 31 can be adjusted as appropriate. For example, the air sent from the circulation box 31 to the ventilation duct 60 is cooled to about 4 ° C. to obtain a cool air with a humidity of about 100%. In this case, the inside of the refrigerator can be kept at 10 ° C. and a temperature and humidity of about 60%, so that the food can be effectively moisturized and refrigerated.

In the case of the storage device 11 according to the present embodiment, the ventilation duct 60 is merely provided in the outer case 12, and the configuration of the product storage unit 21 can be extremely simplified and effectively used for refrigerated storage of food. There is an advantage that it can be used.
In the case of the first embodiment, the food stored in the storage device 11 is taken out from the cabinet and used to be cooked and provided on the spot using a heating cooker such as the hot plate 50. It is the same.

  In each of the above-described embodiments, the Peltier module 32 is used as a cooling device installed in the circulation boxes 30 and 31, but a cooling device other than the Peltier module 32 may be used. However, the Peltier module 32 is advantageous in reducing the size of the apparatus, and can be suitably used for products that require space saving, such as storage apparatuses used in convenience stores and the like.

It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of 1st Embodiment of the storage apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is sectional drawing which shows the structure of 2nd Embodiment of the storage apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10, 11 Storage device 12 Exterior case 12a Air layer 14 Interior case 15a, 15b Communication hole 16a, 16b, 16c Tray 18, 19a Air supply port 18a, 19 Exhaust port 20, 21 Product storage unit 22 Back panel 24a, 24b, 24c Opening and closing doors 30, 31 Circulation box 32 Peltier module 34 Heat exchanger for heat dissipation 36 Heat exchanger for cooling 38, 38a Circulation fan 40 Heat dissipation fan 50 Hot plate 60 Ventilation duct 60a Air supply section

Claims (6)

A storage device having a product storage section for cooling and storing and displaying food,
The product storage unit includes an outer case and an inner case that is surrounded by the outer case except for a rear side where food is taken in and out, and is arranged with a space for storing and displaying the food inside.
A circulation fan that communicates with a ventilation layer formed between an inner surface of the exterior case and an outer peripheral surface of the interior case, and circulates cold air between the ventilation layer and a circulation air at a lower portion of the product storage unit; A storage device comprising a circulation box having a cooling device for cooling the container.   The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the interior case is provided with a communication hole for preventing condensation.   The storage device according to claim 1, wherein the outer case is formed in a double structure in which an air layer is provided in the middle.   The back panel constituting the back surface of the product storage unit is provided in an inclined arrangement in which the front and rear width of the product storage unit is wide on the upper side and narrow on the lower side. The storage device described. A storage device having a product storage section for cooling and storing and displaying food,
The product storage unit includes an exterior case that secures a space for storing and displaying food inside,
A circulation box including a circulation fan that communicates with the exterior case and circulates cold air between the exterior case and a cooling device that cools the circulation air is disposed at a lower portion of the product storage unit. Storage device.   6. The storage device according to claim 5, wherein one end side of a ventilation duct is provided in communication with the air supply port of the circulation box, and the other end of the ventilation duct is opened in the exterior case. .

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