JP2006300398A - Cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a cooling device capable of cooling a cooled object satisfactorily using cold heat generated in a Stirling refrigerator and having excellent versatility and maintainability. <P>SOLUTION: The cooling device 10 is provided with the Stirling refrigerator 20 and cooling equipment 30 for cooling air inside a heat insulating container 51 spaced by a predetermined distance from the Stirling refrigerator 20, using cold heat generated in the Stirling refrigerator 20. The cooling device 10 cools merchandise W stored in merchandise storages 5a, 5b, 5c of an automatic vending machine using the air cooled by the cooling equipment 30. The Stirling refrigerator 20, the cooling equipment 30 and the heat insulating container 51 are unitized stored in a device body 11 detachable from the automatic vending machine. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device, and more particularly, to an improvement of a cooling device for cooling products stored in a plurality of product storage boxes in a vending machine, for example.

  FIG. 7 is a front sectional view showing a general vending machine, and FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of the vending machine shown in FIG. 7 and 8, the vending machine includes a main body cabinet 1.

  The main body cabinet 1 is formed as a rectangular heat insulating casing having an open front surface. The main body cabinet 1 is provided with an outer door 2 and an inner door 3 on the front surface thereof, and for example, three independent commodity containers 5a and 5b partitioned inside by two heat insulating partition plates 4a and 4b. , 5c are arranged side by side. More detailed description is as follows. The outer door 2 is for opening and closing the front opening 1 a of the main body cabinet 1. The inner door 3 is for opening and closing the front surface of the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c. The product storages 5a, 5b, 5c are for storing beverage cans and plastic bottles in a state maintained at a desired temperature.

  The product storage racks 5a, 5b, and 5c are provided with a product storage rack 6, a carry-out mechanism 7, and a product carry-out shooter 8, respectively. The product storage rack 6 is for storing products W such as canned beverages and beverages containing plastic bottles in a lined up and down direction. The carry-out mechanism 7 is provided at the lower part of the product storage rack 6 and is used to carry out the products W at the bottom of the product group stored in the product storage rack 6 one by one. The product carry-out shooter 8 is for guiding the product W carried out from the carry-out mechanism 7 to the product take-out port 2 a provided in the outer door 2.

  Inside the main body cabinet 1, a machine room 9 that is outside the commodity storage 5 a, 5 b, 5 c is provided with a compressor 71, an external blower fan 72, a condenser 73, an expansion mechanism 74, and the like as components of the refrigerator. Is provided. The product storage 5a, 5b, 5c is provided with an evaporator 75 and an internal blower fan F, which are components of the refrigerator, respectively, and a circulation duct 76 on the back side of the evaporator 75. Is provided. In addition, the commodity storage 5a, 5b, 5c is provided with a heater H for heating.

  In such a vending machine, the product W can be cooled as follows. After turning off the heater H, the refrigerator and the internal fan F are driven. Thereby, the cold air obtained by heat exchange with the evaporator 75 is blown out from the lower side of the product carry-out shooter 8 by the internal blower fan F, and circulates as indicated by the arrows in FIG. That is, the cool air cools the product W in the lower part of the product storage rack 6 and then returns to the evaporator 75 through the circulation duct 76. Thus, by intermittently driving the refrigerator and the internal blower fan F so that the cold air circulates inside the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c, the temperature of the product W in the product storage rack 6 is set to an optimal sales temperature (about 5 ° C.) (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  By the way, in the refrigerator of the conventional vending machine mentioned above, Freon-type gas, such as R407c, was used, for example. When such CFCs are released into the atmosphere, they contribute to global warming due to the greenhouse effect. For this reason, the use of CFCs is in a global trend from the viewpoint of environmental protection.

  In such a background, in recent years, Stirling refrigerators have attracted attention. A Stirling refrigerator is a self-cooling type refrigerator that does not have an external compressor or condenser. By compressing and expanding the internal gas using a reciprocating compressor, the low-temperature cooling unit and the high-temperature high heat Part. Here, a natural refrigerant such as helium gas is used as the gas, and since a chlorofluorocarbon-based gas is not used, the Stirling refrigerator is friendly to the global environment. It is also well known that Stirling refrigerators are small and have high energy efficiency.

  As a technique using such a Stirling refrigerator, the Stirling refrigerator is directly disposed in a vending machine, a refrigerator, or the like, and is stored inside the device using the cold generated by the Stirling refrigerator. The thing which cools to-be-cooled objects, such as goods, is proposed (for example, refer to patent documents 2).

JP 2001-34828 A JP 2001-33139 A

  However, in the technique proposed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 2, since the Stirling refrigerator is directly disposed in a device such as a vending machine or a refrigerator, it is difficult to apply the Stirling refrigerator to other devices. It does not have versatility. In addition, since the Stirling refrigerator is directly arranged, when a failure occurs in the Stirling refrigerator, the Stirling refrigerator can be easily removed from the equipment and replaced with another Stirling refrigerator. It is not possible and maintenance is not excellent.

  On the other hand, in the vending machine proposed in Patent Document 1 as well, the components of the refrigerator are arranged directly inside the vending machine, and in particular, an evaporator is arranged inside each commodity storage. Therefore, the refrigerator is not versatile and can be used for other vending machines, and is not excellent in maintainability.

  In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a cooling device that can cool an object to be cooled satisfactorily using cold heat generated in a Stirling refrigerator and is excellent in versatility and maintainability. Objective.

  In order to achieve the above object, a cooling device according to claim 1 of the present invention includes a Stirling refrigerator and a heat insulating container separated from the Stirling refrigerator by a predetermined distance using cold heat generated in the Stirling refrigerator. An air cooling means for cooling the internal air, and a cooling device for cooling an object to be cooled accommodated in an accommodating portion of an object to be cooled using the air cooled by the air cooling means. The air cooling means and the heat insulating container are housed in a housing that can be attached to and detached from the object to be cooled to form a unit.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cooling device according to the first aspect, wherein the air cooling means is provided between the heat insulating container and the accommodating portion when the casing is mounted on a body to be cooled. The air circulating in is cooled.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided the cooling device according to the first or second aspect, wherein when the casing is attached to a body to be cooled, the heat insulating container and the accommodating portion are insulated. It is characterized in that it is provided with a close contact means for holding in close contact.

  A cooling device according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the cooling device according to any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the water droplet storage means for storing water droplets generated from the surface of the equipment constituting the air cooling means is the housing. It is characterized by being housed in the body.

  A cooling device according to claim 5 of the present invention is the cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the high-temperature exhaust heat release means transports the high-temperature exhaust heat generated in the Stirling refrigerator and releases it to the outside. Is housed in the housing.

  The cooling device according to claim 6 of the present invention is the cooling device according to claim 5, wherein the high-temperature exhaust heat means includes a pump serving as a transport source for the high-temperature exhaust heat, and a medium for transporting the high-temperature exhaust heat. And a tank for storing the refrigerant.

  According to the cooling device of the present invention, the Stirling refrigerator, the air cooling means, and the heat insulating container are housed in a housing that can be attached to and detached from the object to be cooled, and are unitized. It can be applied and has good versatility. In addition, when a failure or the like occurs in the equipment constituting the cooling device, the cooling device is removed from the cooling target to be applied and the cooling device is repaired, and another cooling device is attached to the cooling target. By applying it, it is excellent in maintainability. Therefore, the object to be cooled can be satisfactorily cooled by using the cold generated in the Stirling refrigerator, and the versatility and the maintainability can be improved.

  Exemplary embodiments of a cooling device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, a case where the present invention is applied to a vending machine will be described as an example of application of the cooling device.

  1 and 2 show a cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention, respectively. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a case where the cooling device is applied to a vending machine, and FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan sectional view schematically showing the configuration of the cooling device. In the following, the same components as those in the vending machines shown in FIGS. 7 and 8 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the cooling device 10 is detachable from the machine room 9 of the main body cabinet 1 of the vending machine and includes a device main body 11. The apparatus main body 11 is a casing having a rectangular shape and has a size that can be mounted in the machine room 9. The apparatus main body 11 accommodates a Stirling refrigerator 20, a cooling device (air cooling means) 30, a drain pan (water droplet storage means) 35, a heat radiating device (high temperature exhaust heat release means) 40, and a heat insulating container 51.

  The Stirling refrigerator 20 is placed horizontally, and has a low temperature part 21 that generates cold heat when operated, and a high temperature part 22 that generates high temperature exhaust heat.

  The cooling device 30 transfers the cold generated from the low temperature part 21 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 to the heat insulating container 51 and cools the air inside the heat insulating container 51. The cooling device 30 will be described in more detail. A cooling medium is enclosed inside, and a condensing heat exchanger 31, an evaporating heat exchanger 32, a liquid pipe 33, and a gas pipe 34 are provided. Here, as the refrigerant, for example, a gas (such as carbon dioxide) that is a gas at normal temperature and does not freeze with cold heat from the low temperature portion 21 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 (an antifreeze refrigerant) is used.

  The condensation heat exchanger 31 is thermally connected to the low temperature part 21 of the Stirling refrigerator 20. In the condensation heat exchanger 31, the refrigerant is condensed by the cold heat obtained from the low temperature part 21 to become a condensed liquid.

  The evaporative heat exchanger 32 is disposed at a position separated from the condensing heat exchanger 31 by a predetermined distance and at a position relatively lower than the condensing heat exchanger 31. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2, the evaporative heat exchanger 32 is accommodated in the heat insulating container 51, and has a meandering passage 321 and a plurality of fins 322. The serpentine passage 321 is formed of a metal material such as aluminum or copper, and is formed by bending a narrow tube having an inner diameter of several mm or less into a serpentine shape. The serpentine passage 321 allows the refrigerant to pass through the narrow tube. The plurality of fins 322 are plate-like bodies made of a metal material such as aluminum, for example, like the serpentine passage 321. The plurality of fins 322 are brazed to the meandering passage 321 at predetermined intervals.

  In such an evaporative heat exchanger 32, the refrigerant passing through the meandering passage 321 is evaporated by the heat obtained from the internal air of the heat insulating container 51 to become a vapor. In other words, the internal air of the heat insulating container 51, which is the peripheral region of the evaporation heat exchanger 32, is cooled because heat is taken away as the refrigerant passing through the meandering passage 321 evaporates.

  The liquid pipe 33 is a pipe line that connects the condensation heat exchanger 31 and the evaporative heat exchanger 32. The liquid pipe 33 is for moving the refrigerant condensed in the condensation heat exchanger 31 from the condensation heat exchanger 31 to the evaporation heat exchanger 32.

  The gas pipe 34 is a pipe line that connects the condensation heat exchanger 31 and the evaporation heat exchanger 32 separately from the liquid pipe 33. The gas pipe 34 is for moving the refrigerant evaporated in the evaporating heat exchanger 32 from the evaporating heat exchanger 32 to the condensing heat exchanger 31.

  The arrangement of the liquid pipe 33 and the gas pipe 34 is such that the gas pipe 34 is positioned above the liquid pipe 33 as shown in FIG. This is because the density of the refrigerant passing through the gas pipe 34 is smaller than the density of the refrigerant passing through the liquid pipe 33. In such a configuration, as described above, the liquid pipe 33 and the gas pipe 34 are separately provided, and this is called a loop thermosiphon heat pipe.

  The drain pan 35 is disposed below the Stirling refrigerator 20 and the cooling device 30. The drain pan 35 is for storing drain water generated on the surface of the evaporation heat exchanger 32 and the like constituting the cooling device 30.

  The heat radiating device 40 is for releasing the high-temperature exhaust heat obtained from the high-temperature part 22 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 to the outside of the apparatus main body 11 (vending machine). The heat radiating device 40 has a refrigerant sealed therein, and includes a heat radiating heat exchanger 41, an air heat exchanger 42, a first transport line 43, and a second transport line 44. Here, various refrigerants can be used. As an example, a refrigerant that becomes steam by the high-temperature exhaust heat of the Stirling refrigerator 20 such as water is used. In the present embodiment, the case where water is used as the refrigerant of the heat radiating device 40 will be described.

  The heat radiation heat exchanger 41 is thermally connected to the high temperature part 22 of the Stirling refrigerator 20. The heat dissipation heat exchanger 41 is a component that causes the internal refrigerant to receive high-temperature exhaust heat from the high-temperature portion 22.

  The air heat exchanger 42 is disposed at a position separated from the Stirling refrigerator 20 (radiation heat exchanger 41) by a predetermined distance. The air heat exchanger 42 radiates heat to the internal refrigerant. Although details will be described later in the air heat exchanger 42, the refrigerant radiates the high-temperature exhaust heat received by the heat dissipation heat exchanger 41 to the ambient air. Thereby, ambient air is heated by high temperature exhaust heat. An outside fan 45 is provided at a predetermined location around the air heat exchanger 42. The outside blower fan 45 is for releasing the outside air sent into the air heat exchanger 42 to the outside.

  The first transport line 43 is a pipe line that connects the heat radiation heat exchanger 41 and the air heat exchanger 42. The first transport line 43 is for moving the refrigerant that has received the high-temperature exhaust heat by the radiative heat exchanger 41 to the air heat exchanger 42.

  The second transport line 44 is a pipe line that connects the heat dissipation heat exchanger 41 and the air heat exchanger 42 separately from the first transport line 43. The second transport line 44 is for moving the refrigerant radiated by the air heat exchanger 42 to the radiant heat exchanger 41.

  The arrangement relationship between the first transport line 43 and the second transport line 44 is such that the first transport line 43 is positioned above the second transport line 44 as shown in FIG. This is because the density of the refrigerant passing through the first transport line 43 is smaller than the density of the refrigerant passing through the second transport line 44. In such a configuration, as described above, the first transport line 43 and the second transport line 44 are provided separately, and is called a loop-type thermosiphon heat pipe.

  The heat insulating container 51 is disposed at a position separated from the Stirling refrigerator 20 by a predetermined distance inside the apparatus main body 11. The heat insulating container 51 accommodates the evaporation heat exchanger 32 that constitutes the cooling device 30. Further, the heat insulating container 51 has an air supply conduit 57 and an intake conduit 58. In the lower part of the heat insulating container 51, an upper bottom means for raising the heat insulating container 51 is disposed. Any means may be used as the bottom upper means as long as the heat insulating container 51 can be raised upward. For example, a jack or an actuator can be used, but in the embodiment of the present invention, the plate-like member 61 is used. ing.

  Here, although not clearly shown in the drawing, a rectangular upper end opening is formed on the upper surface of the apparatus main body 11 at a portion corresponding to each of the air supply conduit 57 and the intake conduit 58. A rubber member 60 (see FIG. 3) formed of, for example, foamed urethane rubber or silicone rubber is disposed on each opening side edge of the upper end opening. The rubber member 60 will be described in detail later, but after the cooling device 10 is inserted into the machine room 9 of the vending machine, the air supply pipe 57 and the intake pipe 58 of the heat insulating container 51 and the product containers 5a, 5b, 5c. It is made to adhere in the aspect which hold | maintains the state thermally insulated with the inside.

  Next, the internal structure of the product containers 5a, 5b, 5c will be described. Each product storage 5a, 5b, 5c is provided with a rear duct 52, an internal blower fan 53, an air supply switching shutter 55, and an intake air switching shutter 56.

  The rear duct 52 is disposed on the back side inside each product storage 5a, 5b, 5c, and is not clearly shown in the figure, but the product storage rack 6 starts from the bottom of each product storage 5a, 5b, 5c. Is extended to a position corresponding to a predetermined height of the product group stored in the product group, that is, a position corresponding to a substantially intermediate region of the product group. A heater room 59 containing a heater 54 is provided in front of the lower portion of the rear duct 52. The rear duct 52 communicates with the heater room 59 through the suction port 59a. A gas intake port 58 a is provided at the bottom of the rear duct 52. The gas intake port 58a serves as an opening for communicating with the intake pipe 58 constituting the heat insulating container 51 when the cooling device 10 is mounted in the machine room 9 of the vending machine. That is, the intake pipe 58 that constitutes the heat insulating container 51 of the cooling device 10 communicates with the rear duct 52 of each of the commodity storages 5a, 5b, and 5c through the gas intake port 58a.

  The internal blower fan 53 is disposed below the commodity carry-out shooter 8 and in front of the heater room 59, and communicates with the heater room 59 through the air outlet 59b. This internal blower fan 53 is for circulating the air inside the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c. A gas supply port 57 a is provided at the bottom near the internal fan 53. The gas air supply port 57a serves as an opening for communicating with the air supply line 57 constituting the heat insulating container 51 when the cooling device 10 is mounted in the machine room 9 of the vending machine. That is, the air supply conduit 57 constituting the heat insulating container 51 of the cooling device 10 communicates with the inside of each commodity storage 5a, 5b, 5c through the gas air supply port 57a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the air supply switching shutter 55 opens and closes the gas air supply port 57a and the air outlet 59b. Specifically, when the gas inlet 57a is opened, the outlet 59b is closed, and conversely, when the outlet 59b is opened, the gas outlet 59b is opened. 57a is closed.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the intake air switching shutter 56 opens and closes the gas intake port 58a and the intake port 59a. Specifically, when the gas intake port 58a is opened, the suction port 59a is closed, and conversely, when the intake port 59a is opened, the gas intake port 58a is opened. It is a closed state.

  The air supply switching shutter 55 and the intake air switching shutter 56 are linked in their opening / closing operations. When the air supply switching shutter 55 opens the gas air supply port 57a, the intake air switching shutter 56 is in a gas state. When the intake port 58a is opened and the air supply switching shutter 55 closes the gas supply port 57a, the intake switching shutter 56 closes the gas intake port 58a. Thus, when the gas supply switching shutter 55 opens the gas supply port 57a, the intake switching shutter 56 opens the gas intake port 58a, so that the cooling device 10 is mounted in the machine room 9. When it exists, the heat insulation container 51 and the inside of goods storage 5a, 5b, 5c will be in a communication state.

  The cooling device 10 having the above-described configuration is mounted in the vending machine to be applied as follows, and cools the product W stored in the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c of the vending machine. Will do. Here, the case where the goods W accommodated in all the goods storage 5a, 5b, 5c are cooled is demonstrated.

  As shown in FIG. 1, merchandise containers 5a, 5b, 5c are inserted into the machine room 9 of the vending machine (main body cabinet 1) from the front side. The cooling device 10 is disposed at a position where the upper end opening corresponding to the air supply duct 57 and the upper end opening corresponding to the intake duct 58 of the heat insulating container 51 are opposed to the gas inlet 57a and the gas inlet 58a, respectively. To do. Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 3, the air supply pipe 57 and the intake pipe 58 of the heat insulating container 51 raised by the action of the plate-like member 61 communicated with the gas supply port 57a and the gas intake port 58a, respectively. It becomes a state. At that time, the heat insulating container 51 is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the machine room 9 by the action of the rubber member 60, and the air supply pipe 57 and the intake pipe 58 are insulated from the gas air supply port 57a, In addition, it communicates with the gas inlet 58a. Thus, the cooling device 10 is mounted on the vending machine (main body cabinet 1).

  After the cooling device 10 is installed in the vending machine, the Stirling refrigerator 20 is operated, the air supply switching shutter 55 opens the gas air supply port 57a, and the intake air switching shutter 56 opens the gas intake port 58a. To.

  In the cooling device 30 constituting the cooling device 10, the cold air from the low temperature part 21 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 is transferred to the evaporating heat exchanger 32 as follows to cool the internal air of the heat insulating container 51. The refrigerant that has been rapidly cooled in the condensing heat exchanger 31 that is thermally connected to the low temperature portion 21 and has become a condensate moves to the evaporating heat exchanger 32 through the liquid pipe 33 due to its gravity. In this evaporative heat exchanger 32, the refrigerant evaporates into steam by the heat of the internal air of the heat insulating container 51 that houses the evaporative heat exchanger 32. That is, the heat inside the heat insulation container 51 is deprived of heat, and thereby the air inside the heat insulation container 51 is cooled. By the way, the refrigerant evaporated into vapor in the evaporative heat exchanger 32 moves to the condensing heat exchanger 31 through the gas pipe 34, becomes a condensate again in the condensing heat exchanger 31, and repeats the above cycle. Become.

  In the heat radiating device 40 of the cooling device 10, the high-temperature exhaust heat from the high-temperature part 22 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 is released to the outside of the vending machine as follows. The refrigerant that has received heat in the heat dissipation heat exchanger 41 that is thermally connected to the high-temperature section 22 moves to the air heat exchanger 42 through the first transport line 43 and radiates heat in the air heat exchanger 42. That is, the air around the air heat exchanger 42 is heated. And the heated air will be discharge | released outside the cooling device 10 (automatic vending machine) by the air blower fan 45 outside a store | warehouse | chamber. Therefore, the high temperature exhaust heat from the high temperature part 22 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 is released to the outside of the cooling device 10 (vending machine) by the heat radiating device 40. By the way, the refrigerant radiated by the air heat exchanger 42 moves to the radiant heat exchanger 41 through the second transport line 44 and receives the heat again by the radiant heat exchanger 41, thereby repeating the above cycle.

  As described above, since the air supply switching shutter 55 opens the gas air supply port 57a and the intake air switching shutter 56 opens the gas intake port 58a, the heat insulating container 51 and the product containers 5a and 5b are opened. , 5c are in communication. Therefore, the air in the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c circulates inside the back duct 52, the heat insulating container 51, and the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c by the action of the internal fan 53. More specifically, the air inside the product containers 5a, 5b, 5c enters the back duct 52 by the action of the internal blower fan 53 and enters the inside of the heat insulating container 51 through the opened gas inlet 58a. It reaches. That is, the air inside the product containers 5 a, 5 b, 5 c is unified by the heat insulating container 51.

  The air that has reached the inside of the heat insulating container 51 is cooled by the evaporating heat exchanger 32 while passing through the inside of the heat insulating container 51. The cooled air moves along the direction of the arrow in FIG. 3 through the gas supply port 57a in the open state, inside the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c. That is, the cooled air moves in such a manner that it passes through the product group below the product group stored in the product storage rack 6. The air thus cooled moves in such a manner that it passes through the product group below the product storage rack 6, whereby heat is exchanged between the cooled air and the product W, and the product W is cooled. Will be.

  The air heated by the heat exchange with the product W again enters the rear duct 52 and reaches the heat insulating container 51 through the opened gas inlet 58a. And it cools again by this heat insulation container 51, and repeats the circulation mentioned above.

  Thus, by circulating air between the heat insulation container 51 and the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c, the temperature of the air inside the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c can be maintained at 0 ° C., for example. In this way, the product W can be brought to a sales suitable temperature, for example, 5 ° C. That is, the product W stored in the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c can be satisfactorily cooled.

  For example, in the case where only the product W stored in the product storage 5a is heated, the cooling device 10 can be used to heat the product W as follows.

  First, as shown in FIG. 4, the air supply switching shutter 55 is operated to close the gas air supply port 57a of the product storage 5a, and the intake switching shutter 56 is operated to operate the gas in the product storage 5a. The intake port 58a is closed. Thereby, the communication state of the goods storage 5a and the cooling device 10 (heat insulation container 51) is interrupted | blocked. At that time, both the inlet 59a and the outlet 59b are opened. Therefore, the air cooled inside the heat insulating container 51 does not move to the commodity storage 5a.

  And by operating the heater 54 in the heater room 59 of the product storage 5a, the air heated by the heater 54 is blown out from the lower side of the product carry-out shooter 8 by the action of the blower fan 53 in the store. 4 along the arrow direction. That is, the heated air moves in a manner that passes through the product group stored in the product storage rack 6.

  When the heated air moves so as to pass through the product group, heat exchange is performed between the heated air and the product W, and the product W is heated. The air that has undergone heat exchange with the product W again enters the back duct 52 and reaches the heater room 59 through the suction port 59a that is in the open state. Then, the heater 54 is heated again in the heater room 59, and the movement described above is repeated to circulate.

  The air heated in this manner circulates inside the product storage 5a, whereby the temperature of the product W can be set to an appropriate sales temperature (for example, 55 ° C.).

  When the cooling device 10 is applied to another vending machine, the cooling device 10 is removed from the machine room 9 and mounted again in the machine room 9 of the other vending machine. The product W stored in the product storage 5a can be cooled.

  As described above, according to the cooling device 10 in the embodiment of the present invention, the Stirling refrigerator 20, the cooling device 30, the heat radiating device 40, the heat insulating container 51, and the like can be attached to and detached from the machine room 9 of the vending machine. Since it is accommodated in the apparatus main body 11 and unitized, it can be applied to various vending machines and has good versatility. In addition, when a failure or the like occurs in the equipment constituting the cooling device 10, the cooling device 10 is removed from the vending machine to be applied and the cooling device 10 is repaired. By applying the cooling device 10, the maintainability is excellent. Therefore, the product W stored in the product storage 5a, 5b, 5c can be satisfactorily cooled using the cold generated in the Stirling refrigerator 20, and the versatility and maintainability are excellent. be able to.

  According to the cooling device 10, since the Stirling refrigerator 20 or the like is only accommodated inside the device main body 11, it is excellent in mass productivity as compared with the direct arrangement in the vending machine to be applied. It becomes a thing.

  Further, according to the cooling device 10, the air inside the product containers 5 a, 5 b, 5 c is circulated between the inside and outside of the product containers 5 a, 5 b, 5 c while unifying the air inside the heat insulating container 51. Then, the air in a unified state is cooled using the cold generated in the Stirling refrigerator 20, so that the temperature of the cooled air can be made uniform. Thereby, the temperature of the air sent to each product storage 5a, 5b, 5c becomes substantially equal, and the cooling time for each product storage 5a, 5b, 5c and the cooling temperature of each product storage 5a, 5b, 5c. There is no risk of variations. Therefore, the goods W accommodated in each goods storage 5a, 5b, 5c can be cooled favorably.

  Furthermore, according to the cooling device 10, the air supply switching shutter 55 and the intake air switching shutter 56 block the movement of air in the product storage containers 5a, 5b, 5c and the heat insulating container 51 as necessary. It can be used to heat the product W stored in the storage 5a, 5b, 5c.

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

  In the above-described embodiment, the vending machine has been described as an application target of the cooling device 10, but the present invention is not limited to this, and a refrigerator, a showcase, or the like may be applied.

  Moreover, in the above-mentioned embodiment, although one heat insulation container was accommodated with respect to one Stirling refrigerator, in this invention, several heat insulation container is used with respect to one Stirling refrigerator. It may be one that accommodates.

  Furthermore, in the above-described embodiment, the heat radiating device 40 has been described using water as a refrigerant. However, in the present invention, an antifreeze liquid may be used as the refrigerant. In this case, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in addition to the above components, a circulation pump 46 and a brine tank 47 are provided. That is, in such a heat radiating device 40, the refrigerant (antifreeze) is circulated between the heat radiating heat exchanger 41 and the air heat exchanger 42 by the action of the circulation pump 46. Even with such a configuration, the high-temperature exhaust heat generated in the high-temperature portion 22 of the Stirling refrigerator 20 can be released to the outside of the cooling device 10 satisfactorily.

  As described above, the cooling device according to the present invention is useful for cooling a commodity stored in a commodity container in the vending machine to a desired temperature state, for example, for a vending machine.

It is the perspective view shown about the case where the cooling device in embodiment of this invention is applied to a vending machine. It is the plane sectional view showing typically the composition of the cooling device in the embodiment of the present invention. It is the sectional side view which showed the principal part of the vending machine to which the cooling device in embodiment of this invention was applied. It is the sectional side view which showed the principal part of the vending machine to which the cooling device in embodiment of this invention was applied. It is the plane sectional view showing the modification of the cooling device of the present invention typically. It is the sectional side view which showed the principal part of the vending machine to which the modification of the cooling device of this invention was applied. It is front sectional drawing which showed the general vending machine. It is a sectional side view of the vending machine shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Cooling device 11 Apparatus main body 20 Stirling refrigerator 21 Low temperature part 22 High temperature part 30 Cooling equipment 31 Condensing heat exchanger 32 Evaporative heat exchanger 33 Liquid piping 34 Gas piping 40 Radiation equipment 41 Radiation heat exchanger 42 Air heat exchanger 43 1st 1 transport line 44 2nd transport line 45 fan outside fan 46 circulation pump 47 brine tank 51 heat insulation container 57 air supply line 58 air intake line 60 rubber member 61 plate-like member W product

Claims (6)

Stirling refrigerator,
Air cooling means for cooling the air inside the heat insulating container separated from the Stirling refrigerator by a predetermined distance using the cold generated in the Stirling refrigerator, and using the air cooled by the air cooling means. In the cooling device for cooling the object to be cooled accommodated in the accommodating portion of the object to be cooled,
The cooling apparatus, wherein the Stirling refrigerator, the air cooling means, and the heat insulating container are accommodated in a casing that is detachable from the body to be cooled and unitized.   2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the air cooling unit cools the air circulating between the heat insulating container and the accommodating portion when the casing is attached to a body to be cooled. .   3. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a close contact unit configured to hold and insulate the heat insulating container and the housing portion in a thermally insulated state when the casing is attached to the object to be cooled. The cooling device according to 1.   The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a water droplet storage unit that stores water droplets generated from a surface of a device that constitutes the air cooling unit is housed in the housing.   The cooling according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein high-temperature exhaust heat release means for transporting high-temperature exhaust heat generated in the Stirling refrigerator and releasing it to the outside is housed in the housing. apparatus.   The said high temperature exhaust heat means is equipped with the pump used as the transport source of the said high temperature exhaust heat, and the tank which stores the refrigerant | coolant used as the medium at the time of transporting the said high temperature exhaust heat. Cooling system.

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