JP2007149045A - Vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent excess and deficiency of capability in a condenser. <P>SOLUTION: This vending machine has a cooling system comprised of evaporators 4, 5, 6 arranged in article storage chambers 1, 2, 3 and compressor 7, the condenser 8 and an expansion valve 9 provided outside partitions of the article storage chambers, a plurality of fans 10 outside a chamber for prompting heat exchange in the condenser are arranged near the condenser 8, an external air temperature sensor which detects ambient temperature of an automatic vending machine is provided, the number of fans 10 outside the chamber to be operated is varied based on a signal value of the external air temperature sensor, all the fauns 10 outside the chamber is operated at high external temperature and the number of fans 10 outside the chamber is reduced at low external temperature. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a vending machine that cools and sells canned beverages and the like, and prevents excessive and insufficient capacity in a condenser.

  Conventionally, this type of vending machine changes the air volume of the fan by changing the rotation speed of the condenser cooling fan by an inverter circuit in order to change the condensation capacity (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  FIG. 6 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a conventional vending machine in Patent Document 1. As shown in FIG. 6, a conventional vending machine system includes a product storage space insulated by a heat insulating material, and a machine room arranged in the lower stage of the product storage space, and the product is kept cold by evaporating the refrigerant in the storage space. An evaporator 104 that functions as a heat exchanger for the compressor, a compressor 101 that compresses a refrigerant disposed inside the machine chamber, a condenser 102 that condenses the refrigerant compressed by the compressor, and a refrigerant condensed by the condenser A cooling system comprising an electromagnetic valve 103 that sends the air to the evaporator via an expansion valve 107, an external fan 105 that forcibly blows outside air to the condenser, and a commercial frequency power supply frequency of a desired frequency. The inverter circuit 110 for operating the compressor, the inverter circuit 111 for operating the external fan, and the ambient temperature of the vending machine are detected. Having a control device 108 providing the outside air temperature sensor 109 and the compressor if the input signal of the outside air temperature sensor, the rotational speed command value of the external fan to the inverter circuit.

  In this way, the ambient temperature of the vending machine is detected, a signal is sent to the inverter circuit that operates the compressor and the fan outside the cabinet, and control is performed by changing the rotation speed. It is possible to appropriately control the operation time of auxiliary machines such as the operating inside, outside fan, and expansion valve, and to prevent an increase in power consumption.

Furthermore, by changing the rotation speed of the external fan according to the ambient temperature, the rotation speed can be reduced when the amount of exchange heat in the condenser may be small, such as at low outside air temperature, and the condenser temperature can be reduced. It is possible to prevent the efficiency from being lowered due to the refrigerant being excessively lowered and the refrigerant staying in the condenser.
JP 2001-34829 A

  However, the conventional configuration requires an inverter circuit for controlling the rotational speed of the outside fan in order to reduce the fan air volume, leading to an increase in the size and cost of the board. Further, there is a lower limit value in the range of change in the rotational speed, and there is a limit to preventing the refrigerant from staying in the condenser without stopping the fan.

  The present invention solves the above-mentioned conventional problems, suppresses the retention of refrigerant in the condenser at low outside air temperature by controlling the air volume of the fan outside the cabinet at a lower cost than using an inverter circuit, and further It is an object of the present invention to provide a vending machine capable of further reducing the refrigerant retention amount by lowering the lower limit value of the outer fan air volume.

  In order to solve the above-described conventional problems, the vending machine of the present invention includes an evaporator provided in a product storage room, and a cooling system including a condenser, a compressor, and an expansion mechanism provided outside the compartment of the product storage room. In order to promote heat exchange in the condenser, a plurality of outside fans are installed near the condenser, an outside temperature sensor for measuring the temperature around the vending machine is provided, and the room is operated according to the signal value of the outside temperature sensor. By changing the number of outside fans, if the outside air temperature is high and a large amount of heat exchange is required, all outside fans are operated when the outside air temperature is low and heat exchange is not required much. The number of outside fans can be reduced, and heat exchange can be performed appropriately according to the ambient temperature, so that the condensation capacity is insufficient at high outside air temperature, and inside the refrigerant condenser due to overcondensation at low outside air temperature. To prevent staying in It becomes ability, it becomes possible to efficiently cool. Further, since the air volume can be controlled only by changing the number of fans to be operated, it is possible to increase or decrease the fan air volume at a lower cost than the change in the rotation speed by the inverter circuit.

  The vending machine of the present invention can obtain an appropriate condensing capacity in accordance with the ambient temperature.

  The invention according to claim 1 includes an evaporator provided in the product storage chamber, a cooling system including a condenser, a compressor, and an expansion mechanism provided outside the compartment of the product storage chamber, and a condenser in the vicinity of the condenser. By installing multiple outdoor fans to promote heat exchange in the factory, providing an outdoor air temperature sensor that measures the ambient temperature of the vending machine, and changing the number of external fans to operate according to the signal value of the ambient temperature, All fans can be operated when the outside air temperature is high, and the number of fans can be reduced when the outside air temperature is low. Condensation of refrigerant due to insufficient condensing capacity at high outside temperatures or overcondensation at low outside temperatures. It becomes possible to prevent the stagnation in the vessel, and to cool more efficiently.

  In the invention of claim 2, in the invention of claim 1, by setting the air volume of each outside fan to a different air volume, the width of the fan air volume is set wider than using a plurality of the same fans. It is possible to increase the amount of heat exchange at a high outside temperature, and further reduce the fan air volume at a low outside temperature, further increasing the amount of refrigerant remaining in the condenser. By reducing it, it is possible to further increase the efficiency. Further, an inverter circuit is not required, and the fan air volume can be controlled at a lower cost than using an inverter circuit.

  According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, the air passing through the fan is returned to the front of the fan again through the vent hole by providing a vent hole in the fan ring for fixing the external fan. A circuit phenomenon occurs, and it becomes possible to further reduce the air volume of the outside fan. In addition, since it is possible to change the air volume only by changing the size of the ventilation hole, it is possible to easily cope with development to other models having different sizes and required capacities.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the invention, by installing a plate provided with ventilation holes on the air path near the outside fan, the ventilation holes of the plate become air resistance, and the outside of the chamber It becomes possible to reduce the air volume of the fan. In addition, it is possible to change the air flow rate of the outside fan only by changing the number and area of the air vents on the plate, so the air volume can be changed while using the same outside fan, and the size and required This makes it easier to adapt to other models with different condensation capacities.

  According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an evaporator installed in the product storage room, a condenser installed outside the compartment of the product storage room, a first cooling system comprising a compressor and an expansion valve, and the first A second cooling system comprising an evaporator installed in the product storage room, a condenser installed outside the compartment of the product storage room, a compressor, and an expansion valve. In the vending machine comprising a heat exchanger in which the cooling system of the second cooling system and the condenser of the second cooling system are integrated, and provided with a plurality of external fans in the vicinity of the external heat exchanger, By varying the number of external fans that are operated based on the number of fans, it becomes possible to change the fan air volume according to the required condensing capacity that changes depending on the number of operating cooling systems, and when both cooling systems are operating Condensation of Only insufficient and one side can be prevented from staying in the condenser of the refrigerant due to excessive condensation during running.

  According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vending machine including a cold chamber for storing products and a cold / hot switching chamber for storing products, and an evaporator disposed in the cold chamber, outside the compartment of the cold chamber. Cooling system that cools the cold chamber consisting of the installed compressor, condenser, and expansion mechanism, the internal heat exchanger disposed in the cold / hot switching chamber, and the cold / hot switching chamber outside the compartment A cooling / heating system for cooling / heating a cold / hot switching chamber comprising an installed compressor, an external heat exchanger, and an expansion mechanism, and the condenser of the cooling system and the outside of the cooling / heating system. It is composed of a heat exchanger integrated with a heat exchanger, and a plurality of outside fans are provided in the vicinity of the integrated heat exchanger, and the number of outside fans to be operated is variable based on the number of operating systems. By both Only condensation capacity shortage or one side when the cooling system is operated can be prevented from staying to a condenser of the refrigerant due to excessive condensation during running.

  The invention according to claim 7 is a vending machine having a cold room for storing goods and a cold / hot switching room, and a condenser of a cooling system for cooling the cold room, and cooling the cold / hot switching room. In a vending machine equipped with an external heat exchanger of a cooling and heating system for heating, the heat exchanger is composed of a heat exchanger in which the condenser and the external heat exchanger are integrated, Since the condenser pipe is formed across the pipe of the external heat exchanger, the heat exchange by the condenser can be enhanced when the external heat exchanger acts as an evaporator. , The occurrence of condensation can be reduced.

(Embodiment 1)
FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a vending machine according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 1, evaporators 4, 5, and 6 are disposed in the product storage chambers 1, 2, and 3, and a compressor 7, a condenser 8, and an expansion valve 9 are disposed in a machine room provided in the lower part of the product storage chamber. Is provided with a cooling system that is connected in a ring shape with a copper pipe. Further, an internal fan 11 and an external fan 10 for promoting heat exchange are arranged around the evaporators 4, 5, 6 and the condenser 8, and a plurality of external fans 10 are provided for air volume adjustment. Provided. In addition, an outside air temperature sensor (not shown) for measuring the ambient temperature of the vending machine is provided.

  The operation of the vending machine configured as described above will be described. When the compressor 7 in the cooling system is operating and the product storage room is being cooled by the cooling system, if the ambient temperature of the vending machine detected by the outside air temperature sensor is high, the necessary heat exchange capacity in the condenser 8 Therefore, it is possible to prevent a decrease in efficiency due to insufficient condensing capacity by operating all of the plurality of external fans 10 installed and maximizing the heat exchanging capacity in the condenser 8. In addition, when the ambient temperature is low and a large condensing capacity is not required, the number of outside fans 10 to be operated is reduced, the heat exchange capacity is decreased by reducing the fan air volume, and the refrigerant is condensed by overcondensation. It is possible to prevent a decrease in cooling efficiency caused by staying in the vessel and reducing the circulation rate.

  A plurality of external fans 10 are provided with fans with different air volumes, so that the range of changes in the fan air volume can be further increased and the minimum value of the air volume can be further lowered, so that the fans are completely stopped. The inside of the machine room when leaking when using a flammable refrigerant can be prevented while preventing overcondensation in the condenser at low outside air temperature It is excellent in safety because it can prevent stagnation.

  In addition, a ventilation hole is provided in a fan ring (not shown) for fixing the outside fan 10, or a plate (not shown) provided with a plurality of holes for providing ventilation resistance before and after the outside fan 10 is installed. As a result, the fan air volume can be changed simply by changing the size and area of the ventilation holes while using the same outside fan 10, so that the air volume can be adjusted without selecting a fan that has the required capacity. It can be changed, and it is easier to respond to deployment to other models with different required condensation capacities.

(Embodiment 2)
FIG. 2 shows a refrigerant circuit diagram of the vending machine according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention.

  In FIG. 2, first cooling comprising evaporators 25 and 26 provided in the product storage chambers 22 and 23, a compressor 28 provided in a machine room below the product storage chamber, an external heat exchanger 29, and an expansion valve 30. A second cooling system comprising an evaporator 24 provided in the product storage chamber 21, a compressor 27 provided in the machine room, an external heat exchanger 29, and an expansion valve 30, independent of the system and the first cooling system. And a heat exchanger 29 in which the condensers in the respective cooling systems are integrated, and in the vicinity of the outside heat exchanger 29 and the evaporators 24, 25, 26, the outside of the chamber for promoting heat exchange. A fan 31 and an internal fan 32 are provided, and a plurality of external fans 31 are provided in order to enable air volume adjustment.

  The operation of the system configured as described above will be described. When the temperature of the product storage chambers 21, 22, and 23 reaches the target temperature, the first and second cooling systems start intermittent operation, both are operating, and only one system is operating. A state exists. Of the plurality of external fans 31 according to their respective states, both systems operate by changing the number of fans to be operated, the condensation capacity is insufficient when the required condensation capacity is large, only one system is It becomes possible to prevent the refrigerant from staying in the condenser due to overcondensation during operation.

(Embodiment 3)
FIG. 3 shows a refrigerant circuit diagram of the vending machine according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention, and FIG. 4 shows a schematic side view of the external heat exchanger. 3, from the evaporators 35, 36 provided in the product storage chambers 54, 55, the compressor 37, the external heat exchanger (condenser) 38, and the expansion valve 39 provided in the machine room below the product storage chamber. And a cooling heat system comprising an internal heat exchanger 34 provided in the product storage room 31, a compressor 40 provided in a machine room below the product storage room, and an external heat exchanger 38. .

  The internal heat exchanger 34 and the external heat exchanger 38 in the cooling and heating system are connected by two parallel pipes, one of which is a cooling expansion valve 45, a cooling check valve 46, and a dryer 47. Are directly connected, and the other is connected with a heating expansion valve 48 and a heating check valve 49 in series.

  Here, the cooling check valve 46 has a positive direction in which the refrigerant flows from the dryer 47 to the expansion valve 45, and the heating check valve 49 has the refrigerant flowing from the internal heat exchanger 34 to the heating expansion valve 48. It is installed so that the flow direction is positive and the refrigerant does not flow in the opposite direction.

  Further, a plurality of fans for promoting heat exchange are provided in the vicinity of the external heat exchanger 38 so that the air volume can be adjusted.

  A schematic side view of the external heat exchanger 38 is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the external heat exchanger has a three-row path configuration, and the condenser pipe 50 of the cooling system and the external heat exchanger pipe 51 of the cooling and heating system are integrated into a rectangular parallelepiped heat exchanger via fins. The cooling and heating cycle pipes 51 are arranged in a vertical line at the center, and the refrigerant flows from the upper part and flows out from the lower part during the heating. The inlet 51a is surrounded by the condenser pipe 50 of the cooling system.

  Specifically, the external heat exchanger 38 disposed in the front part of the machine room provided at the lower part of the vending machine has a condenser pipe 50 of the cooling system meandering in the left-right direction. It is formed from the front surface to the rear surface. The external heat exchanger pipes 51 are arranged in a line in the vertical direction while meandering in the horizontal direction between the condenser pipes 50 straddling the front surface and the rear surface.

  The pipe inlet 50a of the condenser pipe 50 is in the substantially central part in the vertical direction on the front side of the external heat exchanger 38, and the pipe outlet 50b of the condenser pipe 50 is on the rear side of the external heat exchanger 38 and evaporates. Connected to the instrument. The evaporator pipe inlet 51a is disposed above the pipe inlet 50a, and the pipe inlet is provided at a substantially vertical center of the external heat exchanger 38 so that the evaporator pipe inlet 51a and the pipe inlet 50a are close to each other. There is a part 50a. As shown in FIG. 4, the pipe near the evaporator pipe inlet 51a is surrounded by the pipe inlet 50a and the pipe outlet 50b. Therefore, heat exchange can be promoted by the condenser pipe 50 in the evaporator pipe inlet 51a where the evaporation temperature tends to be lowered, and the occurrence of condensation can be reduced.

  Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the evaporating dish 52 is provided in the lower part of the external heat exchanger 38.

  The operation of the vending machine configured as described above will be described.

  In the cooling system, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 37 is condensed by exchanging heat with outside air in the outside heat exchanger 38 and then branched to the product storage chamber 55 or the product storage chamber 54 by a three-way valve, and the expansion valve. The pressure is reduced. The decompressed low-pressure liquid refrigerant evaporates in the evaporator, performs heat exchange with the internal air, cools the product storage chambers 54 and 55, and then returns to the compressor 37.

  Further, in the cooling and heating cycle, heating and cooling of the product storage chamber 53 are switched by opening and closing the electromagnetic valves 41, 42, 43 and 44. When cooling, the solenoid valves 41 and 43 are opened, and the solenoid valves 42 and 44 are closed, so that the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 40 is condensed by the external heat exchanger 38 and expanded by the cooling solenoid valve 45. The cycle of evaporating in the internal heat exchanger 34 and returning to the compressor 40 is repeated. During heating, the solenoid valves 42 and 44 are opened, and the solenoid valves 41 and 43 are closed. As a result, the refrigerant compressed by the compressor 40 is directed to the internal heat exchanger 34 to heat the internal air. Condensate. After that, after becoming a low-pressure liquid refrigerant in the heating expansion valve 48, heat is exchanged with the outside air in the outside heat exchanger 38 to evaporate and return to the compressor 40 is repeated.

  When the cooling and heating system is in cooling operation, there are three states: both the cooling system and the cooling and heating system are operating, only one side is operating, and both are stopped. Although the necessary condensing capacity in the external heat exchanger 38 differs depending on each, by arranging a plurality of fans, the air volume of the fan and the number of fans to be operated are changed according to the necessary condensing capacity. The excess and deficiency of the condensing capacity can be solved and the optimum cooling operation can be performed.

  In addition, when the cooling and heating system performs a heating operation, the external heat exchanger (evaporator) is integrated with the condenser of the cooling system, and therefore, the external heat exchanger 38 uses one of the heat of condensation of the cooling system. The heat can be recovered by the cooling and heating system as exhaust heat, and the heating efficiency of the cooling and heating system can be increased. Further, when the product storage chamber 55 is heated by the cooling and heating system, the piping temperature of the external heat exchanger 38 (evaporator) is lower than the ambient temperature. Therefore, condensation may occur on the fins of the heat exchanger, and the condensed water may drip, but by using an integrated heat exchanger, the fins can be heated by the heat of the condenser of the cooling cycle, It can lead to the suppression of condensation.

  Also, as shown in FIG. 4, the evaporator inlet of the cooling and heating cycle is surrounded by the condenser piping of the cooling cycle, and the condenser inlet of the cooling system is arranged on the wind of the piping of the cooling and heating system to condense the cooling system. By exchanging heat with the inlet pipe of the vessel and exchanging heat with the evaporator pipe of the cooling and heating system with warmed air, it is possible to further suppress condensation. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, by providing an evaporating dish 52 in the lower space of the external heat exchanger 38 to receive and evaporate the water dropped from the fins, even in the case of dripping, it is possible to move outside the warehouse. It is possible to prevent dripping of the floor and to prevent the floor surface from getting wet.

  Although an expansion valve is provided as a pressure reducing means for the cooling system and the cooling and heating system, the pressure can be reduced more inexpensively by using, for example, a capillary tube, and can be easily placed even in a narrow space. It becomes possible to do.

  As described above, the vending machine according to the present invention can change the condensation capacity in response to a change in the outside air temperature, and prevents a decrease in efficiency due to a lack of condensation capacity at a high outside temperature and a refrigerant retention at a low outside temperature. Since it becomes possible, it is applicable also to uses, such as a commercial refrigerator.

Refrigerant circuit diagram of vending machine in Embodiment 1 of the present invention Refrigerant circuit diagram of vending machine in Embodiment 2 of the present invention Refrigerant circuit diagram of vending machine in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Side schematic diagram of external heat exchanger according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention External heat exchanger, evaporating dish schematic diagram in Embodiment 3 of the present invention Refrigerant circuit diagram of a conventional vending machine

Explanation of symbols

1, 2, 3, 21, 22, 23 Product storage room 4, 5, 6, 24, 25, 26, 35, 36 Evaporator 7, 27, 28, 37, 40 Compressor 8 Condenser 9, 30, 39 , 45, 48 Expansion valve 10, 31 Outside fan 29 Heat exchanger 34 Inside heat exchanger 38 Outside heat exchanger 53 Product storage room (cold / hot switching room)
54,55 Product storage room (cold room)

Claims (7)

  Equipped with an evaporator provided in the product storage room, a condenser provided outside the compartment of the product storage room, a cooling system comprising a compressor and an expansion mechanism, and a plurality of external fans arranged near the condenser, A vending machine provided with an outside air temperature sensor for measuring an ambient temperature of the vending machine, wherein the number of outside fans to be operated is varied based on a signal value of the outside air temperature sensor.   The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of outside fans have different air volumes.   2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a ventilation hole is provided in a fan ring for fixing the outside fan.   2. The vending machine according to claim 1, wherein a plate provided with a plurality of ventilation holes is disposed on the air passage near the outside fan.   The evaporator installed in the product storage room, the condenser installed outside the compartment of the product storage room, the first cooling system including the compressor and the expansion valve, and the first cooling system are independent of the product. An evaporator installed in the storage room; a condenser installed outside the compartment of the product storage room; a second cooling system comprising a compressor and an expansion valve; and the first cooling system and the second cooling system. In a vending machine comprising a heat exchanger integrated with a system condenser and provided with a plurality of external fans in the vicinity of the external heat exchanger, the outside of the refrigerator is operated based on the number of operating cooling systems. Vending machine characterized by variable number of fans.   In a vending machine having a cold chamber for storing products and a cold / hot switching chamber for storing products, an evaporator disposed in the cold chamber, a compressor and a condenser disposed outside the compartment of the cold chamber A cooling system for cooling a cold chamber comprising an expansion mechanism, an in-compartment heat exchanger disposed in the cold / hot switching chamber, a compressor disposed outside the cold / hot switching chamber, and external heat A cooling / heating system for cooling / heating a cold / hot switching chamber comprising an exchanger and an expansion mechanism, and integrating the condenser of the cooling system and the external heat exchanger of the cooling / heating system. A vending machine comprising a exchanger and having a plurality of outside fans in the vicinity of the integrated heat exchanger, and the number of outside fans to be operated is variable based on the number of operating systems. .   A vending machine equipped with a cold room for storing products and a cold / hot switching room, a condenser for a cooling system for cooling the cold room, and a cooling / heating system for cooling / heating the cold / hot switching room. In the vending machine provided with an external heat exchanger, the heat exchanger is composed of a heat exchanger in which the condenser and the external heat exchanger are integrated, and the heat exchanger has a pipe of the condenser outside the internal storage. A vending machine characterized by being formed across the piping of the heat exchanger.

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