JP2010008026A - Cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To secure the cooling capability of a cooler by preventing excessive condensation of a condenser. <P>SOLUTION: The condenser 55 is disposed at a space at the back of a front panel 50A in a machine room 50, and a peripheral wall member 66 is provided between the front panel 50A and the condenser 55 to thereby form an inlet chamber 65 on the front of the condenser 55. An inlet port 67 including a plurality of small inlet ports 68 in a line is formed in a position of the front panel 50A opposite to the condenser 55. A limiting plate 70 for limiting an inlet area of the inlet port 67 is removably mounted on the front panel 50A. The limiting plate 70 is formed by providing a cutout part 72 for opening some of the small inlet ports 68 in a square part 71 covering the whole area of the inlet port 67. When the limiting plate 70 is mounted, the inlet area of the inlet port 67 is limited to decrease the quantity of air flowing into the inlet chamber 65, and a small amount of inflow air is diffused in the inlet chamber 65 to be sucked from the front area of the condenser 55, thereby cooling the condenser 55. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device having means for preventing overcondensation of a condenser.

Conventionally, what was described in patent document 1 is known as what used the cooling device as drying apparatuses, such as a foodstuff and wood. In this case, the inner box is stored in the main body consisting of a heat insulating box with an interval, so that an air passage is formed from the upper side of the inner box to both the left and right sides, and the outlets are formed on the left and right side surfaces of the inner box. The upper duct is further divided up and down, the upper duct is equipped with a cooler and a cooling fan that form a refrigeration cycle with the condensation unit, and the lower duct is equipped with a circulation fan and a heater It has a structure. When the circulation fan is driven, air is circulated and circulated in one direction across the ventilation path and the inner box. On the other hand, when the cooling fan is driven, one of the air circulated to the lower duct in the upper ventilation path. The part is sucked into the upper duct and dehumidified by passing through the cooler, and the dry air is merged at the outlet side of the upper duct, further heated by the heater and circulated in the inner box (drying chamber) It is intended to dry the material to be dried.
Specifically, the refrigeration cycle includes a compressor that compresses the filled refrigerant, a condenser that condenses and liquefies the gas-phase refrigerant, an expansion valve or capillary tube that is a decompression device, low-pressure / low-temperature liquefied refrigerant, and circulating air. It is comprised from the cooler which heat-exchanges. The condenser is a heat exchanger formed by fins and heat transfer tubes (refrigerant tubes), and is equipped with a condenser fan for condensing the refrigerant in the heat transfer tubes by applying outside air to the heat exchangers.

The drying operation performed by such a drying device (cooling device) is performed by continuously operating the refrigeration cycle to cool the cooler, and the temperature of the cooler is set to a dew point temperature lower than the temperature inside the inner box or less and is included in the circulating air. The condensed water is condensed into water droplets, received by a drain pan disposed at the lower part of the cooler, and then discharged outside the room. In addition, by controlling the energization and shut-off of the heater with the signal from the internal temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the inner box, the inside of the inner box is maintained at a substantially preset temperature. ing.
Here, when the outside air temperature decreases in winter or the like, the outside air temperature sensor arranged near the condenser detects the outside air temperature and sends a signal to the control means to reduce the rotation speed of the condenser fan. Controls the flow of outside air, controls the number of operation by arranging a plurality of condenser fans as proposed in Patent Document 2, Patent Document 3 or Patent Document 4, or reduces the heat exchange area A countermeasure such as a method of providing a partition plate to be limited is taken to appropriately prevent a decrease in the condensation pressure.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-106766 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-2625 Japanese Patent No. 3133561 JP 2004-245487 A

  In the above conventional drying device, the temperature of the cooler is set near the freezing point in order to increase the dehumidifying capacity of the cooler, so that when the outside air temperature becomes low, the refrigerant evaporating temperature of the cooler is lowered and the cooling is performed. The temperature of the vessel may be below the freezing point, in which case frost forms on the cooler. Since this frost acts as a heat insulating material when heat is exchanged between the circulating air and the cooler, the dehumidifying capacity is reduced. Therefore, measures are taken to prevent a decrease in condensation pressure by causing the outside temperature sensor to detect a predetermined outside temperature (for example, 15 ° C.). For example, when the air flow rate to the condenser is controlled to be about 50% or less, the air flow rate to the condenser decreases when the outside air temperature further decreases to near the freezing point temperature or the temperature range below the freezing point. However, due to the low temperature, the condenser is cooled, and a decrease in the condensation pressure is inevitable. As a result, in the winter season, frost is generated in the cooler and the dehumidifying capacity becomes unstable, so that the degree of drying of the material to be dried becomes unstable and there is a problem in quality. In addition, when the cooler is frosted, the defrosting must be repeated according to the degree of frosting. During this defrosting, the inside of the inner box is in a humid state, so the matter to be dried again adsorbs moisture. there were.

Therefore, the condensing pressure is controlled by providing a plurality of condenser fans and further switching the number of revolutions to a plurality of stages and switching the number of revolutions to, for example, 50%, 40%, 30%, etc. according to the outside air temperature. Although it is conceivable, it is inevitable that a complicated control device is required and the device is expensive. In addition, there is a problem that a plurality of condenser fans cannot be provided in a small drying apparatus. In addition, the drying device is not always installed in a windless place. In places where only the roof is used or the work place is not completely sealed, cold outdoor air can be blown from the front of the condenser in the winter. Even if such air volume control means is adopted, natural air (outside air) is added to the controlled air volume, and overcondensation of the condenser is unavoidable, and there is a concern that the dehumidifying ability may be extremely reduced.
The present invention has been completed based on the above situation, and an object of the present invention is to prevent the condenser from being overcondensed and to secure the cooling capacity of the cooler.

  The cooling device of the present invention includes a main body formed of a heat insulating box, a cooler disposed in the main body and cooling the inside of the box, and a condenser with a fan connected to the cooler and constituting a refrigeration cycle. A machine room in which a condensing unit is housed, the condenser is disposed behind the front panel of the machine room with a space therebetween, and a peripheral wall member between the front panel and the condenser Is provided, an intake chamber is formed on the front surface of the condenser, an intake port is formed at a position of the front panel facing the condenser, and an intake region of the intake port is formed on the front panel. It is characterized in that a limiting member for limiting is detachably mounted.

When the outside air is applied to the condenser, the fan is driven. When the restricting member is not attached, outside air is sucked from the entire area of the intake port, and the sucked air flows through the intake chamber in a substantially horizontal direction and is sucked into the condenser to cool the condenser.
When the outside air temperature is low or the like, if the restriction member is attached, the amount of air flowing into the intake chamber is reduced by restricting the intake area of the intake port. Since the intake chamber is inclined to a negative pressure by driving the fan, a small amount of air flowing into the intake chamber diffuses into the intake chamber and is sucked from the entire front surface of the condenser to cool the condenser. At this time, since the amount of air is small, the cooling capacity for the condenser is lowered, the temperature of the condenser is increased, and the condensation pressure is also increased. If it does so, the refrigerant | coolant circulation amount to a cooler will increase, evaporation pressure will become high, the temperature of a cooler will also become higher than a freezing point, and it will become difficult to form frost. As a result, even when the outside air temperature decreases, the cooling capacity in the cabinet can be stably maintained. In addition, by providing an intake chamber, it is possible to avoid cooling only a part of the condenser when a restricting member is attached to the intake port, avoiding sudden fluctuations in the condensation pressure, and durability of the condensation unit Is prevented from being damaged.

The following configuration may also be used.
(1) A temperature sensor that detects an outside air temperature is disposed in the intake chamber at a position on the back side of a region of the intake port where intake air is not restricted by the restriction member. Since the temperature sensor is arranged at the position where the outside air flows, the outside temperature can be accurately detected. Even when the limiting member is mounted, it is not affected by the radiant heat of the condenser.

  (2) The depth of the intake chamber is sufficiently large to allow outside air whose inflow is restricted by attaching the restriction member to be diffused in the intake chamber and sucked from almost the entire front surface of the condenser. Is set to The outside air that flows into the intake chamber while being restricted is diffused almost throughout the intake chamber before being sucked into the condenser.

(3) The intake port is formed by aligning and opening a plurality of small intake ports, and the restricting member is a flat plate-shaped restricting plate capable of covering the entire area of the intake port. It is formed by providing an opening for opening some of the small air intakes.
Outside air flows from the opening formed in the restriction plate into the intake chamber through the corresponding small intake port. With a simple structure, the intake air amount can be surely limited. In addition, even if outside air is blown toward the front panel due to the installation location, etc., the temperature of the condenser decreases due to the effect of wind because it only flows from the small intake port corresponding to the opening of the restriction plate. It can be suppressed to a little.

(4) A latching portion is bent at the upper edge of the restriction plate, and the latching portion can be latched by being inserted and removed from the front side of the small intake port disposed on the upper side. The restriction plate can be latched and removed by inserting and removing the latching portion on the upper edge from the front side to the small intake port on the upper side. It can be manufactured at low cost and can be easily attached and detached.
(5) Rails on which the upper and lower edges of the restriction plate are slidably fitted are provided on both upper and lower sides of the intake port. The restriction plate is smoothly closed or opened along the upper and lower rails, and is substantially attached and detached. If the structure can be held in an open state, there is no need to provide a separate storage place for the limiting plate and there is no risk of loss.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to prevent overcondensation of the condenser and suppress frost formation of the cooler, thereby ensuring the cooling capacity of the cooler.

<Embodiment 1>
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, a drying apparatus is illustrated.
In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a main body made of a heat insulating box having a front opening, and an inner box 11 made of a metal plate is mounted in the main body 10. In the inner box 11, the top plate 11 </ b> A and the left and right side plates 11 </ b> B and 11 </ b> C are assembled in a front gate shape that is slightly smaller than the opening of the main body 10, and each plate 11 </ b> A to 11 </ b> C A drying chamber 12 is constituted by the inside of the inner box 11 with a space between the inner side and the inner side of the inner box 11. In the drying chamber 12, a plurality of shelf networks 13 are mounted in a plurality of stages via shelf receivers (not shown). An object to be dried such as food is placed on the shelf network 13. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a heat insulating door 14 is swingably opened and closed at the front opening of the main body 10, and can be opened and closed with a handle 15.

The front surface of the space between the inner box 11 and the main body 10 is closed with a cover plate (not shown). Therefore, an upper ventilation path 17A, between the outer surface of the inner box 11 and the inner surface of the main body 10 is provided. A left ventilation path 17B and a right ventilation path 17C are formed. Each ventilation path 17 </ b> A to 17 </ b> C has a width that is comparable to the depth of the inner box 11.
An inlet 18 is formed in the left side plate 11B facing the left side ventilation path 17B in the inner box 11, and a plurality of outlets 19 are opened in the right side plate 11C facing the right side ventilation path 17C. ing. On the inflow port 18 side, guide plates 18A that protrude horizontally from the lower edge to the outside are formed, and these guide plates 18A are set so that the protruding length a gradually increases from the upper stage toward the lower stage. Has been.

  A circulation fan 22 is provided at the left end (exit) viewed from the front of the upper ventilation path 17A. A plurality of circulation fans 22 are arranged side by side over the entire width of the upper ventilation path 17A. When the circulation fan 22 is driven, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, the air discharged from the circulation fan 22 flows downwardly through the left ventilation path 17B and sequentially passes from each inlet 18 to the drying chamber. 12 flows into the drying chamber 12 to the right, exits from the outlet 19 and rises on the right ventilation path 17C, and then flows to the left toward the circulation fan 22 through the upper ventilation path 17A. A circulation flow is generated. That is, a circulation path 23 by the circulation fan 22 is configured.

  A cooler chamber 25 that houses the cooler 32 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 10. Specifically, a box shape with an open bottom surface integrally formed by a heat insulating material such as foamed polystyrene is provided at a position near the right end of the main body 10 and in the center in the depth direction, above a horizontally long rectangular window hole 26. The cooler chamber 25 is formed inside by covering with a heat insulating case 27 formed. The depth of the window hole 26 described above is about half of the width (depth) of the upper ventilation path 17A. In addition, a heat insulating partition wall 28 is fitted and partitioned to the left and right in a length range of about 1/3 at the center in the left-right direction of the window hole 26, the suction port 29 on the right side, and the discharge port 30 on the left side. Are formed respectively.

A cooler 32 is provided in the cooler chamber 25 above the partition wall 28. As will be described in detail later, a machine room 50 is provided on the upper surface of the main body 10 on the left outer side of the cooler room 25 when viewed from the front, and the condenser unit 58 and the cooler 32 installed in the machine room 50 are connected to the refrigerant pipe. Circulated and connected to form a known refrigeration cycle.
When the cooling fan 35 is mounted on the discharge port 30 via an attachment member and the cooling fan 35 is driven, as shown by the arrow in FIG. A part of the air that has circulated to the right end (inlet) of the passage 17A is sucked upward from the suction port 29 into the cooler chamber 25, passes through the cooler 32 to the left, and then flows from the discharge port 30. It is discharged downward to the upper ventilation path 17A. Thereby, the bypass path 37 for the air flow is formed, and in particular, the suction port 29 and the discharge port 30 of the bypass path 37 are formed in a direction orthogonal to the upper ventilation path 17A. The suction port 29 is equipped with an internal temperature sensor 39 for detecting the internal temperature (temperature in the drying chamber 12).

A defrost heater 40 and a cooler temperature sensor 41 are attached to the cooler 32, and a drain pan 43 is mounted on the upper surface of the partition wall 28 so as to receive the lower surface side of the cooler 32. . The drain pan 43 mainly functions to receive dehumidified water from the cooler 32 and drain it to the outside.
A heater 45 is arranged slightly downstream of the position where the discharge port 30 of the bypass passage 37 is opened in the upper ventilation passage 17A. The heater 45 is spirally wound, for example, and is mounted across the full width (depth) of the upper ventilation path 17A.
Further, a combustion type deodorizing unit 47 is provided at a position below the partition wall 28 in the upper ventilation path 17A. The deodorizing unit 47 includes a metal honeycomb catalyst 48 and a deodorizing heater 49 for heating the metal honeycomb catalyst 48. The metal honeycomb catalyst 48 has a function capable of performing oxidative decomposition of odor components, that is, deodorization, by passing air in a state heated to about 300 ° C.

The structure of the machine room 50 will be described with reference to FIGS. On the upper surface of the main body 10, a casing 52 having a box shape made of a metal plate and having an open lower surface is installed so as to cover the above-described cooler chamber 25 and the area on the left side of the front surface. A machine room 50 is formed by the space on the left side of 25.
At the bottom of the machine room 50, a base 53 is laid over the entire area. On the base 53, as shown in FIG. 3, a condenser 55, a condenser fan 56, and a compressor 57 are provided from the front side. These units and a capillary tube (not shown) connected to the downstream side of the condenser 55 form a condensing unit 58, which is circulated and connected to the cooler 32 as described above and is a well-known refrigeration unit. A cycle is configured.

For example, the condenser 55 has a width of about 2/3 of the front of the machine room 50, a depth of about 1/7 of the depth of the machine room 50, and a dimension from the base 53 to the ceiling surface of the machine room 50. It has a slightly smaller height, and is installed at a rear position at a predetermined distance from the front panel 50A of the machine room 50, for example, a distance comparable to the depth of the condenser 55 (about 100 mm).
An upper edge plate 60 made of a metal plate and two left and right side edge plates 61 and 62 are disposed on the peripheral edge of the front surface of the condenser 55. The upper edge plate 60 is packed between the upper edge of the condenser 55 and the top panel 50B of the machine room 50, and the left edge plate 61 is a left edge of the condenser 55 as well as a left edge of the upper edge plate 60 and the machine. It is stretched so as to close the space between the left side panel 50C of the chamber 50. The right edge plate 62 is stretched so as to close the space between the right edge of the condenser 55 and the right edge of the upper edge plate 60 and the left side wall 25A of the cooler chamber 25 described above. The right edge of the right edge plate 62 is formed with a bent portion 62A that is bent at right angles to the front side over the entire height thereof, and the bent portion 62A extends along the left wall 25A of the cooler chamber 25 with respect to the machine chamber 50. It is stretched to the position of the front panel 50A.

  As described above, when the upper edge plate 60 and the left and right side edge plates 61 and 62 are stretched, they are condensed by being surrounded by the top panel 50B, the left panel 50C, and the base 53 of the machine room 50. An intake chamber 65 is formed between the front surface of the container 55 and the front panel 50 </ b> A of the machine room 50. Therefore, the upper edge plate 60, the left and right side edge plates 61 and 62, the top panel 50B, the left side panel 50C, and the base 53 of the machine room 50 correspond to the peripheral wall member 66 of the present invention. In addition, by closing the gap between the upper edge and the left and right side edges on the front surface of the condenser 55, it is possible to prevent warm air exhausted from the condenser fan 56 from flowing into the front surface side of the condenser 55. Further, the depth of the intake chamber 65 is about 100 mm as described above.

A front panel 50 </ b> A of the machine room 50, i.e., the intake chamber 65, is formed with an outside air intake 67 for cooling the condenser 55. The intake port 67 is formed at a location facing the front surface of the condenser 55 and in a region substantially comparable to the front shape of the condenser 55. More specifically, as shown in FIG. Are formed by opening a predetermined pitch in the vertical direction by a dozen or so in two rows on the left and right.
The rear panel 50D of the machine room 50 is formed with an exhaust port 69 for exhausting warm air after cooling the condenser 55 and the like. Although not shown in detail, the exhaust port 69 is formed in the same shape as the intake port 67.

On the surface of the front panel 50 </ b> A of the machine room 50, a restriction plate 70 that is a restriction member that restricts the intake area of the intake port 67 is detachably mounted.
As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the restriction plate 70 is formed of a flat plate made of metal or synthetic resin, and has a rectangular portion 71 that can cover the entire area of the intake port 67, that is, the entire small intake port 68. On the other hand, in the lower right corner portion of the rectangular portion 71, a cutout portion 72 that can expose the three small air inlets 68 at the lower part of the right row when viewed from the front is formed.
A pair of left and right hooks 73 are provided at both left and right ends of the upper edge of the limiting plate 70. Each latching portion 73 has a width that can be inserted into and removed from the small intake port 68, and at a position that is the same interval as the interval between the left and right small intake ports 68, for example, the orientation of the restricting plate 70. It is formed by being folded back into an oblique posture that forms an angle of about 45 degrees with the back surface.

The restriction plate 70 is mounted by inserting the left and right hooking portions 73 on the upper edge into the uppermost small intake ports 68 in the left and right rows and hooking, and the rear surface of the restriction plate 70 is the front of the front panel 50A. Close contact with. When the restriction plate 70 is attached, as shown in FIG. 6, the other small intake ports 68 except for the three lower right small intake ports 68 corresponding to the notch portions 72 are covered. Strictly speaking, the upper portions of the top two small intake ports 68 and the outer ends of the respective small intake ports 68 are exposed, but the amount of intake air from there is very small.
That is, when the restriction plate 70 is attached, the air intake possible area at the intake port 67 is limited to 10% to 20% of that when the restriction plate 70 is not attached.
In addition, when the restriction plate 70 is attached, for example, during the drying operation described later, when outside wind blows around 1 m / s from the front direction of the main body 10, most of the air intake 67 is the restriction plate 70. Since it is covered, the inflow of outside wind is greatly suppressed.

  In the intake chamber 65 described above, an outside air temperature sensor 75 for detecting the outside air temperature is provided. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 3, the outside air temperature sensor 75 is mounted on the base 53 via a support 76 and is substantially at the center of the depth of the intake chamber 65 in the depth direction. As shown in FIG. 6, the position is the middle of the three lower right small intakes 68 that are exposed even when the restriction plate 70 is mounted, that is, from the bottom of the right column. It is installed at a position corresponding to the back side of the second small intake port 68.

Then, the effect | action of this embodiment is demonstrated.
When performing the drying operation, the condensing unit 58 (the compressor 57, the condenser fan 56), the cooling fan 35, the circulation fan 22 and the deodorizing unit 47 are continuously operated, while the internal temperature is set to be substantially constant. Energization to the heater 45 is turned on / off according to the temperature detected by the sensor 39. As a result, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 1, air flows through the circulation path 23, and a part of the air circulated from the right ventilation path 17 </ b> C to the right end of the upper ventilation path 17 </ b> A is cooled from the suction port 29 of the bypass path 37. By being sucked into the chamber 25 and passing through the cooled cooler 32, water vapor in the air is condensed on the cooler 32, that is, dehumidified to generate dry air. This dry air is discharged from the discharge port 30 to the upper ventilation path 17A, merged with the air flow flowing leftward through the upper ventilation path 17A, and then passes through the heater 45 maintained in a predetermined temperature range. Then, this is continued, and the dehumidified air is circulated through the circulation path 23, that is, the drying chamber 12, and the evaporation of moisture contained in the stored material to be dried is promoted, that is, dried.

  During this time, the temperature of the cooler 32 drops below the freezing point due to a decrease in the outside air temperature or the like, and frost formation occurs. When this is detected by the cooler temperature sensor 41, the drying operation is interrupted, and instead, defrosting is performed. A defrosting operation for melting and removing frost is performed by starting energization of the heater 40 and heating the cooler 32. When the cooler temperature sensor 41 detects that the temperature of the cooler 32 has risen and frost formation has disappeared, the defrosting operation is terminated and the drying operation is resumed.

Here, the air flow in the machine room 50 during the drying operation will be described again.
When the drying operation is started, the compressor 57 and the condenser fan 56 are operated, and the cooler 32 is cooled as the refrigerant is circulated. When the condenser fan 56 is operated, the front side (right side in FIG. 3) of the condenser fan 56 becomes negative pressure, and the rear side (same left side) is pressurized. Since the substantial air cooling part (fin part) of the condenser 55 on the front side of the condenser fan 56 and the inside of the intake chamber 65 become negative pressure, as shown by the arrow in FIG. Continuously flows from the intake port 67 (all small intake ports 68). The outside air that has flowed into the intake chamber 65 cools the condenser 55, then becomes warm air, is sucked into the condenser fan 56, and is discharged to the back side to flow to the left as a warm air flow. After cooling 57, the air is exhausted from the exhaust port 69 of the rear panel 50D to the outside of the machine room 50. Thus, since the condenser 55 is cooled by the outside air, the refrigerant pressure in the condenser 55 is affected by the outside air temperature.

Also in this embodiment, as in a general refrigeration cycle, a change in the outside air temperature is detected by the outside air temperature sensor 75 (arranged in the intake chamber 65). When the outside air temperature is, for example, 15 ° C. or higher, the refrigeration cycle is set so that the temperature of the cooler 32 is equal to or higher than the freezing point and lower than the dew point temperature (lower than the set temperature in the refrigerator). When the outside air temperature becomes 15 ° C. or lower, the condenser fan 56 is switched from the full speed rotation to the low speed rotation by the fan drive control device in response to a signal from the outside air temperature sensor 75. When the condenser fan 56 rotates at a low speed, the negative pressure in the intake chamber 65 is weakened, and the amount of outside air flowing from the intake port 67 is reduced. Therefore, the cooling capacity of the condenser 55 by the outside air is reduced and the condensation pressure of the refrigerant is reduced. Rises. As a result, the temperature of the cooler 32 rises and can be maintained above the freezing point and below the dew point temperature.
However, when the outside air temperature is further lowered to, for example, 5 ° C. or less, the condenser fan 56 is rotated at a low speed by the fan drive control device, but the temperature of the condenser 55 is further lowered due to the influence of the temperature of the inflowing outside air. As a result, the condensation pressure decreases, and the amount of refrigerant accumulated in the condenser 55 increases. If it does so, the refrigerant | coolant circulation amount of a refrigerating cycle will reduce sharply, the cooling capacity of the cooler 32 will reduce, and frosting will generate | occur | produce. As a result, the dehumidifying ability is drastically reduced.

  Therefore, when the outside air temperature is, for example, 10 ° C. to 5 ° C. in winter, when the restriction plate 70 is attached to the intake port 67, the negative pressure of the intake chamber 65 increases (becomes stronger) and is closed by the restriction plate 70. The air is mainly sucked only from the small small air inlet 68. That is, in addition to the low-speed rotation of the condenser fan 56, the amount of outside air flowing in by the restriction plate 70 is limited, so that the amount of outside air flowing into the intake chamber 65 is further reduced, and therefore the cooling capacity of the condenser 55 by outside air is reduced. As a result, the condensation pressure of the refrigerant increases. As a result, the temperature of the cooler 32 rises and can be maintained below the freezing point and below the dew point temperature. Therefore, it is difficult to form frost on the cooler 32. As a result, even when the outside air temperature is lowered, the defrosting ability of the cooler 32 is stably maintained.

  The air flow at this time flows into the intake chamber 65 where the negative pressure is increasing from the three small intake ports 68 in the lower right part opened to the front, as indicated by the arrows in FIG. After the air in the part comes into contact with the outside air temperature sensor 75, the air diffuses over the entire area in the intake chamber 65. Since the air diffused into the intake chamber 65 is continuously sucked from the entire front surface of the condenser 55, the condenser 55 is uniformly cooled. In addition, the flow rate of the air flow contacting the outside air temperature sensor 75 is increased by mounting the restriction plate 70, and the outside air temperature is accurately detected without being affected by the radiant heat from the condenser 55.

Here, if the distance between the condenser 55 and the front panel 50A is reduced, the volume of the intake chamber 65 is reduced, so that the inflowing air is not sufficiently diffused, and the entire condenser 55 cannot be cooled uniformly. And partial cooling. If it does so, the temperature of the condenser 55 will rise at a stretch, and a high pressure switch, the high temperature protection switch of the compressor 57, etc. will act | operate.
Further, if the restricting plate 70 is not a flat plate having the cutout portion 72 but a shape that covers the entire intake port 67 with a punching material having small holes, the amount of outside air can be restricted and the condenser 55 can be restricted. Although the whole can be cooled uniformly, the amount of air that contacts the outside air temperature sensor 75 is reduced, so that the outside air temperature cannot be accurately detected due to the influence of the radiant heat of the condenser 55. Under the influence of the radiant heat of the condenser 55, the condenser fan 56 rotates at full speed in order to determine that the outside air temperature is high even when the outside air temperature is low. As a result, the amount of intake air increases and the outside air temperature is detected to be low. 56 again rotates at a low speed. In the following, this repetition occurs and the smooth refrigeration cycle cannot be operated.

  Further, the peripheral wall member 66 is provided between the front surface of the condenser 55 and the front panel 50A of the machine room 50, whereby the intake chamber 65 having substantially airtightness is formed. However, substantially airtightness is ensured. Otherwise, when the restriction plate 70 is attached and the inflow amount of the outside air from the intake port 67 is restricted, the warm air that has passed through the condenser 55 goes around to the front side of the condenser 55 that has become negative pressure, and again Since the passage through the condenser 55 is repeated, the temperature of the condenser 55 rises rapidly, and as a result, the protection device for the refrigeration cycle is activated.

  Note that when the restriction plate 70 is attached and the drying operation is performed, even if outside wind blows around 1 m / s from the front of the main body 10, most of the air intake 67 is covered with the restriction plate 70. As a result, the inflow amount of the outside air is limited, so that the temperature of the condenser 55 is not rapidly decreased. For example, when the outside fan blows when the condenser fan 56 is rotating at a low speed, the condensation pressure when the condenser fan 56 is rotated at a high speed, or a further lower cooling pressure is obtained by further cooling. Although there is a possibility that the reduction of the condensation pressure can be suppressed to a slight extent by attaching the limiting plate 70 as compared with the case of no wind.

  In addition, when the drying operation is performed with the restriction plate 70 attached in winter as described above, if the outside air temperature rises temporarily due to the influence of heating or the like, the condenser fan 56 is triggered by the signal from the outside air temperature sensor 75. It rotates at full speed. As a result, the negative pressure in the intake chamber 65 increases, the flow velocity of air flowing in from the small intake port 68 not closed by the restriction plate 70 increases, diffuses in the intake chamber 65, and uniformly cools the entire condenser 55. And normal drying operation is performed. In practical experiments, the drying operation was performed without any trouble even when the outside air temperature rose to about 30 ° C. That is, it is not necessary to frequently attach and detach the limiting plate 70 even if there is a temporary fluctuation in the outside air temperature. For example, the restriction plate 70 may be mounted at the beginning of autumn and removed at the beginning of spring, which is easy to use.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
In the case where the outside air temperature is low, the amount of outside air flowing in can be restricted by attaching the restriction plate 70, and the temperature drop of the condenser 55 can be suppressed. As a result, the temperature of the cooler 32 is also maintained above the freezing point and frost formation occurs. It can be difficult. As a result, even when the outside air temperature decreases, the defrosting ability can be stably maintained.
The restriction plate 70 can be attached / detached by inserting / removing the upper edge latching portion 73 into / from the upper small intake port 68 from the front side. The limiting plate 70 has a simple structure and can be manufactured at low cost, and can be easily attached and detached.

By providing the intake chamber 65, the limited outside air that has flowed in is diffused almost throughout the intake chamber 65 before being sucked into the condenser 55. Therefore, it is avoided that only a part of the condenser 55 is cooled, and a sudden fluctuation of the condensation pressure is avoided, thereby preventing the durability of the condensation unit 58 from being impaired.
Further, even if outside air is blown toward the front panel 50A of the machine room 50 due to the installation location of the drying device, the amount of wind inflow can be suppressed by installing the restriction plate 70. It is possible to suppress the temperature of the condenser 55 from being lowered due to the above.
Since the outside air temperature sensor 75 is provided corresponding to the location where the outside air flows when the restriction plate 70 is attached, the outside air temperature sensor 75 can accurately detect the outside air temperature without being affected by the radiant heat of the condenser 55 or the like. Can do. Therefore, the drive control of the condenser fan 56 can be performed stably.

<Embodiment 2>
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In this embodiment, the shape of the restriction plate 80 and the mounting structure thereof are changed.
The restriction plate 80 according to the second embodiment is lower than the rectangular portion 81 that can cover the entire area of the intake port 67, that is, the entire small intake port 68, in the lower right corner of the rectangular portion 81, in the lower part of the right column when viewed from the front. The three small air inlets 68 are exposed to form a notch 82. A handle 83 is provided on the left edge of the surface of the limiting plate 80.

On the other hand, on the front surface of the casing 52 including the front panel 50 </ b> A of the machine room 50, rails that freely fit the upper and lower edges of the restriction plate 80 at the upper position and the lower position of the intake port 67, respectively. 85 and 86 are laid. The right end of the upper rail 85 extends to near the right end of the casing 52, while the right end of the lower rail 86 has a short extension length corresponding to the dimension of the lower edge of the limiting plate 80.
A stopper 87 is provided between the left ends of the upper rail 85 and the lower rail 86 to fit and abut the left edge of the restriction plate 80, while the right edge of the restriction plate 80 is fitted from the right end of the upper rail 85. A short stopper 88 is formed to face downward.
Other structures are the same as those in the first embodiment, and the same reference numerals are given to the portions having the same functions, and redundant description is omitted.

  In the normal drying operation, as shown in the solid line of FIG. 8, when the right edge is slid rightward to a position where the right edge is in contact with the right stopper 88, the entire area of the intake port 67 is opened. Thus, the restriction plate 80 is removed. On the other hand, as shown by the chain line in the figure, holding the handle 83 and moving the restriction plate 80 to the left to the position where the left edge contacts the left stopper 87, the restriction plate 80 is substantially attached. In this state, only the lower three small intake ports 68 in the right-side view of all the small intake ports 68 are exposed. The effect when the restriction plate 80 is closed (mounted) is the same as that of the first embodiment.

  According to this embodiment, the restriction plate 80 can be substantially attached / detached by being closed or opened along the upper and lower rails 85, 86, so that the attachment / detachment work of the restriction plate 80 becomes extremely simple. Further, since the restriction plate 80 is held in an open state which is a substantially removed state, there is no need to provide a separate storage place when the restriction plate 80 is removed, and there is no possibility of loss.

<Other embodiments>
The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described with reference to the above description and drawings. For example, the following embodiments are also included in the technical scope of the present invention.
(1) As a structure for attaching / detaching the limiting plate to / from the front panel of the machine room, other means such as mounting a magnet on the back surface of the limiting plate may be taken in addition to those exemplified in the above embodiment.
(2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the restriction plate is manually attached and detached has been exemplified, but the restriction plate is pivotally supported so that it can be opened and closed in conjunction with the outside air temperature sensor with a small motor or the like, or similarly, reciprocating on the rail It may be moved.

(3) When the front surface of the condenser and the front panel of the machine room are connected by a peripheral wall member having a rectangular tube shape and the intake chamber is formed by the internal space of the peripheral wall member, a more airtight intake chamber is formed. More suitable.
(4) Contrary to the above, as long as a predetermined negative pressure is obtained in the intake chamber, even if there are some gaps between the members constituting the peripheral wall member, it is allowed.
(5) You may make it alert | report with the lamp | ramp, a buzzer, etc. based on the detected temperature signal from an outside temperature sensor, the attachment or detachment time of a restriction | limiting board.

(6) In the above embodiment, the refrigeration cycle with an outside air temperature sensor is exemplified, but the present invention can be similarly applied to a refrigeration cycle without an outside air temperature sensor. It is.
(7) In addition to the drying apparatus exemplified in the above embodiment, the present invention can be widely applied to a cooling apparatus having a refrigeration cycle, such as a refrigerator, a freezer, an ice making machine, and an air conditioner.

Sectional drawing seen from the front which shows the internal structure of the drying apparatus which concerns on Embodiment 1 of this invention Front view of dryer Side sectional view showing the internal structure of the machine room Perspective view from the front of the restriction plate Perspective view seen from the same side Front view of machine room with restriction plate Side cross-sectional view Front view of machine room according to Embodiment 2 Side cross-sectional view

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Main body 32 ... Cooler 50 ... Machine room 50A ... Front panel 55 ... Condenser 56 ... Condenser fan 58 ... Condensing unit 65 ... Intake chamber 66 ... Peripheral wall member 67 ... Intake port 68 ... Small intake port 70 ... Limit plate ( 71 ... Square part 72 ... Notch part 73 ... Hook part 75 ... Outside air temperature sensor 80 ... Restriction plate (restriction member) 85, 86 ... Rail

Claims (6)

A machine in which a main body comprising a heat insulating box, a cooler disposed in the main body and cooling the inside of the box, and a condenser unit including a condenser with a fan connected to the cooler and constituting a refrigeration cycle are accommodated. In the room,
The condenser is disposed behind the front panel of the machine room with a space therebetween, and a peripheral wall member is provided between the front panel and the condenser, so that an intake chamber is formed in front of the condenser. An intake port is formed at a position of the front panel facing the condenser, and a restricting member for limiting an intake area of the intake port is detachably mounted on the front panel. A cooling device characterized by that. 2. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein a temperature sensor that detects an outside air temperature is disposed in the intake chamber at a position behind a region of the intake port where intake air is not restricted by the restriction member. . The depth of the intake chamber is set to a size sufficient to allow outside air, which is restricted from flowing in by installing the restricting member, to be diffused in the intake chamber and sucked from almost the entire front surface of the condenser. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device is provided. The intake port is formed by aligning and opening a plurality of small intake ports, and the restricting member is formed on a flat plate-shaped restricting plate capable of covering the entire area of the intake port. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the cooling device is formed by providing an opening that opens the small intake port. A latching portion is bent at the upper edge of the restricting plate, and the latching portion is inserted into and removed from the front side of the small intake port arranged on the upper side and can be latched. The cooling device according to claim 4. The cooling device according to claim 4, wherein rails are provided on both upper and lower sides of the intake port so that the upper and lower edges of the restriction plate are slidably fitted respectively.

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