JP2014074526A - Device including refrigeration mechanism - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device including a refrigeration mechanism which achieves high safety level.SOLUTION: A refrigeration mechanism 20 using a combustible refrigerant is disposed in a machine room 16a defined in a housing 16. A vent hole 54, which allows the machine room 16a to communicate with the exterior, is formed at a rear panel 28 forming the housing 16 so as to penetrate through the rear panel 28 in a forward-backward direction. The vent hole 54 is formed so as to open to the upper side from an upper surface of a bottom plate 22a defining an internal bottom surface of the machine room 16a in a state that the rear panel 28 is assembled to the base panel 28. The refrigerant, which is leaked from the refrigeration mechanism 20 and moves to an internal bottom part of the machine room 16a, is discharged to the exterior through the vent hole 54.

Description

  The present invention relates to an apparatus having a refrigeration mechanism such as a refrigerator or an ice making machine.

  An automatic ice maker for producing ice blocks is suitably used in facilities such as a coffee shop and a restaurant, and other kitchens. This automatic ice making machine houses an ice making mechanism and a refrigeration mechanism inside a housing, and an evaporator constituting the refrigeration mechanism is disposed in close contact with an ice making part of the ice making mechanism, and a refrigerant flowing through the evaporator The ice making unit is cooled by the heat exchange, and thus ice is produced in the ice making unit.

  Conventionally, a chlorofluorocarbon-based nonflammable refrigerant has been used as the refrigerant for the refrigeration mechanism. However, since a load on the environment is applied, a refrigerant that replaces the chlorofluorocarbon-based refrigerant is being sought. As one of the refrigerants that substitute for CFCs, hydrocarbon-based (HC-based) refrigerants such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, and pentane are attracting attention (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-198062 A

  In the refrigeration mechanism, there is a risk that the refrigerant may leak from a circuit in which the refrigerant circulates due to deterioration over time, and when the refrigerant is flammable, such as the hydrocarbon type (HC type), the refrigerant is encased. If it stays in the inner bottom of the body and the concentration becomes high, it causes a problem of concern about safety.

  That is, the present invention has been proposed in view of the above-described problems inherent in the conventional technology, and it is an object of the present invention to provide an apparatus provided with a highly safe refrigeration mechanism. .

In order to overcome the above-mentioned problems and achieve the intended object, an apparatus having a refrigeration mechanism according to the invention of claim 1 is provided:
A device provided with a refrigeration mechanism having a refrigeration circuit in which a combustible refrigerant circulates in a machine room defined inside a housing,
The gist of the invention is that a vent hole that communicates between the machine room and the outside is formed on the side wall of the casing so that the upper side opens from the inner bottom surface of the casing.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the refrigerant leaks from the refrigeration mechanism, the leaked refrigerant that has moved to the inner bottom portion of the housing can be discharged to the outside through the vent hole, thus ensuring safety. obtain.

In the invention according to claim 2, the housing is formed with an air inlet that communicates the machine room with the outside, and an exhaust port that communicates the machine room with the outside is formed on the side wall where the vent is formed. ,
The refrigeration mechanism includes a condenser and a cooling fan that air-cools the condenser,
The gist of the invention is that external air is sucked into the machine room from the intake port by rotation of the cooling fan, and air that has cooled the condenser is discharged from the exhaust port.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the refrigerant that has moved to the inner bottom of the casing can be moved toward the vent and efficiently discharged by the rotational drive of the cooling fan.

The invention according to claim 3 is characterized in that the condenser and the cooling fan are disposed in a state in which a clearance allowing air flow is formed between the condenser and the cooling fan with the inner bottom surface of the housing via an attachment member. And
According to the invention of claim 3, since the gap is formed between the condenser and the cooling fan and the inner bottom surface of the casing, the movement of the leaked refrigerant that has moved to the inner bottom portion of the casing is hindered by the condenser and the cooling fan. This prevents the leaked refrigerant from being efficiently discharged to the outside.

  According to the apparatus provided with the refrigeration mechanism according to the present invention, the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration mechanism can be discharged without being retained in the housing, and safety can be ensured.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a principal part schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view which shows the automatic ice making machine concerning the suitable Example of this invention, (a) shows the whole ice making unit, (b) expands and shows the formation part of a vent hole. It is a schematic perspective view which shows the ice making unit which concerns on an Example in the state seen from the front side. It is a schematic perspective view shown in the state which looked at the ice making unit which concerns on an Example from the rear side. It is explanatory drawing which shows schematic structure of the ice making mechanism and refrigeration mechanism which concern on an Example. (a) is the schematic which shows the attachment state with respect to the base panel of the condenser which concerns on an Example, (b) is the schematic which shows the attachment state with respect to the base panel of the cooling fan which concerns on an Example.

  Next, a preferred embodiment of the apparatus having the refrigeration mechanism according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the embodiment, an automatic ice making machine will be described as an apparatus including a refrigeration mechanism, but a refrigerator, a freezer, or the like may be used.

  FIG. 1A is a longitudinal sectional view of a main part of an automatic ice maker 10 according to an embodiment. The automatic ice maker 10 includes an ice storage 12 in which an ice storage chamber 12a is defined, and the ice storage 12 1 is a stack-on type ice making machine including an ice making unit 14 loaded on the top of the head. In the ice making unit 14, an ice making mechanism 18 and a refrigeration mechanism 20 are housed in a machine room 16a internally defined in a rectangular casing 16, and ice blocks produced by the ice making mechanism 18 are discharged to the ice storage room 12a. It is to be stored.

  2 and 3, the casing 16 defines a base panel 22 that defines the bottom of the machine room 16a, a top panel 24 that defines the ceiling of the machine room 16a, and a side periphery of the machine room 16a. The front panel 26, the rear panel (side wall) 28, and the two side panels 30 and 30 are assembled to each other. As shown in FIG. 1A, the base panel 22 is formed with a vertical piece 22b bent downward on the outer peripheral edge of a rectangular bottom plate 22a formed in a rectangular shape. It is formed in a different shape. The ice making mechanism 18 and the refrigeration mechanism 20 are installed on the bottom plate 22a. In the embodiment, the ice making mechanism 18 is installed at a position deviated to the front right side of the bottom plate 22a, and main components (compressor CM, condenser CD, cooling fan FM) of the refrigeration mechanism 20 are deviated to the left side of the front. Is installed.

  The ice making mechanism 18 of the embodiment is a so-called auger type ice making mechanism for producing chip-shaped or flake-shaped ice blocks. As shown in FIG. 4, the auger type ice making mechanism 18 includes a cylindrical refrigeration casing 32, an auger 34 rotatably disposed inside the refrigeration casing 32, and driving means for rotating the auger 34 ( (Not shown) and an ice making water tank 36 for supplying ice making water to the refrigeration casing 32. On the outer periphery of the refrigeration casing 32, an evaporator EP, which will be described later, constituting the refrigeration mechanism 20 is disposed. In the ice making mechanism 18, ice making water supplied from the ice making water tank 36 is filled in the refrigeration casing 32, and the refrigeration casing 32 is cooled by the evaporator EP, whereby the inner surface (ice making surface) of the refrigeration casing 32. Ice is supposed to be generated. The ice making mechanism 18 scrapes the ice grown on the ice making surface by rotating the auger 34 by the driving means, and transports the scraped ice pieces upward, compresses the ice pieces and compresses the columnar ice formed by the cutter. It is configured to produce ice blocks (so-called flake ice) by cutting to a predetermined size. In addition, a duct-shaped ice discharge member 38 that opens in the ice storage chamber 12 a is disposed above the freezing casing 32, and ice blocks produced by the ice making mechanism 18 are transferred to the ice storage chamber 12 a via the ice discharge member 38. Released and stored. The lower end of the ice discharge member 38 is fitted into an opening (not shown) formed in the bottom plate 22a of the base panel 22, and the machine room 16a and the ice storage room 12a are partitioned by the base panel 22. It is configured not to communicate spatially.

  The rear panel 28 is provided with a connection port 40 communicating with the ice making water tank 36 through a pipe (not shown) so as to protrude rearward (see FIGS. 1A and 3). ), An external water source (such as water supply) is connected to the connection port 40. 1 and 3 is connected to a drain pan (not shown) for collecting water droplets or the like generated outside the ice making mechanism 18 or an ice making water tank 36 through a hose or the like (not shown). A discharge port portion is shown, and water droplets collected by the drain pan and ice making water that is no longer necessary in the ice making water tank 36 can be discharged to the outside through the discharge port portion 42.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigeration mechanism 20 connects devices such as a compressor CM, a condenser CD cooled by a cooling fan FM, an expansion valve EV as a decompression means, an evaporator EP, and the like through a refrigerant pipe (pipe) 44. A refrigeration circuit 46 configured as described above is provided. The refrigeration mechanism 20 drives the compressor CM and the cooling fan FM so that the refrigerant circulates through the refrigeration circuit 46. In the refrigeration circuit 46, the vaporized refrigerant compressed by the compressor CM is condensed and liquefied by the condenser CD, and then the refrigerant depressurized by the expansion valve EV flows into the evaporator EP, where it is expanded and evaporated, thereby The casing 32 is cooled to below freezing point. The refrigeration mechanism 20 is configured such that the vaporized refrigerant exchanged with the refrigeration casing 32 by the evaporator EP returns to the compressor CM, is compressed again by the compressor CM, and circulates through the refrigeration circuit 46. Reference numeral 48 in FIG. 4 is a dryer that removes moisture from the liquefied refrigerant flowing from the condenser CD into the expansion valve EV.

  Examples of the refrigerant filled in the refrigeration circuit 46 include hydrocarbon-based refrigerants (HC-based) such as methane, ethane, propane, butane, and pentane, which have excellent characteristics as refrigerants such as heat of evaporation and saturation pressure, or ammonia. Is adopted. In the examples, isobutane or propane is used. As will be described later, the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration circuit 46 may be referred to as a leaked refrigerant.

  As shown in FIG. 1A, the compressor CM, the cooling fan FM, and the condenser CD constituting the refrigeration mechanism 20 are arranged on the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a facing the machine room 16a in the base panel 22 from the front side to the rear side. The compressor CM, the cooling fan FM, and the condenser CD are arranged in this order. When the cooling fan FM is driven to rotate, the compressor CM and the condenser CD can be air-cooled by the external air sucked into the machine chamber 16a from an air inlet 50 described later. In the refrigeration mechanism 20 of the embodiment, another cooling fan FM and a condenser CD are disposed above the cooling fan FM and the condenser CD arranged on the bottom plate 22a of the base panel 22. Only one set of cooling fan FM and condenser CD on the side may be provided.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the front panel 26 has a plurality of air inlets 50 penetrating in the front-rear direction at positions facing the front side of the compressor CM constituting the refrigeration mechanism 20 (positions deviated to the left side of the front). When the cooling fan FM is rotationally driven, external air is sucked into the machine chamber 16a through the intake port 50. In addition, a plurality of air inlets 50 penetrating in the left-right direction are formed in one side panel 30 (see FIG. 3), and external air is also passed through the air inlet 50 of the side panel 30 when the cooling fan FM is driven to rotate. Is sucked into the machine room 16a.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the rear panel 28 is formed with a plurality of exhaust ports 52 at positions facing the rear side of the condenser CD constituting the refrigeration mechanism 20 (positions deviated to the left side of the back surface). When the cooling fan FM is driven to rotate, the air that has been air-cooled in the machine room 16a is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 52. Further, the rear panel 28 is formed with a vent 54 that communicates between the machine chamber 16a and the outside, penetrating in the front-rear direction, below the region where the exhaust port 52 is formed. In the embodiment, the vent hole 54 is formed by a long hole extending in the left-right direction, and a plurality of the vent holes 54 are formed apart from each other in the left-right direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the vent 54 is formed so as to open upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a defining the inner bottom surface of the machine room 16a in a state where the rear panel 28 is assembled to the base panel 22. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 1B, the lower end edge of the vent hole 54 coincides with the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a, and the wall rises upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a at the position where the vent port 54 is formed. (Stepped part) is configured not to exist.

  As shown in FIG. 5 (a), a first attachment member (attachment member) 56 for the condenser that fixes the lower-side condenser CD to the base panel 22 is a pair of support portions 56a for holding the condenser CD. The support portions 56a, 56a include leg portions 56b, 56b extending from the lower end of the held condenser CD by a predetermined length. Then, the leg portions 56b and 56b are screwed and fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a of the base panel 22 to generate a front-rear direction (generated when the cooling fan FM is driven to rotate) between the condenser CD and the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a. It is configured to define a gap G1 opening in the air flow direction). Further, the second mounting member (mounting member) 58 for fixing the cooling fan FM on the lower stage side to the base panel 22 is a holding portion 58a for holding the cooling fan FM as shown in FIG. A pair of leg portions 58b and 58b protrudes downward from the lower end, spaced apart in the left-right direction. The legs 58b and 58b are screwed and fixed to the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a of the base panel 22 so that the front and rear direction is generated between the cooling fan FM and the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a (when the cooling fan FM is driven to rotate). It is configured to define a gap G2 that opens in the direction of air flow. That is, gaps G1 and G2 that are opened in the front-rear direction are formed side by side between the cooling fan FM and the condenser CD and the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a that are disposed in the front-rear relationship, and the cooling fan FM and the condenser are formed side by side. It is configured so that air and leaked refrigerant can circulate in the front-rear direction below the CD. The second mounting member 58 also serves as a wind tunnel for guiding the wind generated by the rotation of the cooling fan FM toward the condenser CD.

(Effects of Example)
Next, the operation of the automatic ice maker according to the embodiment will be described. When the cooling fan FM is driven to rotate, external air is sucked into the machine room 16a through the air inlet 50 of the front panel 26 and the air inlet 50 of the side panel 30. The sucked air comes into contact with the compressor CM and cools, and is then blown out behind the cooling fan FM. The air comes into contact with the condenser CD and cools, and then is discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 52 of the rear panel 28.

  Here, the refrigerant may leak from the refrigeration circuit 46 due to aging of each component constituting the refrigeration circuit 46 of the refrigeration mechanism 20. The hydrocarbon (HC) refrigerant filled in the refrigeration circuit 46 has a specific gravity greater than that of air, and the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration circuit 46 moves to the inner bottom side of the machine chamber 16a. The leaked refrigerant that has moved to the inner bottom of the machine room 16a is prevented from being discharged to the outside through the exhaust port 52 and the vent port 54 due to the flow of air generated by the rotational drive of the cooling fan FM. Is done.

  Further, when the operation of the automatic ice making machine 10 is stopped, the cooling fan FM is not driven to rotate, so that the refrigerant leaked from the refrigeration circuit 46 may stay in the inner bottom of the machine room 16a and increase in concentration. However, in the automatic ice making machine 10 of the embodiment, the rear panel 28 is formed with a plurality of vent holes 54 that open upward from the inner bottom surface of the machine room 16a, so that the leaked refrigerant that has moved to the inner bottom part of the machine room 16a Can be discharged to the outside through the vent 54. That is, the lower end edge of the vent hole 54 coincides with the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a, and there is no wall rising from the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a at the position where the vent port 54 is formed. The discharge of the leaked refrigerant from the vent 54 to the outside is not hindered, and the leaked refrigerant can be prevented from staying in the inner bottom portion of the machine chamber 16a. As shown in FIG. 5, gaps G1 and G2 that open in the front-rear direction are formed between the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a by mounting members 56 and 58 below the cooling fan FM and the condenser CD. Therefore, movement of the leaked refrigerant toward the vent 54 is allowed by the gaps G1 and G2, and the leaked refrigerant can be discharged smoothly.

  Here, in the configuration in which the upper machine room 16a and the lower ice storage room 12a are partitioned by the base panel 22 as in the stack-on type automatic ice making machine 10 of the embodiment, a leaked refrigerant is supplied to the base panel 22. A hole for discharging to the outside cannot be formed. However, by forming the vent 54 in the rear panel 28 that opens upward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 22a in the base panel 22, the leaked refrigerant that has moved to the inner bottom of the machine chamber 16a can be discharged to the outside. Further, since the automatic ice maker 10 of the embodiment has a configuration in which air for cooling the refrigeration mechanism 20 is sucked from the front side and discharged from the rear side, the automatic ice maker 10 is installed when the automatic ice maker 10 is installed in a kitchen or the like. The rear face of 10 is not brought into close contact with the wall surface, and the situation where the vent 54 is blocked by the wall surface and the leakage refrigerant cannot be discharged does not occur.

  Further, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the automatic ice making machine 10 of the embodiment is provided with a connection port portion 40 and a discharge port portion 42 so as to protrude rearward from the rear panel 28, and the rear panel 28 is used as a kitchen or the like. Since it is physically impossible to install it in close contact with the wall surface, it is possible to reliably prevent the vent 54 from being blocked by the wall surface and thus preventing the leakage of the leaked refrigerant.

[Example of change]
The present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, and can be modified as follows, for example.
(1) In the embodiment, the rear panel is provided with a vent, but it may be provided on other panels (side walls) such as a front panel and a side panel that define the casing (machine room) side periphery. . The vents may be provided in a plurality of panels (side walls).
(2) In the embodiment, the case where the vent is formed so that the lower end edge of the vent coincides with the upper surface (inner bottom surface) of the bottom plate is described, but the lower end edge of the vent formed on the rear panel (side wall) is the bottom plate. It may be located below the upper surface (inner bottom surface). That is, it is only necessary that the vent hole is opened so that the machine room communicates with the outside from the upper surface of the bottom plate of the base panel in a state where the rear panel (side wall) is assembled to the base panel.
(3) In the embodiment, a plurality of vent holes are provided, but one vent hole may be provided.
(4) In the embodiment, the case where the front panel and one side panel are formed with the intake port and the rear panel is formed with the exhaust port is described. However, the panel that forms the intake port and the exhaust port is limited to this. Instead, the intake and exhaust ports are formed so as to allow the air flow between the machine room and the outside, such as a configuration in which the intake port is formed in one side panel and the exhaust port is formed in the other side panel. Anything can be used. Then, by forming the vent hole in the panel provided with the exhaust port, the refrigerant staying at the inner bottom portion of the machine room by the rotation of the cooling fan can be efficiently discharged to the outside.
(5) In the embodiment, the cooling fan and the condenser are fixed to the base panel with separate mounting members, but a configuration in which the cooling fan and the condenser are fixed to the base panel with a common mounting member is adopted. It is sufficient that a gap is defined between the cooling fan and the condenser and the base panel in a state where the cooling fan and the condenser are attached to one attachment member.
(6) In the embodiment, an auger type ice making mechanism is used as the ice making mechanism. However, as the ice making mechanism, a large number of ice making chambers that are opened downward are opened and closed by water trays from below. A so-called closed cell type ice-making mechanism that produces ice blocks by spraying ice-making water through a water tray, and directly supplying ice-making water to many ice-making chambers that open downward without passing through the water plate. Other known ice making mechanisms, such as the so-called open cell type ice making mechanism to be manufactured, the flow type ice making mechanism in which ice making water is supplied to the front or back of the inclined ice making plate and ice is formed on the ice making surface. It may be.
(7) In the example, a stack-on type automatic ice maker with an ice making unit mounted on the upper part of the ice storage was mentioned. However, an automatic ice maker with an ice storage room and a machine room defined in one housing. The vent may be formed on the side wall that defines the machine room in which the refrigeration mechanism is accommodated.

16 Housing, 16a Machine room, 20 Refrigeration mechanism, 28 Rear panel (side wall)
46 Refrigeration circuit, 50 Inlet, 52 Exhaust, 54 Vent 56 First mounting member (mounting member), 58 Second mounting member (mounting member), CD condenser FM Cooling fan, G1, G2 Gap

Claims (3)

A device provided with a refrigeration mechanism (20) having a refrigeration circuit (46) in which a combustible refrigerant circulates in a machine room (16a) internally defined in a housing (16),
On the side wall (28) constituting the casing (16), a vent hole (54) communicating the machine room (16a) and the outside is formed so that the upper side opens from the inner bottom surface of the casing (16). A device having a refrigeration mechanism The housing (16) is formed with an air inlet (50) communicating with the machine room (16a) and the outside, and the machine room (16a) is formed on the side wall (28) where the air vent (54) is formed. Form an exhaust port (52) that communicates with the outside,
The refrigeration mechanism (20) includes a condenser (CD) and a cooling fan (FM) for air-cooling the condenser (CD),
By rotating the cooling fan (FM), external air is sucked into the machine room (16a) from the intake port (50), and air cooled by the condenser (CD) is discharged from the exhaust port (52). The apparatus provided with the refrigeration mechanism of Claim 1 comprised.   The condenser (CD) and the cooling fan (FM) have gaps (G1, G2) that allow air to flow between the inner bottom surface of the housing (16) via mounting members (56, 58). The apparatus provided with the refrigeration mechanism according to claim 2, which is arranged in a formed state.

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