JP2023116263A - Showcase and showcase system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a showcase which discharges drain water smoothly while securing the capacity of a storage room even if cooling means is installed at an area above the storage room.SOLUTION: A showcase 10 includes: a circulation fan F1 which circulates air between a storage room 12 defined in a case body 11 and an air channel 20 which is provided communicating with the storage room 12 in the case body 11; and a refrigeration circuit 30 which is installed at an area above the storage room 12 in the case body 11 and cools air circulated by the circulation fan F1. The showcase 10 further includes a drain pipe 50, which is disposed in a manner that the drain pipe 50 gradually inclines downward from one end to the other end along a width direction of the case body 11 and discharges drain water occurring in an evaporator 34 forming the refrigeration circuit 30 and flowing thereinto, at a canopy 19 forming a front end portion of an upper part of the case body 11 which is located above the storage room 12.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to showcases and showcase systems.

Conventionally, Patent Literature 1 proposes a showcase that keeps stored products in a cooled state. In the showcase proposed in Patent Document 1, a plurality of product placement shelves are provided in a plurality of stages along the vertical direction in a storage chamber of a case body having a front opening. Products are displayed by being placed.

In addition, inside the case main body and outside the storage chamber, an air passage is formed for the air sucked in through the suction port provided in the lower front portion of the storage chamber. is provided with an evaporator.

Air passing through such an air passage is cooled by an evaporator and then blown out from a blowout port provided in the front upper portion of the storage chamber. The air blown out from the outlet is sucked into the suction port and circulated through the air passage, thereby cooling the internal air of the storage room and maintaining the product placed on the product shelf at a desired temperature. be done.

In such a showcase, since the evaporator is provided on the upper side of the storage room, the capacity of the storage room is sufficiently increased compared to the case where the evaporator is provided on the back side or the lower side of the storage room. It can be made large, and a sufficient display space for merchandise can be secured.

Japanese Patent No. 3695885

By the way, in a general showcase, a drain pipe is installed in a lower region of the storage chamber in the case main body in order to discharge drain water such as dew condensation water generated in the evaporator to the outside. This drain pipe needs to be gradually inclined downward from one extending direction to the other in order to circulate the drain water.

However, in the showcase as proposed in Patent Document 1, an evaporator or the like is provided on the upper side of the storage chamber to reduce the height dimension of the lower region of the storage chamber of the case body, thereby reducing the volume of the storage chamber. It was difficult to install the drain pipe at an angle in the lower area of the storage room.

In order to solve such a problem, it is conceivable to increase the height of the lower region of the storage chamber by raising the height of the case body.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In view of the above circumstances, the present invention provides a showcase and a showcase system capable of satisfactorily discharging drain water while ensuring the volume of the storage room even when cooling means is installed in the upper region of the storage room. intended to

In order to achieve the above object, a showcase according to the present invention comprises a storage chamber defined inside a case body, and an air passage provided inside the case body in a manner communicating with the storage chamber. and cooling means for cooling the air circulated by the air circulation means, which is installed in the upper region of the storage chamber in the case body, and is provided in the storage chamber. A showcase for keeping stored commodities in a cooled state, wherein the front end portion of the upper portion of the case body above the storage chamber is provided with a display case extending from one end to the other end along the width direction of the case body. and a drain pipe for inflowing and discharging drain water generated by the evaporator constituting the cooling means.

Further, in the above showcase, the present invention provides an introduction hole formed in the front end portion of the upper part of the case body and introducing a part of the air passing toward the condenser constituting the cooling means, and the front end portion and a delivery hole for delivering the air introduced from the introduction hole and passing through the vicinity of the drain pipe toward the condenser.

Further, in the showcase, the present invention is arranged in the front end portion and forcibly introduces a part of the air passing toward the condenser through the introduction hole and forces it through the delivery hole. It is characterized by having a blower fan for blowing air to the condenser.

Further, in the above showcase, the present invention is characterized in that the drain water is heated by utilizing the heat of the condenser that constitutes the cooling means, and flows into the drain pipe.

Further, according to the present invention, the showcase is characterized by comprising an evaporating dish that temporarily stores the drain water and is thermally connected to the condenser.

Further, according to the present invention, the showcase is characterized by further comprising a transmission member for transmitting heat of the condenser constituting the cooling means to the drain pipe.

Further, in the above showcase, the present invention further comprises an interior lighting member provided at the front end portion for illuminating the storage chamber, and a transmission means for transmitting heat generated by the interior lighting member to the drain pipe. characterized by comprising

Further, a showcase system according to the present invention is a showcase system configured by arranging a plurality of the above showcases in parallel, wherein the drain pipe communicates with a drain pipe provided in an adjacent showcase. characterized by being connected in the form of

According to the present invention, at the front end portion of the upper portion of the case main body, which is above the storage chamber, it is arranged in a manner in which it gradually slopes downward from one end toward the other end along the width direction of the case main body. The drain pipe allows the drain water generated by the evaporator, which constitutes the cooling means, to flow in and be discharged. It has an effect of being able to discharge satisfactorily.

Further, according to the present invention, a plurality of the showcases described above are arranged in parallel, and each showcase drain pipe is connected in a manner to communicate with the drain pipe provided in the adjacent showcase. The drain water generated in each showcase can be discharged in common, and the construction for draining the drain water can be facilitated.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a showcase that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a showcase system that is an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a modified example of the showcase shown in FIG.

Preferred embodiments of showcases and showcase systems according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional side view schematically showing the internal structure of a showcase that is an embodiment of the present invention. A showcase 10 illustrated here is installed in a store 1 such as a convenience store or a supermarket, for example. As shown in FIG. 2 , a plurality of such showcases 10 are arranged side by side to constitute one showcase system 100 and have a case body 11 . That is, FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the showcase system 100 that is the embodiment of the present invention.

The case main body 11 is a heat insulating housing having an opening (hereinafter also referred to as a front opening) 11a on the front surface. The case body 11 defines a storage chamber 12 therein, and includes an air passage 20, a circulation fan (air circulation means) F1, a refrigeration circuit (cooling means) 30, an evaporating dish 40, and a drain pipe 50. is provided.

The storage room 12 is a room defined in a manner facing the front opening 11a, and a plurality of product placement shelves 13 are arranged in a vertical direction. The plurality of product placement shelves 13 are for placing and displaying products.

A rear plate 14a constituting the rear surface of the storage chamber 12 is formed with a plurality of holes (not shown in the figure). These holes are provided at a plurality of height levels, and are long holes whose longitudinal direction is the left-right direction. More specifically, a hole is formed in the lower portion of each product shelf 13 .

Further, a suction port 15 is formed in the front lower portion of the storage chamber 12 and an air outlet 16 is formed in the front upper portion of the storage chamber 12 . The suction port 15 is an opening for sucking the air inside the storage chamber 12 and extends along the horizontal direction of the storage chamber 12 . The blowout port 16 is an opening for blowing air into the interior of the storage chamber 12 and extends in the horizontal direction of the storage chamber 12 . A rectifying member (not shown) having, for example, a honeycomb structure is attached to the outlet 16 .

The air duct 20 is an air duct from the inlet 15 to the outlet 16 and each hole. Such an air passage 20 includes a lower air passage 21, a first rear air passage 22, a storage box 23, a second rear air passage 24, a third rear air passage 25, and an upper air passage. and a path 26 .

The lower air passage 21 is provided below the bottom plate 14 b that forms the bottom surface of the storage room 12 . The lower air passage 21 communicates with the suction port 15 . The first rear-side air passage 22 is provided on the rear side of the rear plate 14 a and on the front side of the rear wall portion 17 of the case body 11 along the vertical direction. The first rear air passage 22 communicates with the lower air passage 21 at its lower end.

The storage box 23 is made of a heat insulating material, and is installed at the rear end portion of the upper wall portion 18 of the case main body 11 . The interior of the storage box 23 communicates with the first back side air passage 22 through a first communication port 18 a formed in the upper wall portion 18 .

The second back side air duct 24 is provided on the rear side of the back plate 14a and on the front side of the first back side air duct 22 so as to extend along the vertical direction. The second rear air passage 24 is separated from the first rear air passage 22 . The upper end of the second rear air passage 24 communicates with the interior of the storage box 23 through a second communication port 18b formed in the upper wall portion 18 of the case body 11 .

The third back side air duct 25 is provided on the rear side of the back plate 14a and on the front side of the second back side air duct 24 so as to extend along the vertical direction. The third rear side air duct 25 is partitioned with the second rear side air duct 24 in such a manner that their lower ends communicate with each other, and communicates with the storage chamber 12 through respective holes.

The upper air passage 26 is provided on the upper side of the top plate forming the top surface of the storage chamber 12 and on the lower side of the upper wall portion 18 so as to extend along the front-rear direction. The upper air passage 26 communicates with the upper end of the third rear air passage 25 at its rear end, and communicates with the outlet 16 at its front end.

The circulation fan F1 is driven by a command given from control means (not shown), and is installed at the rear end of the lower air passage 21 . The circulation fan F1 is for circulating air between the storage room 12 and the air passage 20 when driven.

In the present embodiment, the circulation fan F1 is installed at a predetermined portion (rear end) of the lower air passage 21, but the installation location of the circulation fan F1 is not particularly limited in the present invention. , and may be installed anywhere as long as the function of the circulation fan F1, which will be described later, can be exhibited.

The refrigerating circuit 30 is constructed by sequentially connecting a compressor 31, a condenser 32, an expansion mechanism 33, and an evaporator 34 through a refrigerant pipe line 35, and a refrigerant is enclosed therein.

The compressor 31 is installed outside the storage box 23 on the upper wall portion 18 of the case body 11 . The compressor 31 is driven according to a command given from the control means. When driven, the compressor 31 sucks refrigerant from the evaporator 34, compresses it, and discharges it as a high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant.

The condenser 32 is installed outside the storage box 23 on the upper wall portion 18 in the same manner as the compressor 31, and is installed on the front side of the storage box 23 in the present embodiment. The condenser 32 exchanges heat with ambient air to condense the high-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant compressed by the compressor 31, and discharges it as a low-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant.

The expansion mechanism 33 is composed of, for example, an electronic expansion valve, a capillary tube, etc., and is installed outside the storage box 23 in the same manner as the compressor 31 and the condenser 32 . The expansion mechanism 33 adiabatically expands the low-temperature, high-pressure refrigerant condensed in the condenser 32 and sends it to the evaporator 34 as a low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant.

The evaporator 34 is housed inside the storage box 23, and exchanges heat with ambient air to evaporate the low-temperature, low-pressure refrigerant delivered from the expansion mechanism 33, thereby cooling the ambient air. That is, the evaporator 34 cools the air passing through the storage box 23, that is, the air circulated by the circulation fan F1 by evaporating the refrigerant.

Such a refrigerating circuit 30 and storage box 23 are covered with a cover member 11b. Although not shown in the drawing, the cover member 11b is provided with an opening (not shown) that allows air to flow.

The evaporating dish 40 is installed with a part thereof entering the storage box 23 . This evaporating dish 40 is for storing drain water such as condensed water generated in the evaporator 34 through a gutter (not shown).

An outdoor fan F2 is provided above the evaporating plate 40 . The outdoor fan F2 is driven in accordance with a command given from the control means, and is a blowing means for causing outside air to flow in through an opening formed in the cover member 11b and pass around the condenser 32 when driven. be. The outdoor fan F2 promotes heat exchange in the condenser 32, and the air heated by the condenser 32 passes through the vicinity of the evaporating dish 40, thereby facilitating evaporation of the drain water.

The drain pipe 50 is provided inside the canopy 19 . Here, the canopy 19 is provided so as to protrude forward from the upper end portion of the case body 11 and constitutes the front end portion of the upper portion of the case body 11 .

The front surface of the canopy 19 is provided with an operation display section (not shown in the figure) and an interior illumination member 60 composed of a light source such as an LED. The interior lighting member 60 illuminates the interior of the storage room 12 .

The drain pipe 50 extends along the left-right direction, which is the width direction of the case body 11, and is arranged in such a manner that it is gradually inclined downward from the left end, which is one end, toward the right end, which is the other end. is set. The drain water pipe 50 is connected to the evaporating dish 40 through the drain water supply pipe 41 . The drain water supply pipe 41 supplies the drain water stored in the evaporating dish 40 to the drain water discharge pipe 50 . That is, the drain water pipe 50 is supplied through the drain water supply pipe 41 and flows the drain water toward the right end along its inclined extension.

Such a drain pipe 50 communicates with the drain pipes 50 of other adjacent showcases 10 constituting the showcase system 100, as shown in FIG. That is, the drain pipe 50 constitutes one drain pipe 51 together with the other drain pipes 50 in the showcase system 100 . The drain pipe 50 of the showcase 10 arranged on the rightmost side, that is, the drain pipe 50 constituting the most downstream side of the drain pipe line 51 has an air conditioner installed in the store 1 at its right end. It is connected to an air conditioning drain pipe 2 for circulating the generated drain water. As a result, the drain water flowing through the drain pipe 50 flows through the air conditioning drain pipe 2 after passing through the drain pipe 51 and is discharged.

As shown in FIG. 1, the canopy 19 is formed with an introduction hole 19a and a delivery hole 19b. The introduction hole 19 a is formed on the front side of the upper portion of the canopy 19 . The introduction hole 19a is for introducing part of the air passing toward the condenser 32 by driving the outdoor fan F2.

The delivery hole 19b is formed in the upper portion of the canopy 19, in a portion closer to the condenser 32 on the rear side than the introduction hole 19a. This delivery hole 19b is for delivering air introduced from the introduction hole 19a and passing near the drain pipe 50 toward the condenser 32 when the outdoor fan F2 is driven.

In the showcase 10 having the configuration as described above, the circulation fan F1 and the compressor 31 are driven so that the air sucked from the suction port 15 flows through the lower air passage 21, the first rear air passage 22, and the air passage 22. It passes through the storage box 23 in order and is cooled by the evaporator 34 inside the storage box 23 . The air cooled by the evaporator 34 passes through the second rear air passage 24 , the third rear air passage 25 and the upper air passage 26 in this order, and is blown out from the outlet 16 . That is, the circulation fan F1 circulates air between the storage chamber 12 and the air passage 20, and the compressor 31 cools the air circulated by the circulation fan F1.

By driving the circulation fan F1 and the compressor 31 in this way, the drain water generated in the evaporator 34 is stored in the evaporating dish 40 through the gutter.

In the showcase 10 , part of the drain water stored in the evaporating dish 40 is evaporated by the air passing around the condenser 32 by driving the outdoor fan F<b>2 . By driving the outdoor fan F2, part of the air passing toward the condenser 32 is introduced into the canopy 19 through the introduction hole 19a, passes around the drain pipe 50, and is then condensed through the delivery hole 19b. is sent out toward the device 32 .

When the amount of drain water stored in the evaporating dish 40 reaches a predetermined amount, part of the drain water is supplied to the drain water discharge pipe 50 through the drain water supply pipe 41 . The drain water supplied to the drain pipe 50 in this manner flows rightward along the inclined extension of the drain pipe 50, flows through the drain pipe 51, and then flows through the air conditioning drain pipe 2 to be discharged. .

As described above, according to the showcase 10 of the embodiment of the present invention, the canopy 19, which is the front end portion of the upper portion of the case body 11 above the storage chamber 12, is provided in the width direction of the case body 11. A drain pipe 50 is disposed in a manner gradually sloping downward from the left end to the right end along the refrigeration circuit 30 . Even if it is installed, it is possible to satisfactorily discharge the drain water while ensuring the volume of the storage chamber 12.例文帳に追加

In particular, according to the showcase system 100 configured by arranging such showcases 10 side by side, the drain pipes 50 provided in the showcases 10 adjacent to each other are connected in a manner that communicates with each other. Since one drainage pipeline 51 is configured and drain water is discharged through this drainage pipeline 51, the drain water generated in each showcase 10 can be discharged in common, and the drain water can be discharged. Construction can also be made easy.

Further, according to the showcase 10, part of the air passing toward the condenser 32 is introduced from the introduction hole 19a and passed around the drain pipe 50, and the air passing near the drain pipe 50 is delivered from the delivery hole 19b toward the condenser 32, the occurrence of dew condensation in the drain pipe 50 can be suppressed.

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

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a main part of a modification of the showcase 10 shown in FIG. 1, and shows a part thereof in cross section. The same components as those of the showcase 10 are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

As shown in FIG. 3, in the modified example of the showcase 10, an evaporating plate 42 is provided instead of the evaporating plate 40. As shown in FIG. The evaporating dish 42 is installed in a state that a part of it enters the inside of the storage box 23 and is thermally connected to the condenser 32 by being in contact therewith.

This evaporating dish 42 introduces drain water such as dew condensation water generated in the evaporator 34 through a drain water introduction pipe 43 and stores it. A drain water supply pipe 44 is connected to the evaporating dish 42 . The drain water supply pipe 44 is for supplying the drain water stored in the evaporating dish 42 to the drain water discharge pipe 50 .

Here, the drain water introduction pipe 43 is connected near the bottom of the evaporating plate 42 , and the drain water supply pipe 44 is connected near the upper opening of the evaporating plate 42 . As a result, the evaporating dish 42 can temporarily store the drain water introduced through the drain water introduction pipe 43, and the heat of the condenser 32 can be used to heat the drain water. In particular, the air heated by the condenser 32 passes through the vicinity of the upper opening of the evaporating dish 42 by the outdoor fan F2, and the surface of the drain water temporarily stored in the evaporating dish 42 is particularly heated. .

Since the drain water supply pipe 44 is connected near the upper opening of the evaporating dish 42 , the drain water sufficiently heated by the heat of the condenser 32 can be supplied to the drain water discharge pipe 50 . Thereby, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of dew condensation in the drain pipe 50 .

In the embodiment described above, the canopy 19 is formed with the introduction hole 19a and the delivery hole 19b, and part of the air passing toward the condenser 32 passes around the drain pipe 50 by driving the outdoor fan F2. However, in the present invention, by installing a blower fan inside the canopy 19 and driving the blower fan, a part of the air passing toward the condenser 32 is forced out from the introduction hole 19a. , and forcibly delivered to the condenser 32 through the delivery hole 19b. This can also suppress the occurrence of dew condensation in the drain pipe 50 .

Further, in the present invention, a transfer member for transferring the heat of the condenser 32 to the drain pipe 50 may be provided, or a transfer member for transferring the heat generated by the interior lighting member 60 to the drain pipe 50 may be provided. You may make it provide a means. These can also suppress the occurrence of dew condensation in the drain pipe 50 .

In the above-described embodiment, part of the air passing toward the condenser 32 passes around the drain pipe 50, but in the present invention, the air passing around the condenser 32 It may be configured to pass around the drain pipe 50 . This can also suppress the occurrence of dew condensation in the drain pipe 50 .

In the modification shown in FIG. 3, the drain water is temporarily stored in the evaporating dish 42 and is heated by the heat of the condenser 32. However, in the present invention, the heat of the condenser is used. The form is not particularly limited as long as it can be used to heat the drain water. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the canopy 19 has the introduction hole 19a and the delivery hole 19b. It doesn't have to be.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10... Showcase, 11... Case main body, 11a... Front opening, 12... Storage room, 13... Product placement shelf, 15... Suction port, 16... Air outlet, 19... Canopy, 20... Air passage, 21... Bottom Side air passage 22 First rear air passage 23 Storage box 24 Second rear air passage 25 Third rear air passage 26 Upper air passage 30 Refrigeration circuit 31 Compression Machine 32 Condenser 33 Expansion mechanism 34 Evaporator 35 Refrigerant pipe 40 Evaporation plate 41 Drain water supply pipe 50 Drain discharge pipe 51 Drainage pipe 60 Warehouse Interior lighting member 100 Showcase system F1 Circulation fan F2 Outdoor fan.

Claims (8)

air circulation means for circulating air between a storage chamber defined inside a case body and an air passage provided inside the case body in a manner communicating with the storage chamber;
a cooling means for cooling the air circulated by the air circulation means, which is installed in the upper region of the storage chamber in the case main body, and which keeps the products stored in the storage chamber in a cooled state. There is
At the front end portion of the upper portion of the case main body above the storage chamber, the cooling means is disposed in a manner gradually sloping downward from one end to the other end along the width direction of the case main body, and the cooling means A showcase comprising a drain pipe for inflowing and discharging drain water generated by an evaporator constituting a. an introduction hole formed in the front end portion of the upper portion of the case body and introducing a part of the air passing toward the condenser constituting the cooling means;
2. The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a delivery hole formed in the front end portion and configured to deliver the air introduced from the introduction hole and passing near the drain pipe toward the condenser. showcase. A blower fan is provided at the front end portion and forcibly introduces a part of the air passing toward the condenser through the introduction hole and forcibly sends it out to the condenser through the delivery hole. The showcase according to claim 2, characterized by: 3. The showcase according to claim 1, wherein the drain water is heated using the heat of a condenser that constitutes the cooling means, and is made to flow into the drain pipe. 5. The showcase according to claim 4, further comprising an evaporating dish that temporarily stores the drain water and is thermally connected to the condenser. 4. The showcase according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a transfer member for transferring heat of a condenser constituting said cooling means to said drain pipe. an interior lighting member provided at the front end portion for illuminating the storage chamber;
4. The showcase according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a transmission means for transmitting heat generated by the interior lighting member to the drain pipe. A showcase system configured by arranging a plurality of showcases according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The showcase system, wherein the drain pipe is connected to communicate with a drain pipe provided in an adjacent showcase.

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