JP2023157685A - Disinfected storehouse and disinfected store system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology capable of improving user's workability, relating to linkage between disinfection storehouses.SOLUTION: A plurality of disinfection storehouses 10 is connected to form a signal transmission path loop. The disinfection storehouse 10 includes a heater 27, a controller 33, and an input/output circuit 35. The input/output circuit inputs a signal from a first disinfection storehouse transmitted through the signal transmission path, and outputs a signal to a second disinfection storehouse through the signal transmission path. The controller starts heat treatment to stored items in the storehouse accompanying actuation of the heater when a first notification signal, which is output from the first disinfection storehouse in response to completion of the heating process in the first disinfection storehouse, is input, and under a condition of completion of the heat treatment, a second notification signal is output to a second disinfection storehouse through the input/output circuit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present disclosure relates to disinfection storage and disinfection storage systems.

Disinfection storage cabinets for disinfecting and storing tableware are known as commercial kitchen equipment. The disinfection storage warehouse disinfects and dries the housed washed tableware by heating, and then stores the tableware until the next opportunity for use. The disinfection storage is provided with, for example, an electric heater, and the tableware is heat-sterilized by heating with the heater.

In large-scale kitchen facilities, multiple disinfection storages are installed to heat and disinfect large quantities of tableware. Multiple disinfection bins are used individually. Alternatively, a plurality of disinfection storages are connected in series (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

In a system in which a plurality of disinfection storages are connected in series, the plurality of disinfection storages sequentially start heat disinfection in response to an operation instruction given to the first disinfection storage. When one sterilization storage completes heat sterilization, the next sterilization storage starts heat sterilization. When the heating disinfection of the last disinfection storage is completed, the heating disinfection of the entire system is completed.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2001-252237

In a conventional system in which a plurality of disinfection storages are connected in series, the user needs to input operating instructions through the operation panel of the first disinfection storage in order to link the plurality of disinfection storages. Even if it were possible to input operation instructions through the operation panel of the disinfection storage located downstream from the beginning, the tableware stored in the disinfection storage located upstream from the disinfection storage where the operation instructions were input Heat sterilization cannot be performed.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is desirable to be able to provide a disinfection storage and a disinfection storage system that can improve the user's work efficiency regarding the interlocking between disinfection storages.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a sterilization storage that can be used as one of the plurality of sterilization storages is provided in a system in which a plurality of sterilization storages are connected to form a loop of a signal transmission path. . The disinfection storage includes a heater for heating the stored items in the storage, an input/output circuit, and a controller.

The input/output circuit inputs a signal transmitted from the first disinfection storage through the signal transmission path, and transmits a signal to a second disinfection storage that is the same as or different from the first disinfection storage through the signal transmission path. configured to output.

The controller is configured to control the heater. The controller receives a first notification signal, which is output from the first disinfection storage in response to completion of external heating processing, which is heating processing of the stored items in the first disinfection storage, through the input/output circuit. Then, the internal heating process, which is a heating process for the stored items in the refrigerator that involves activation of the heater, starts, and on the condition that the internal heating process is completed, a second notification signal is sent through the input/output circuit to start the second disinfection process. Configured to output to a repository.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the disinfection store is configured to self-register in response to a first notification signal input in response to completion of the heating process, e.g., from a first disinfection store located upstream of the loop. By performing the heat treatment and outputting the second notification signal in response to the completion of its own heat treatment, it is possible to cause the second disinfection storage located downstream of the loop to perform the heat treatment.

If you configure a system in which multiple disinfection storages form a loop using this disinfection storage, no matter which disinfection storage starts heat treatment, all of the multiple disinfection storage that make up the loop In each step, heat treatment is performed in order to achieve heat sterilization of the inside of the refrigerator. Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is possible to provide a disinfection storage and a disinfection storage system that can improve the user's work efficiency regarding the interlocking between disinfection storages.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller sets the flag on the condition that the internal heating process is completed, and the first notification signal is output from the first disinfection storage while the flag is set. If input, the internal heating process may not be started.

According to this configuration, after all of the plurality of disinfection storages forming the loop complete the heat treatment, it is possible to prevent the disinfection storage that first performed the heat treatment from starting the heat treatment again.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the disinfection repository may include a user interface. The controller may be configured to start the internal heating process when a driving instruction is input through the user interface, regardless of input of the first notification signal.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller inputs driving instructions on the condition that a predetermined condition regarding signal output and signal input through the input/output circuit is satisfied due to the configuration of the signal transmission path loop. It may be configured to start internal heat treatment according to.

If the disinfection storage starts the heat treatment based on the above-mentioned predetermined conditions, it is possible to suppress the inconvenience that occurs in the case where the loop is not properly configured. For example, by not performing heat treatment in some disinfection storages, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of inconveniences in which some stored items are not heat disinfected.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the input/output circuit is capable of inputting an interlock signal from one of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage; The interlock signal may be configured to be outputtable to the other of the disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when an operation instruction is input, the controller outputs an interlock signal to the other disinfection storage through the input/output circuit, and then an interlock signal is input from one disinfection storage. The internal heating process can be configured to start on condition that the internal heating process is performed, regardless of the input of the first notification signal.

According to such a configuration, operation of the user interface of other disinfection storages can be prohibited by the interlock signal, and malfunctions can be suppressed. Further, if an appropriate loop is not configured, the interlock signal will not be input to the disinfection storage which outputs the interlock signal based on the driving instruction. Alternatively, if there is a disinfection storage that cannot be interlocked with the plurality of disinfection storages forming the loop, the interlock signal is not input. Therefore, it is possible to suppress the inconvenience that occurs when a user inputs a driving instruction without knowing that there is an environment in which the interlocking may be incomplete.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, each of the plurality of disinfection repositories receives an interlock signal input from an upstream repository, which is an adjacent disinfection repository on the upstream side of the loop, to an adjacent disinfection repository on the downstream side of the loop. It may be configured to output to a downstream storage, which is a warehouse.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, at least one of the plurality of disinfection storages is configured to output the interlock signal to the downstream storage after a predetermined time delay after the interlock signal is input from the upstream storage. obtain.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller outputs an interlock signal to the other disinfection storage in response to an operation instruction, and then adjusts the delay time until the interlock signal is input from one of the disinfection storages. Based on this, the interlock signal input from one disinfection storage is configured to determine whether or not it is a signal equivalent to the interlock signal that passes through the other disinfection storage and reaches the interlock signal that goes around the loop. You can.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, on the condition that the controller further determines that the interlock signal input from one of the disinfection storages corresponds to the interlock signal arriving after going around the loop, The internal heating process may be configured to start regardless of input of the first notification signal.

In cases where operation instructions are input to multiple disinfection storage warehouses forming a loop at the same time, etc., the disinfection storage warehouse that outputs the interlock signal based on the operation instruction may be sent to other disinfection storage storage units based on another operation instruction. The interlock signal output by the warehouse may be input. In such cases, one disinfection store in the loop may not be able to exclusively perform heat treatment based on operating instructions.

In contrast, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, the above-mentioned delay is used to start the heat treatment based on the operation instruction, so that the plurality of disinfection storages forming the loop simultaneously perform the heat treatment based on the operation instruction. The possibility of starting heat treatment can be suppressed.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a disinfection storage system may be provided that includes a plurality of disinfection storages connected to form a loop of signal transmission paths. Each of the plurality of disinfection repositories may be a disinfection repository having the characteristics described above. According to this system, it is possible to improve the user's work efficiency regarding the interlocking between disinfection storages.

It is a figure showing the composition of the disinfection storage system of a first embodiment. FIG. 2A is a perspective view of the disinfection storage, and FIG. 2B is a front view of the disinfection storage. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the electrical configuration of the disinfection storage. FIGS. 4A to 4C are diagrams (part 1) for explaining signal input and output between disinfection storages. FIGS. 5A to 5C are diagrams (part 2) for explaining signal input and output between disinfection storages. FIGS. 6A and 6B are diagrams (Part 3) for explaining signal input/output between disinfection storages. It is a flowchart showing the operation control process which a controller performs. 3 is a flowchart showing signal switching processing executed by the controller. FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram regarding transmission including delay of an interlock signal. 5 is a time chart regarding input and output of interlock signals. FIGS. 11A and 11B are diagrams illustrating signal input/output between disinfection storages and driving operations when driving instructions are input simultaneously. 5 is a time chart regarding input and output of interlock signals when driving instructions are input simultaneously.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
The disinfection storage system 1 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 1 includes a first disinfection storage 10A, a second disinfection storage 10B, a third disinfection storage 10C, and a fourth disinfection storage 10D.

The first disinfection storage 10A, the second disinfection storage 10B, the third disinfection storage 10C, and the fourth disinfection storage 10D are disinfection storages 10 of the same type. Below, when explaining the configurations of the first disinfection storage 10A, the second disinfection storage 10B, the third disinfection storage 10C, and the fourth disinfection storage 10D without distinction, these disinfection storage 10A , 10B, 10C, and 10D are simply expressed as the disinfection storage 10.

The disinfection storage system 1 further includes a signal line 13 for transmitting an interlock signal and a signal line 15 for transmitting a chain operation signal. The signal lines 13 and 15 connect the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D in a loop shape. The disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are connected through signal lines 13 and 15 to form a transmission line loop for transmitting interlock signals and chain operation signals.

The signal line 13 includes a first section 131, a second section 132, a third section 133, and a fourth section 134. The signal line 15 includes a first section 151, a second section 152, a third section 153, and a fourth section 154.

The first parts 131, 151 are wired between the disinfection storage 10A and the disinfection storage 10B, and input the interlock signal and chain operation signal output from the disinfection storage 10A to the disinfection storage 10B. The second parts 132, 152 are wired between the disinfection storage 10B and the disinfection storage 10C, and input the interlock signal and chain operation signal output from the disinfection storage 10B to the disinfection storage 10C.

The third portion 133, 153 is wired between the disinfection storage 10C and the disinfection storage 10D, and inputs the interlock signal and chain operation signal output from the disinfection storage 10C to the disinfection storage 10D. The fourth parts 134 and 154 are wired between the disinfection storage 10D and the disinfection storage 10A, and input the interlock signal and chain operation signal output from the disinfection storage 10D to the disinfection storage 10A.

As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the disinfection storage 10 is a box-shaped storage that includes a storage space 20 inside a housing 21 for storing tableware to be stored. A double door 23 for access from the outside is further provided at the opening of the housing 21.

The double door 23 is installed so that the two doors 23A and 23B open from the center by rotating via hinges attached to the left and right sides of the disinfection storage 10. The tableware is stored in the storage space 20 by the operator with the double doors 23 open. Specifically, after the tableware is washed, it is stored in the storage space 20 for disinfection and drying.

With the double doors 23 closed, the housing space 20 is substantially sealed except for the ventilation path (not shown). The tableware stored in the storage space 20 is heated with the double doors 23 closed, thereby being disinfected while drying, and stored.

FIG. 2A is a perspective view schematically showing the appearance of the disinfection storage 10 with the double doors 23 closed. FIG. 2B is a front view showing the configuration of the accommodation space 20 of the disinfection storage 10 with the double doors 23 open, particularly with the double doors 23 not shown. The storage space 20 is divided by shelves 25, so that the disinfection storage 10 is configured to be able to efficiently store a large number of tableware.

The disinfection storage 10 includes heaters 27 on both left and right sides of the storage space 20 inside the housing 21, and a fan 29 above the storage space 20. The heater 27 is of an electric type and is arranged to apply heat to the air in the housing space 20 by resistance heating. The high-temperature air heated by the heater 27 is circulated through the housing space 20 by the airflow generated by the fan 29. Thereby, the tableware accommodated in the accommodation space 20 is heated.

The disinfection storage 10 includes an operation panel 31 at the top of the housing 21 in order to receive operations from an operator. The operation panel 31 includes various switches and functions as a user interface that can accept temperature setting operations, interlock mode setting operations, and driving instructions from an operator. The operation panel 31 further includes a display section (not shown) for displaying the operating state and setting state of the disinfection storage 10.

The disinfection storage 10 described here is an integrated type in which a heater 27, a fan 29, an operation panel 31, and a storage space 20 are integrated. However, the disinfection storage 10 is not limited to this, and may be a separate type in which a heating system is configured separately from the storage space 20 inside the storage. In a separate type (for example, a ceiling-mounted type), a heating device installed outside a movable container containing tableware, such as a heating device installed in the ceiling, is connected to the container through a duct extending from the heating device. The heating device can include a heater 27, a fan 29, and an operation panel 31. Hot air sent from the heating device through the duct into the housing space 20 of the container circulates in the housing space 20 . After heating and disinfection, the duct is removed. Thereby, the container can be moved while containing tableware.

As shown in FIG. 3, the disinfection storage 10 includes a controller 33, an input/output circuit 35, a temperature sensor 37, and a power supply circuit 39 in addition to a heater 27, a fan 29, and an operation panel 31. The power supply circuit 39 uses the power input from the power cable P0 to generate power to be supplied to each part in the disinfection storage 10.

The controller 33 operates by receiving power from the power supply circuit 39 and performs processing based on operation signals input through the operation panel 31 and signals input from outside the disinfection storage 10 through the input/output circuit 35. and control each part in the disinfection storage 10.

Specifically, the controller 33 includes a processor 33A and a memory 33B. Specifically, the processing executed by the controller 33 is realized by the processor 33A executing processing according to a computer program stored in the memory 33B.

The input/output circuit 35 includes an input circuit configured to input an input signal from the adjacent disinfection storage 10 on the upstream side of the loop to the controller 33 as a digital signal, and an input circuit configured to input the input signal from the adjacent sterilization storage 10 on the upstream side of the loop to the controller 33 according to the control signal from the controller 33. and an output circuit configured to output a signal directed to the adjacent disinfection storage 10. According to one example, the input/output circuit 35 may be incorporated into the controller 33.

The input/output circuit 35 is connected to the upstream part 13U of the signal line 13, and has an input port for inputting an interlock signal from the upstream part 13U to the controller 33, and is connected to the downstream part 13D of the signal line 13, and inputs the interlock signal from the upstream part 13U to the downstream part 13D. An output port that outputs an interlock signal is connected to the upstream section 15U of the signal line 15, and an input port that inputs the chain operation signal from the upstream section 15U to the controller 33, and is connected to the downstream section 15D of the signal line 15. It includes an output port that outputs a chain operation signal from the downstream section 15D to the controller 33.

When the disinfection storage 10 is the first disinfection storage 10A, the upstream parts 13U and 15U of the signal lines 13 and 15 correspond to the fourth parts 134 and 154 of the signal lines 13 and 15, , 15 correspond to the first portions 131, 151 of the signal lines 13, 15. When the disinfection storage 10 is the second disinfection storage 10B, the upstream parts 13U and 15U of the signal lines 13 and 15 correspond to the first parts 131 and 151 of the signal lines 13 and 15, and the signal lines 13 , 15 correspond to the second portions 132, 152 of the signal lines 13, 15.

When the disinfection storage 10 is the third disinfection storage 10C, the upstream parts 13U and 15U of the signal lines 13 and 15 correspond to the second parts 132 and 152 of the signal lines 13 and 15, and the signal lines 13 , 15 correspond to the third portions 133, 153 of the signal lines 13, 15. When the disinfection storage 10 is the fourth disinfection storage 10D, the upstream parts 13U and 15U of the signal lines 13 and 15 correspond to the third parts 133 and 153 of the signal lines 13 and 15, , 15 correspond to the fourth portions 134, 154 of the signal lines 13, 15.

The temperature sensor 37 is a detector installed in the housing space 20 and configured to detect the temperature of the housing space 20 as the internal temperature T.

Next, using FIGS. 4A-4C, 5A-5C, and 6A-6B, the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D when the disinfection storage system 1 of this embodiment operates in the loop-linked mode The signal input/output between them and the control of the heater 27 will be briefly explained. Thereafter, details of processing executed by the controller 33 to realize input/output of these signals and control of the heater 27 will be explained using FIGS. 7 and 8.

According to this embodiment, the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D shift from the single-action mode to the loop-linked mode by the operator's predetermined operation on the operation panel 31 of the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. . In the single-action mode, the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D do not work together, and each of the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D operates independently to heat and disinfect tableware. , 10C, and 10D.

In the loop-linked mode, the sterilization storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D sequentially perform a heating sterilization process accompanied by the operation of the heater 27 along a loop, thereby cleaning the dishes stored in the storage space (i.e., the storage space 20). This is the operation mode of the sterilization storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D for heating and sterilizing items.

According to the loop-linked mode, when an operation instruction is input from the operator by the operator's operation on the operation panel 31 of the disinfection storage 10A as shown in FIG. 4A, the disinfection storage 10A is activated as shown in FIG. 4B. An on signal is output as an interlock signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10B on the downstream side of the loop.

Here, an example will be described in which a driving instruction is input into the disinfection storage 10A, but the driving instruction may be input into any of the disinfection storage 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The operations of the disinfection storages 10B, 10C, 10D, and 10A when an operation instruction is input to the disinfection storage storage 10B are as follows: It corresponds to the operations of 10B, 10C, and 10D.

When the disinfection storage 10A outputs an on signal as an interlock signal, the disinfection storage 10B outputs an on signal as an interlock signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10C on the downstream side of the loop in response to this interlock signal.

In response to this interlock signal, the disinfection storage 10C outputs an on signal as an interlock signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10D on the downstream side of the loop. The disinfection storage 10D outputs an on signal as an interlock signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10A on the downstream side of the loop.

In this way, the on/off state of the interlock signal is propagated to all disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D on the loop. The interlock signal corresponds to a signal for interlocking. When an ON signal is input as an interlock signal, the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D prohibit reception of all operations from the operation panel 31 so that they are not operated simultaneously.

The sterilization storage 10A performs heat sterilization processing on the condition that an ON signal is input as an interlock signal, and heat sterilizes the tableware in the storage. For example, the disinfection storage 10A controls the heater 27 so that heating is performed in the storage at a set temperature of 90° C. or more for 60 minutes or more.

When the heating disinfection process is thus completed, the disinfection storage 10A sets the completion flag to the value 1, as shown in FIG. 4C. Further, the disinfection storage 10A switches the output interlock signal to an off signal. The turning off of this interlock signal is transmitted to the disinfection storage 10B, 10C, and 10D in order, and also to the disinfection storage 10A. The disinfection storage 10A outputs an ON signal as a chain operation signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10B downstream of the loop, on the condition that the input interlock signal is switched to an OFF signal.

The disinfection storage 10B outputs an ON signal as an interlock signal, as shown in FIG. 5A, on the condition that an ON signal is input as a chain operation signal from the adjacent disinfection storage 10A on the upstream side of the loop. This ON signal is sequentially transmitted to the disinfection storage 10C, 10D, and 10A, and is also input to the disinfection storage 10B.

The sterilization storage 10B executes heat sterilization processing on the condition that the ON signal is input as an interlock signal, and heat sterilizes the tableware in the storage. When the heating disinfection process is completed, the disinfection storage 10B sets the completion flag to the value 1 and switches the output interlock signal to an off signal, as shown in FIG. 5B. The turning off of the interlock signal is transmitted to the disinfection storage 10C, 10D, and 10A in order, and also to the disinfection storage 10B. The disinfection storage 10B outputs an on signal as a chain operation signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10B downstream of the loop, on the condition that the input interlock signal is switched to an off signal.

The disinfection storage 10C also outputs an ON signal as an interlock signal, as shown in FIG. 5C, on the condition that an ON signal is input as a chain operation signal from the adjacent disinfection storage 10B on the upstream side of the loop, Similar to the disinfection storage 10B, heat disinfection processing is performed. When the heat disinfection process is completed, the disinfection storage 10C sets the completion flag to the value 1, and furthermore, after executing the predetermined procedure, inputs an on signal as a chain operation signal to the adjacent disinfection storage 10D downstream of the loop. .

The disinfection storage 10D also operates in the same manner as the disinfection storages 10B and 10C, and when the heat sterilization process is completed, the completion flag is set to the value 1 as shown in FIG. An on signal is input as a chain operation signal to the disinfection storage 10A.

When the disinfection storage 10A receives an ON signal as a chain operation signal from the adjacent disinfection storage 10D on the upstream side of the loop with the completion flag already set to 1, the disinfection storage 10A executes a reset process. , the interlock signal remains an off signal.

When the interlock signal remains off for a predetermined period of time, the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D reset the completion flag to the value 0, as shown in FIG. 6B.

In this way, in response to an operation instruction to one disinfection storage 10A, the heat sterilization process is sequentially executed in all the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D on the loop. Due to the completion flag function, the chain of heat disinfection processing ends when the heat disinfection processing in all disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D is completed, and the processing triggered by the operation instruction in loop-linked mode is all finished.

Next, details of the operation control process repeatedly executed by the controller 33 will be explained using FIG. 7. When the operation control process is started, the controller 33 receives an operation instruction from the operator through the operation panel 31, or receives an ON signal as a chain operation signal from the upstream portion 15U of the signal line 15 through the input/output circuit 35. The process waits until the process is completed (S110, S115).

When a driving instruction is input or when an ON signal is input as a chain driving signal (Yes in S110 or S115), the controller 33 determines whether the completion flag is set to the value 1 (S120). The completion flag is set to a value of 1 when the heat sterilization process is completed (S170), and then reset to a value of 0 under a predetermined condition (S200).

If it is determined that the completion flag is not set to the value 1 (No in S120), the controller 33 outputs an on signal as an interlock signal to the downstream portion 13D of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35 (S130). This interlock signal is input to the disinfection storage 10 on the downstream side of the loop.

Thereafter, the controller 33 receives an on signal as an interlock signal from the upstream section 13U of the signal line 13 when the disinfection storage 10 on the downstream side of the loop responds to the interlock signal (on signal) output in S130. It is determined whether or not it has been input (S140). When the ON signal is input (Yes in S140), the controller 33 executes the process in S150.

On the other hand, if the ON signal is not input as an interlock signal within a predetermined time from execution of the process of S130 (No in S140), that is, if the input interlock signal remains an OFF signal ( No in S140), error information is displayed on the operation panel 31 (S145), and the operation control process is ended.

In S150, the controller 33 determines whether the delay time of the interlock signal is within a normal range. The delay time referred to here is after the controller 33 outputs an interlock signal (on signal) to the downstream section 13D of the signal line 13 through the process in S130, and then from the upstream section 13U of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35. It corresponds to the elapsed time until the interlock signal (ON signal) is input. Details will be described later.

If it is determined in S150 that the delay time of the interlock signal is within the normal range (Yes in S150), the controller 33 executes heat disinfection processing (S160). On the other hand, if the controller 33 determines that the delay time of the interlock signal is not within the normal range (No in S150), the controller 33 ends the operation control process without performing the heat disinfection process.

In the heat disinfection process (S160), the controller 33 operates the heater 27 and fan 29. The controller 33 controls the heater 27 on/off based on the temperature inside the refrigerator (accommodation space 20) detected by the temperature sensor 37 so as to adjust the temperature inside the refrigerator to a set temperature. The controller 33 ends the heat disinfection process when heating at the set temperature exceeds a predetermined time. As a result, the tableware stored in the refrigerator is heated and sterilized.

When the heating disinfection process is completed, the controller 33 stops the heater 27 and sets the completion flag to the value 1 (S170). Setting the completion flag to a value of 1 means that heat sterilization has been completed.

The controller 33 further switches the interlock signal output to the downstream portion 13D of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35 to an off signal (S170). Thereafter, the controller 33 determines whether the interlock signal input from the upstream section 13U of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35 has been switched to an off signal (S180).

When determining that the input interlock signal has been switched to an off signal (Yes at S180), the controller 33 temporarily switches the chain operation signal output to the downstream section 15D of the signal line 15 through the input/output circuit 35 to an on signal. After that (S190), the operation control process ends.

On the other hand, if the input interlock signal is not switched to an off signal (No in S180), the controller 33 executes a predetermined error process (S195) and then ends the operation control process.

In S190, when the chain operation signal to be output is switched to the ON signal, the disinfection storage 10 on the downstream side of the loop makes an affirmative judgment in the process of S115, and if the completion flag is not set to the value 1, the process from S130 onward is performed. By performing this, heat sterilization processing is performed (S160). Furthermore, when the heat disinfection process is completed, an on signal is temporarily outputted to the downstream side of the loop as a chain operation signal (S190).

In this way, the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D sequentially perform the heat disinfection process from upstream to downstream of the loop as described in FIGS. 4A-4C, 5A-5C, and 6A-6B. .

When an ON signal is input as a chain operation signal for a certain period of time to the disinfection storage 10 whose heat sterilization process has already been completed and the completion flag is set to the value 1, the controller 33 of this disinfection storage 10 performs the following operations. works like this.

That is, the controller 33 makes affirmative determinations in S115 and S120, and executes the reset process in S200. In the reset process, the interlock signal that remains in the OFF state is continuously maintained in the OFF state for a predetermined period of time, so that all the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D on the loop set the completion flag. Reset and turn off chain operation signal output. After that, the operation control process ends.

In addition, the controller 33 turns on/off the interlock signal output to the disinfection storage 10 on the downstream side of the loop in response to the on/off of the interlock signal input from the disinfection storage 10 on the upstream side of the loop. Then, the signal switching process shown in FIG. 8 is repeatedly executed. As another example, the signal switching process may be realized by a circuit configuration included in the input/output circuit 35 without involving the controller 33.

According to the signal switching process, the controller 33 receives an on signal as an interlock signal from the upstream portion 13U of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35, or switches the input interlock signal from an on signal to an off signal. (S210, S220).

When the on signal is input as the interlock signal (Yes at S210), the controller 33 switches the interlock signal output to the downstream portion 13D of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35 to the on signal (S240).

On the other hand, when the input interlock signal is switched from an on signal to an off signal (Yes at S220), the controller 33 switches the interlock signal output to the downstream section 13D of the signal line 13 through the input/output circuit 35 to an off signal. (S250). Through such signal switching processing, the controller 33 turns on/off the interlock signal to be output according to the on/off state of the input interlock signal.

Furthermore, among the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D on the loop, only the specific storage, which is a specific disinfection storage 10 set in advance, receives the input of the interlock signal (ON signal). On the other hand, the interlock signal (on signal) is set to be output at a timing delayed by a predetermined time Td.

That is, when the on signal is input as an interlock signal (Yes at S210), the controller 33 of the specific storage warehouse waits for a predetermined time Td from the input timing of the on signal (S230), and then the downstream part of the signal line 13 is activated. An on signal is output as an interlock signal to 13D (S240).

In the example shown in FIG. 9, the second disinfection storage 10B among the disinfection storages 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D is set to be delayed so that the interlock signal is delayed by a predetermined time Td and output. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating transmission of a lock signal. FIG. 10 is a time chart illustrating on/off of this interlock signal on the time axis.

According to this example, the second disinfection storage 10B functions as the above-mentioned specific storage and executes the signal switching process including the process of S230, and the other disinfection storage 10A, 10C, 10D functions as the specific storage Executes signal switching processing that does not include processing.

Therefore, when an operation instruction is input to the first disinfection storage 10A and the first disinfection storage 10A outputs an on signal as an interlock signal, an on signal is immediately input to the second disinfection storage 10B. However, the second disinfection storage 10B outputs the ON signal after a delay of a predetermined time Td. This interlock signal (on signal) is propagated through the third disinfection storage 10C and further through the fourth disinfection storage 10D, including an intentional delay of a predetermined time Td, and is transmitted to the first disinfection storage It is input into the warehouse 10A.

When the input interlock signal includes an intentional delay of the predetermined time Td, the controller 33 of the first disinfection storage 10A determines in S150 that the delay time is within the normal range, and performs heat disinfection in S160. Start processing. If Td=0, the time from the output of the interlock signal (on signal) by the first disinfection storage 10A until the interlock signal (on signal) is input to the first disinfection storage 10A is time T0, the normal range can be defined between time (T0+Td-E) and time (T0+Td+E), taking into account the error E.

The formation of such an intentional delay of the interlock signal ensures that, as shown in FIG. 10 to perform the heat sterilization process.

FIG. 11A shows an interlock signal when an operation instruction is simultaneously input to two disinfection storages 10 on the loop, specifically, the first disinfection storage 10A and the second disinfection storage 10C. Explain the input and output of

By inputting the operation instruction, the first disinfection storage 10A and the third disinfection storage 10C execute the process of S130 almost simultaneously. Therefore, the output of the ON signal as an interlock signal is performed substantially simultaneously from the first disinfection storage 10A to the downstream side of the loop, and further from the third disinfection storage 10C to the downstream side of the loop.

At this time, if a delay is set for the second disinfection storage 10B, the interlock signal (on signal) output from the first disinfection storage 10A will be applied to the second disinfection storage 10B for a predetermined time Td. The virus then propagates to the third disinfection storage 10C with a delay of .

On the other hand, the interlock signal (on signal) output from the third disinfection storage 10C at the same time as the first disinfection storage 10A based on the operation instruction is transmitted to the first disinfection storage 10D via the fourth disinfection storage 10D. When inputted into the disinfection storage 10A, there is no delay of the predetermined time Td.

That is, the interlock signal changes over time as shown in FIG. As can be understood from FIG. 12, in the first disinfection storage 10A, the interlock signal (ON signal) output from the third disinfection storage 10C is determined from the output of its own interlock signal (ON signal). The delay time until it is input to the first disinfection storage 10A via the fourth disinfection storage 10D is very small. Therefore, the first disinfection storage 10A makes a negative determination in S150 and does not start the heat disinfection process.

On the other hand, in the third disinfection storage 10C, the delay time from the output to the input of its own interlock signal (on signal) includes an intentional delay time of the predetermined time Td. Therefore, the third disinfection storage 10C makes an affirmative determination in S150 and starts the heat disinfection process.

According to the example shown in FIG. 11B, based on the delay time that occurs in the interlock signal, out of the first and third disinfection storages 10A and 10C to which the operation instruction is input at the same time, only the third disinfection storage 10C However, operation will begin after the heat disinfection process is performed.

According to the disinfection storage system 1 of the present embodiment described above, the controller 33 of the disinfection storage 10 controls the first output from the disinfection storage 10 on the upstream side of the loop in response to the completion of the heat disinfection process. When the chain operation signal (on signal) as a notification signal is received (Yes in S115), the heating sterilization process for the tableware in the refrigerator accompanied by the operation of the heater 27 is started. (S160)

The controller 33 outputs a chain operation signal (on signal), which is a second notification signal, to the downstream disinfection storage 10 through the input/output circuit 35 on the condition that the heating disinfection process is completed (S190).

The downstream disinfection storage 10 executes its own heating disinfection process in response to the chain operation signal (ON signal) input from the upstream disinfection storage 10. By sequentially outputting such chain operation signals, the disinfection storage warehouses 10 located on the downstream side of the loop sequentially execute heat disinfection processing in a chain manner, starting from the disinfection storage warehouse 10 to which the operation instruction has been input.

When all the disinfection storages 10 on the loop complete the heat disinfection process, the chain of heat disinfection processes ends based on the completion flag. That is, in the present embodiment, the controller 33 sets the completion flag on the condition that its own heating disinfection process has been completed, and receives a chain operation signal from the upstream disinfection storage 10 while the completion flag is set. (ON signal) is input, an affirmative determination is made in S120 and the heat sterilization process is not started.

In this way, according to the disinfection storage system 1 of the present embodiment, the disinfection storages 10 are connected in a loop, so that no matter which disinfection storage 10 is given an operation instruction through the operation panel 31, a loop is formed. In all of the plurality of disinfection storages 10, heating disinfection inside the storage can be achieved. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide the disinfection storage system 1 that can improve the user's work efficiency regarding the interlocking between the plurality of disinfection storages 10.

According to this embodiment, after all of the plurality of disinfection storages 10 forming the loop have finished the heat disinfection process, the disinfection storage unit 10 that first performed the heat disinfection process is prevented from starting the heat disinfection process again. This can be suppressed using the completion flag function.

In this embodiment, when an operation instruction is input through the operation panel 31 (Yes at S110), the controller 33 starts the heat disinfection process regardless of the input of a chain operation signal. Only when the relationship between the output and input of the interlock signal (on signal) through the input/output circuit 35 satisfies a predetermined condition (Yes in S150), the controller 33 performs the heat disinfection process ( S160) is started.

In this way, when the disinfection storage 10 starts the heat disinfection process based on the predetermined conditions, it is possible to suppress the inconvenience that occurs in the case where the loop is not properly configured. For example, it is possible to prevent workers from misunderstanding that heat disinfection processing will be performed in all disinfection storages 10 on the loop due to operation instructions, even though the loop is not properly configured. can.

In this embodiment, at least one of the plurality of disinfection storages 10 on the loop transmits the interlock signal (on signal) downstream of the loop after a predetermined time Td delay after the interlock signal (on signal) is input from the upstream side of the loop. Output to.

In addition, the controller 33 outputs an interlock signal (on signal) in response to an operation instruction, and then inputs the input signal based on the delay time until the interlock signal (on signal) is input from the upstream disinfection storage 10. It is determined whether the interlock signal that is received is a valid interlock signal with a delay corresponding to the delay time that would occur if it passed through the other disinfection storage and reached the loop once (S150). . The controller 33 starts the heating disinfection process in accordance with the driving instruction on the condition that the input interlock signal is determined to be a valid interlock signal (S160). Therefore, in this embodiment, when multiple operation instructions are input at the same time, it is possible to suppress the possibility that multiple disinfection storages 10 start heat disinfection processing based on the operation instructions at the same time. can.

[Other embodiments]
The present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments, and can take various forms.
For example, the above-described disinfection storage system 1 may have a configuration in which only two disinfection storages 10 are connected in a loop, or an arbitrary number of two or more disinfection storages 10 may be connected in a loop. It may also be configured differently.

Even if an ON signal is input as an interlock signal, the disinfection storage 10 is in a situation where it cannot perform heat sterilization processing in response to input of a chain operation signal (ON signal). The configuration may be such that the process of S240 is not executed, that is, the on signal is not output as the interlock signal. That is, the disinfection storage 10 may be configured to make an affirmative determination in S210 and output an interlock signal (on signal) downstream only when the disinfection storage 10 is in a situation where it can perform the heat disinfection process. .

The disinfection storage system 1 may allow a state in which the disinfection storage 10 in the single-action mode and the disinfection storage 10 in the loop-linked mode coexist. For example, if the disinfection storage 10C remains in the single action mode and the disinfection storage 10A, 10B, 10D shifts to the loop interlocking mode, the loop interlocking is only the disinfection storage 10A, 10B, 10D and the disinfection storage 10C. It can be done by skipping. At this time, the interlock signal is sequentially output to all disinfection storage units 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D, so only one unit in the loop can start operation, regardless of whether it is in single action mode or loop interlocking mode. .

Disinfection storage 10 may be placed on standby or temporarily suspended under the control of an external management system (eg, a demand control system that controls power consumption of the facility). By putting the disinfection storage 10 on standby or temporarily stopping, the external management system can preferentially operate other kitchen equipment (for example, a cleaning device, a cooking device, etc.). When the disinfection storage 10 restarts its own operation after the operation of other kitchen equipment is finished, the internal temperature T that has fallen during the temporary stop is returned to the temperature at the time of the temporary stop, and then You can resume your remaining driving time.

The function that one component in the above embodiment has may be distributed and provided to multiple components. Functions possessed by multiple components may be integrated into one component. A part of the configuration of the above embodiment may be omitted. At least a part of the configuration of the embodiment described above may be added to or replaced with the configuration of other embodiments described above. All aspects included in the technical idea specified from the words described in the claims are embodiments of the present disclosure.

1...Disinfection storage system, 10...Disinfection storage, 10A...First disinfection storage, 10B...Second disinfection storage, 10C...Third disinfection storage, 10D...Fourth disinfection storage, 13... Signal line, 13D...Downstream part, 13U...Upstream part, 15...Signal line, 15D...Downstream part, 15U...Upstream part, 20...Accommodation space, 21...Casing, 23...Double door, 25...Shelf, 27...Heater , 29... Fan, 31... Operation panel, 33... Controller, 33A... Processor, 33B... Memory, 35... Input/output circuit, 37... Temperature sensor, 39... Power supply circuit, P0... Power cable.

Claims (7)

In a system in which a plurality of disinfection storages are connected to form a signal transmission path loop, a disinfection storage that can be used as one of the plurality of disinfection storages,
A heater for heating stored items in the refrigerator,
a controller configured to control the heater;
Inputting a signal transmitted from the first disinfection storage through the signal transmission path, and outputting a signal to a second disinfection storage that is the same as or different from the first disinfection storage through the signal transmission path. An input/output circuit configured as follows,
Equipped with
The controller is configured such that a first notification signal outputted from the first disinfection storage in response to completion of an external heating process, which is a heating process for the stored items in the first disinfection storage, is output from the input/output. When input through the circuit, an internal heating process, which is a heating process for the stored items in the warehouse accompanied by the operation of the heater, is started, and on condition that the internal heating process is completed, an input signal is sent through the input/output circuit. a disinfection storage that outputs a second notification signal to the second disinfection storage; The controller sets a flag on the condition that the internal heating process is completed, and when the first notification signal is input from the first disinfection storage with the flag set. 2. The disinfection storage according to claim 1, wherein said internal heating treatment is not started. Equipped with a user interface,
The sterilization storage according to claim 1, wherein the controller starts the internal heating treatment when an operation instruction is input through the user interface, regardless of input of the first notification signal. The controller controls the internal control in response to the input of the driving instruction, on the condition that a predetermined condition regarding signal output and signal input through the input/output circuit is satisfied due to the configuration of the signal transmission path loop. 4. The disinfection storage according to claim 3, wherein a heat treatment is started. The input/output circuit is capable of inputting an interlock signal from one of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage, and is configured to input an interlock signal from one of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage. configured to be able to output the interlock signal to the other disinfection storage of the second disinfection storage;
When the operation instruction is input, the controller outputs the interlock signal to the other disinfection storage through the input/output circuit, and then the interlock signal is input from the one disinfection storage. 4. The disinfection storage according to claim 3, wherein the internal heating treatment is started regardless of the input of the first notification signal. Each of the plurality of disinfection storages transmits the interlock signal input from the upstream storage, which is an adjacent disinfection storage on the upstream side of the loop, to the downstream storage, which is an adjacent disinfection storage on the downstream side of the loop. is configured to output to
At least one of the plurality of disinfection storages is configured to output the interlock signal to the downstream storage after a predetermined time delay after the interlock signal is input from the upstream storage,
The controller is configured to perform the control based on the delay time from when the interlock signal is output to the other disinfection storage in response to the operation instruction until the interlock signal is input from the one disinfection storage. It is determined whether the interlock signal inputted from one disinfection storage is a signal equivalent to the interlock signal that passes through the other disinfection storage and reaches the loop, and Regardless of the input of the first notification signal, on the condition that the interlock signal input from the disinfection storage is determined to be a signal equivalent to the interlock signal arriving after going around the loop, The disinfection storage according to claim 5, wherein said internal heating treatment is started. It comprises a plurality of disinfection storages connected to form a loop of signal transmission paths, each of the plurality of disinfection storages being a disinfection storage according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Disinfection storage system.

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