JP2023157686A - Disinfection storage cabinet and disinfection storage system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technique capable of efficiently heating and disinfecting target items using multiple disinfection storage cabinets while maintaining the maximum power consumption of approximately one cabinet's worth.SOLUTION: A disinfection storage cabinet 10 comprises a heater 27, a controller 33, and an input-output circuit 35. The heater 27 is configured to heat a stored item within the cabinet. The controller 33 is configured to control the heater 27. The input-output circuit 35 is configured to input a signal from an external storage cabinet 10E, a storage cabinet in the outside, and output a signal for the external storage cabinet 10E. The controller 33 outputs a first notification signal related to the operation of the heater 27 to the external storage cabinet 10E through the input-output circuit 35. On the basis of a second notification signal related to the operation of the external storage cabinet 10E's heater input from the external storage cabinet 10E via the input-output circuit 35, the controller 33 controls the operation of its own cabinet's heater 27.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

When storing a large number of tableware distributed in multiple disinfection storage cabinets and heating and sterilizing these tableware using multiple disinfection storage cabinets, the internal temperature of each disinfection storage cabinet is controlled to a set temperature. To do this, the heater is turned on and off repeatedly. This keeps the temperature inside the refrigerator approximately constant. However, in this case, the wait time for the heater is the period from when the internal temperature exceeds the set temperature and the heater is turned off until the temperature drops to the set temperature and the heater is turned on. .

Therefore, in the method of operating the sterilization storages one by one, it takes a long time to complete heat sterilization of all the tableware that is distributed and stored in a plurality of sterilization storages. On the other hand, operating multiple disinfection storages at the same time increases the power consumption per hour in the facility. An increase in power consumption per hour leads to an increase in electricity charges.

Therefore, according to one aspect of the present disclosure, it is desirable to be able to provide a technique that can efficiently heat and sterilize objects using a plurality of sterilization storages while suppressing power consumption per hour.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a disinfection storage is provided. The disinfection storage includes a heater, a controller, and an input/output circuit. The heater is a heater configured to heat stored items in the refrigerator. Here, the heater provided in the disinfection storage is referred to as a self-heater.

The controller is configured to control the self-heater. The input/output circuit is configured to input a signal from an external storage, which is an external disinfection storage, and output a signal intended for the external storage.

The controller outputs a first notification signal regarding the operation of the self-heater to the external storage through the input/output circuit. The controller controls the self-heater based on a second notification signal related to the operation of the external heater, which is a heater included in the external storage, which is input from the external storage through the input/output circuit.

The disinfection storage according to one aspect of the present disclosure can control the self-heater according to the operating status of the external heater in the external storage. In an environment where an internal temperature sufficient for thermal disinfection is achieved in the external storage, the power consumption of the external heater may be reduced, or the external heater may be stopped and its power consumption may become zero.

Based on the second notification signal, the controller detects, for example, in an environment where the power consumption of the external heater is decreasing or is zero, until the internal temperature of the external storage falls to a temperature that requires heating again. By increasing the output of the self-heater or activating the self-heater, it is possible to heat and sterilize the stored items in the refrigerator.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an external storage may also operate similar to the disinfection storage described above. If the external repository is configured similarly to the disinfection repository described above, each of the plurality of disinfection repositories including the external repository may notify each other of the external disinfection repository other than itself based on the second notification signal. During the period when power consumption is decreasing, the stored items can be heated and sterilized.

Therefore, according to the disinfection storage according to one aspect of the present disclosure, when heating and disinfecting a large number of objects using a plurality of disinfection storages, the power consumption per hour in the facility can be suppressed while Things can be efficiently heated and sterilized.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller may be configured to operate the self-heater on the condition that the external heater is stopped based on the second notification signal. According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller stops the self-heater when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied during operation of the self-heater, and externally stores a signal representing the stoppage of the self-heater as a first notification signal. You can also output it to a warehouse.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller indicates the operation of the self-heater on condition that a signal indicating the stop of the external heater is input as a second notification signal from the external storage while the self-heater is stopped. The signal may be output to the external storage as a first notification signal to activate the self-heater. According to the input/output of such notification signals, heating disinfection can be performed so that the heaters do not operate simultaneously in a plurality of disinfection storages.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the disinfection storage may include a detector configured to detect internal temperature. If the internal temperature detected by the detector exceeds the set temperature while the self-heater is in operation, the controller may determine that the stop condition is satisfied and may stop the self-heater. By controlling the self-heater in this manner, excessive heating can be suppressed.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller may determine that the stop condition is satisfied and may stop the self-heater when a set time has elapsed since the start of operation of the self-heater. According to such control of the self-heater, when heating the inside of the refrigerator from a low temperature, it is possible to prevent the external heater from being unable to operate for a long period of time due to the self-heater operating for a long period of time.

Therefore, it is possible to heat the plurality of disinfection storages in stages from a low temperature state by making the internal temperatures of the disinfection storages approximately the same. The higher the temperature inside the refrigerator, the greater the temperature difference with the surrounding environment, and the greater the heat dissipation from the interior. Therefore, heating multiple disinfection storages using this method is effective. This is useful for heating.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, the controller is configured to operate the self-heater based on the second notification signal when the heating treatment start condition is satisfied and to stop the self-heater when the stop condition is satisfied. A heat treatment including repetition may be started. When the termination conditions are met, the heat treatment may be terminated and the self-heater may be maintained in a stopped state.

By performing the heat treatment in this way, the heat treatment in the plurality of disinfection storages can be performed in parallel while suppressing the power consumption per hour in the plurality of disinfection storages as a whole. During the period when the temperature inside one disinfection storage is sufficient for heat disinfection and the heater is stopped, the heater in another disinfection storage can be activated, so heating using multiple disinfection storage is possible. Disinfection can be performed efficiently.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a user interface may be provided. The controller may output the first interlock signal to the external storage through the input/output circuit when the driving instruction is input through the user interface.

When the second interlock signal is input from the external storage through the input/output circuit in response to the first interlock signal, the controller determines that the heating treatment start condition is satisfied, and indicates the operation of the self-heater. The signal may be output as a first notification signal to an external storage to start the heating process.

According to the exchange of interlock signals, it is possible to appropriately perform interlocked heating processing among a plurality of disinfection storages based on a user's operation instruction for one disinfection storage. For example, it is possible to start the heating process based on the operation instruction while confirming that the external storage is operably connected.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, when the first interlock signal is input from the external storage without inputting an operation instruction through the user interface while the self-heater is stopped, the controller controls the second interlock signal. The interlock signal may be output to the external storage, and the heating process may be started on the condition that the external heater is stopped.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a sterile storage system may be provided. The disinfection storage system may include a first disinfection storage and a second disinfection storage. The first disinfection storage may be configured to perform a first heating process of heating the stored items by controlling a heater included in the first disinfection storage.

The second disinfection storage may be configured to perform a second heating process of heating the stored items by controlling a heater included in the second disinfection storage. The first heat treatment and the second heat treatment may be performed in parallel such that the heater provided in the first disinfection storage and the heater provided in the second disinfection storage are not activated at the same time. According to this system, it is possible to efficiently heat and disinfect objects using the first and second disinfection storages while suppressing the power consumption to the maximum power consumption of about one machine.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided a disinfection storage system comprising a first disinfection storage and a second disinfection storage, each of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage having the above-mentioned disinfection storage. A disinfection storage system may be provided that is a disinfection storage.

Each of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage outputs a first notification signal to the second disinfection storage or the first disinfection storage that serves as an external storage, and The self-heater may be controlled based on the second notification signal. As a result, the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage will alternately operate their own heaters, and the items stored in the first disinfection storage and the items stored in the second disinfection storage will be Can be heated.

According to this system, by alternately operating the self-heaters of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage, heat sterilization in multiple disinfection storages can be carried out with reduced power consumption per hour. , can be executed in parallel. Therefore, according to this system, a large number of objects can be efficiently heated and sterilized while reducing power consumption per hour.

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 4D 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. It is a graph showing the change in temperature inside the refrigerator over time together with the switching timing of the heater. 2 is a flowchart (part 1) representing a first control process executed by the controller. FIG. 2 is a flowchart (part 2) representing the first control process executed by the controller. FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing signal switching processing executed by the controller. It is a flowchart showing the second control processing which a controller performs. 2 is a flowchart (part 1) representing an alternate operation process executed by the controller. It is a flowchart (part 2) showing the alternate operation process which a controller performs. FIG. 13A is a block diagram showing the configuration of a disinfection storage system of the second embodiment, and FIG. 13B is a block diagram showing the configuration of a modification of the disinfection storage system.

Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings.
[First embodiment]
A disinfection storage system 1 according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 is a system in which two disinfection storages 10 and 10E of the same type are connected so that signals can be input and output.

Below, attention will be paid to one of the two disinfection storages 10 and 10E, and the disinfection storage 10 of interest will be simply expressed as the disinfection storage 10, and the other will be expressed as the external storage 10E. The external storage 10E means an external sterilization storage when viewed from the sterilization storage 10 of interest. The external storage 10E is configured similarly to the disinfection storage 10 described in detail below.

Between the disinfection storage 10 and the external storage 10E, there is a first signal line group F1 for inputting the signal output from the disinfection storage 10 to the external storage 10E, and a first signal line group F1 for inputting the signal output from the disinfection storage 10 to the external storage 10E. A second signal line group F2 is provided for inputting signals to the disinfection storage 10.

The first signal line group F1 is wired so that its first end is connected to the output port group of the disinfection storage 10, and its second end is connected to the input port group of the external storage 10E. The second signal line group F2 is wired so that its first end is connected to the output port group of the external storage 10E, and its second end is connected to the input port group of the disinfection storage 10.

The first signal line group F1 includes a signal line F11 for inputting an interlock signal output from the disinfection storage 10 to the external storage 10E, and a heating notification signal (hereinafter referred to as an automatic signal) output from the disinfection storage 10. A signal line F12 for inputting a machine heating notification signal (hereinafter referred to as a machine heating notification signal) to the external storage 10E, and a signal line F12 for inputting a completion notification signal (hereinafter referred to as an own machine completion notification signal) output from the disinfection storage 10 to the external storage 10E. It includes a signal line F13 for inputting, and a signal line F14 for inputting the chain operation signal output from the disinfection storage 10 to the external storage 10E.

The second signal line group F2 includes a signal line F21 for inputting an interlock signal outputted from the external storage 10E into the disinfection storage 10, and a heating notification signal (hereinafter referred to as "other") outputted from the external storage 10E. A signal line F22 for inputting a machine heating notification signal (hereinafter referred to as a machine heating notification signal) to the disinfection storage 10 and a completion notification signal (hereinafter referred to as another machine completion notification signal) output from the external storage 10E to the disinfection storage 10. It is provided with a signal line F23 for inputting, and a signal line F24 for inputting the chain operation signal outputted from the external storage 10E into the disinfection storage 10. The "own machine" here corresponds to the disinfection storage 10 of interest, and the "other machine" corresponds to the external storage 10E.

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 set temperature Ts, the internal temperature T, and other operating states and set states in 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 external storage 10E to the controller 33 as a digital signal, and an input circuit configured to output a signal for the external storage 10E according to a control signal from the controller 33. and an output circuit configured to. According to one example, the input/output circuit 35 may be incorporated into the controller 33.

The input/output circuit 35 includes an output port that is connected to the signal line F11 and outputs an interlock signal to the signal line F11, an output port that is connected to the signal line F12 and outputs a self-heating notification signal to the signal line F12, It includes an output port that is connected to the signal line F13 and outputs an own machine completion notification signal to the signal line F13, and an output port that is connected to the signal line F14 and outputs a chain operation signal to the signal line F14.

The input/output circuit 35 further includes an input port that is connected to the signal line F21 and inputs the interlock signal from the signal line F21 to the controller 33, and an input port that is connected to the signal line F22 and inputs the other machine heating notification signal from the signal line F22. An input port that inputs to the controller 33, an input port that is connected to the signal line F23 and inputs the other machine completion notification signal from the signal line F23 to the controller 33, and an input port that is connected to the signal line F24 and connects to the chain operation from the signal line F24. and an input port for inputting signals to the controller 33.

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-4D, 5A-5D, and FIG. 6, signal input/output between the disinfection storages 10 and 10E when the disinfection storage system 1 of this embodiment operates in the alternate interlocking mode, The control of the heater 27 will now 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 to 12.

According to this embodiment, the disinfection storages 10 and 10E shift from the single action mode to the alternately linked mode by the operator's predetermined operation on the operation panel 31 of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E. The single-action mode is an operation mode of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E in which the disinfection storages 10 and 10E do not operate in conjunction with each other, and each of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E operates independently to heat and disinfect tableware.

In the alternate interlocking mode, the disinfection storages 10 and 10E alternately operate their own heaters 27 exclusively, thereby suppressing the maximum power consumption of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E to approximately one unit, and disinfecting. This is an operation mode of the sterilization storages 10 and 10E in which tableware is heated and sterilized in parallel between the storages 10 and 10E.

According to the alternate interlocking mode, when a driving instruction is input by an operator's operation on the operation panel 31 of the disinfection storage 10, the disinfection storage 10 interlocks with the external storage 10E, as shown in FIG. 4A. Outputs an on signal as a signal. In response to this interlock signal, an interlock signal output as an on signal from the external storage 10E is input to the disinfection storage 10. The interlock signal corresponds to a signal for interlocking. When an ON signal is input as an interlock signal, the disinfection storages 10 and 10E prohibit reception of all operations from the operation panel 31 for interlocking purposes.

The interlock signal, heating notification signal, completion notification signal, and chain operation signal propagated through the signal line groups F1 and F2 are output as on signals or off signals. Each of these signals is an off signal in the initial state. The off signal corresponds to a Lo signal or a 0V signal, and the on signal corresponds to a Hi signal or a predetermined voltage (for example, 5V) signal greater than 0V.

When the interlock signal input from the external storage 10E switches from an OFF signal to an ON signal, the sterilization storage 10 heats and sterilizes the tableware stored in its own accommodation space 20, as shown in FIG. 4B. Then, as a self-heating notification signal, an ON signal indicating the operation of the self-heater 27 is output to the external storage 10E, and the heating disinfection process is started.

The external storage 10E operates in response to this ON signal so as not to operate the heater 27 of the external storage 10E. At this time, the external storage 10E outputs an off signal indicating that the heater 27 of the external storage 10E is stopped to the disinfection storage 10 as a heating notification signal.

After outputting the ON signal as the self-heating notification signal, the disinfection storage 10 operates its own heater 27 on the condition that the OFF signal is input as the other-device heating notification signal. Thereby, the disinfection storage 10 heats the tableware accommodated in its own accommodation space 20.

Thereafter, on the condition that the heat disinfection process has progressed to a stage where predetermined conditions are satisfied, the disinfection storage 10 stops the heater 27 and outputs a self-heating notification to the external storage 10E as shown in FIG. 4C. Switch the signal to off signal. Note that the stop of the heater 27 and the stop of the fan 29 are not linked, and the fan 29 operates from the start to the end of the heating disinfection process, including when the heater 27 is stopped, in order to circulate the air in the accommodation space 20. Continue to rotate until.

On the condition that the heating notification signal from the disinfection storage 10 is switched to an OFF signal, the external storage 10E switches the heating notification signal output to the disinfection storage 10 to an ON signal. Furthermore, the external storage 10E operates the heater 27 of the external storage 10E, that is, its own heater 27, and thereby the external storage 10E starts the heat sterilization process.

Thereafter, on condition that the heat sterilization process has progressed to a stage where predetermined conditions are satisfied, the external storage 10E stops the heater 27 of the external storage 10E and outputs the output to the sterilization storage 10 as shown in FIG. 4B. Switch the heating notification signal to the off signal.

On the condition that the other machine heating notification signal from the external storage 10E is switched to an OFF signal, the disinfection storage 10 switches the own machine heating notification signal output to the external storage 10E to an ON signal. The disinfection storage 10 further operates its own heater 27 on the condition that the temperature has dropped to a predetermined temperature, thereby heating the tableware accommodated in the storage space 20 of the disinfection storage 10.

The disinfection storage 10 and the external storage 10E alternately operate their own heaters 27 in response to the input/output of the signals shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, thereby heating and disinfecting the tableware stored in their storage space 20. Perform the process step by step.

Then, when the heating disinfection process in the disinfection storage 10 is completed, the disinfection storage 10 switches the self-completion notification signal output to the external storage 10E to an ON signal, as shown in FIG. 4D. Thereby, the disinfection storage 10 notifies the external storage 10E of the end of the heat disinfection process. At this time, if the external storage 10E has not finished the heating disinfection process, an off signal is outputted from the external storage 10E as a completion notification signal, and is input to the disinfection storage 10.

Thereafter, the external storage 10E operates its own heater 27 until its own heat sterilization process is completed, and when the heat sterilization process is completed, as shown in FIG. 5A, the external storage 10E stops its own heater 27 and completes the process. An on signal is output toward the disinfection storage 10 as a notification signal.

Thereafter, the disinfection storage 10 turns off the interlock signal output to the external storage 10E, as shown in FIG. 5B, on the condition that the own device completion notification signal and the other device completion notification signal are set to ON. Switch to traffic lights. In response, the external storage 10E switches the interlock signal output to the disinfection storage 10 to an off signal.

The disinfection storage 10 temporarily switches the chain operation signal output to the external storage 10E to an ON signal on the condition that the input interlock signal is switched to an OFF signal. In response, the external storage 10E temporarily inputs an ON signal to the disinfection storage 10 as a chain operation signal.

Thereby, the heating sterilization of tableware in the alternate interlocking mode between the sterilization storages 10 and 10E is completed. Note that the chain operation signal is a signal for realizing loop-type interlocking (see FIGS. 13A and 13B), which will be described later. The utility value of the chain operation signal becomes even clearer in the second embodiment.

Using the method described above, the disinfection storage 10 stops the heater 27 multiple times during the process from the start to the end of the heat sterilization process, allows the heater 27 in the external storage 10E to operate, and restarts the heater 27 in the external storage 10E. When the heater 27 stops, its own heater 27 is activated.

In this way, the disinfection storages 10 and 10E alternately operate their own heaters 27 to alternately heat the tableware in the disinfection storages 10 and 10E. Thereby, the sterilization storage system 1 executes heat sterilization processing in the plurality of sterilization storages 10 and 10E in parallel while suppressing the power consumption to the maximum power consumption of about one unit.

According to this embodiment, when the inside of the refrigerator (that is, the storage space 20) is heated for a predetermined time at a temperature equal to or higher than the set temperature Ts after the heat sterilization process is started, it is assumed that the sterilization of the tableware is completed, and the heat sterilization process is performed. end. For example, when the inside of the refrigerator is heated at a set temperature of 90° C. or more for 60 minutes or more, it is considered that the heating sterilization of the tableware is complete.

When the internal temperature T exceeds the set temperature Ts due to heating by the own heater 27, the disinfection storage 10 stops the operation of the heater 27 and allows the external storage 10E to operate the heater 27. The external storage 10E operates similarly. As a result, the heaters 27 operate alternately between the disinfection storages 10 and 10E. Provided that the heat sterilization process described above has progressed to the stage where predetermined conditions are satisfied, the operation of stopping the heater 27 is performed when the internal temperature T exceeds the set temperature Ts or when a set time has elapsed from the start of operation of the heater 27. This corresponds to the operation of stopping the operation of the heater 27.

When the disinfection storage 10, 10E satisfies the termination condition, such as by turning on/off the heater 27, the internal temperature T exceeds a predetermined time cumulatively. Finish the heat disinfection process.

The graph in FIG. 6 is a graph schematically showing the change in the internal temperature T over time from the start of the heat sterilization process. Further, in FIG. 6, the timing at which activation and deactivation of the heater 27 are switched between the disinfection storage 10 and the external storage 10E is indicated by an inverted triangle symbol. The white inverted triangle symbol corresponds to the timing at which the heater 27 of the disinfection storage 10 is activated (that is, turned on), and the black inverted triangle symbol corresponds to the timing at which the heater 27 of the external storage 10E is activated. In FIG. 6, the heater 27 of the disinfection storage 10 is activated at time zero.

In FIG. 6, the solid line represents the trajectory of the internal temperature T of the disinfection storage 10, and the broken line represents the trajectory of the internal temperature T of the external storage 10E. The one-dot chain line represents the trajectory of the temperature of the tableware stored in the disinfection storage 10, and the two-dot chain line represents the trajectory of the temperature of the tableware stored in the disinfection storage 10E.

The temperature of tableware rises later than the temperature inside the refrigerator. Even if the heater 27 is stopped, the temperature T inside the refrigerator is continues to rise temporarily.

Even if the heater 27 is stopped when the internal temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 37 exceeds the set temperature Ts, the internal temperature T does not drop immediately, and the heating sterilization of tableware is performed by circulating high temperature. Continued through the air. That is, the heating sterilization of tableware continues effectively even when the heater 27 is stopped. As described above, it takes time for the internal temperature T to become lower than the set temperature Ts after the heater 27 is stopped, and the heating sterilization of the tableware in the storage space 20 continues at a sufficient temperature even after the heater 27 is stopped.

In this embodiment, while the heater 27 of the disinfection storage 10 is stopped, the heater 27 of the external storage 10E is activated to raise the internal temperature T of the external storage 10E to a temperature that exceeds the set temperature Ts again. to rise to. That is, during a period when the internal temperature T in one disinfection storage 10 is sufficient for heating disinfection and the heater 27 is stopped, the heater 27 of another disinfection storage 10E is activated.

Therefore, in this embodiment, the heat sterilization process can be executed in parallel between the plurality of sterilization storages 10 and 10E while suppressing the power consumption to the maximum power consumption of about one unit, and the plurality of sterilization storages 10 and 10E can be sequentially executed. Heat sterilization can be performed more efficiently and in a shorter time than heat sterilization.

Next, details of the processing executed by the controller 33 in the alternate interlocking mode will be explained using FIGS. 7 to 12. In the alternate interlocking mode, of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E, the disinfection storage into which a driving instruction is input through the operation panel 31 functions as a master device, and the other functions as a slave device.

That is, the disinfection storage 10 functions as a master device when a driving instruction is input from its own operation panel 31, and functions as a slave device when a driving instruction is input from the operation panel 31 of the external storage 10E. .

The heat sterilization process in the disinfection storages 10 and 10E in the alternate interlocking mode is started by the child device in response to an action from the parent device to which an operation instruction has been input. 4A to 4D and FIGS. 5A to 5C illustrate input and output of signals when the disinfection storage 10 functions as a master device and the external storage 10E functions as a slave device.

7 and 8 are flowcharts showing the first control process repeatedly executed by the controller 33 to mainly realize the function as a parent device, and FIG. 33 is a flowchart illustrating a signal switching process that is repeatedly executed. FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the second control process repeatedly executed by the controller 33 in order to realize the function as a slave device. FIGS. 11 and 12 are flowcharts showing alternate operation processing that the controller 33 executes in the first and second control processing.

When the first control process is started, the controller 33 continues until an operation instruction is input from the operator through the operation panel 31 or an ON signal is input as a chain operation signal from the signal line F24 through the input/output circuit 35. Wait (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 (S240), and then reset to a value of 0 under a predetermined condition (S180).

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 signal line F11 through the input/output circuit 35 (S130). This interlock signal is input to the external storage 10E.

Thereafter, when the external storage 10E responds to the interlock signal output in S130, the controller 33 receives an ON signal as an interlock signal from the signal line F21 through the input/output circuit 35 (S140). Yes), the process of S210 is executed (see FIG. 7). On the other hand, if the interlock signal remains an off signal (No in S140), the controller 33 displays error information on the operation panel 31 (S150), and ends the first control process.

In S210, the controller 33 sets the parent device flag to the value 1. The master machine flag is set to the value 1 when the host machine is the master machine. After that, the alternating operation process shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 is executed (S220).

The alternating operation process (S220) is repeatedly executed until the termination condition is satisfied. The above-described heat disinfection process corresponds to repeatedly executing the alternate operation process until the termination condition is satisfied (S220, S230).

When the alternating operation process is started, the controller 33 determines whether the current internal temperature T detected by the temperature sensor 37 is equal to or lower than the set temperature Ts (S310). When the internal temperature T exceeds the set temperature Ts, the heater 27 in the own refrigerator is not activated, and the process waits until the internal temperature T becomes equal to or lower than the set temperature Ts.

When the internal temperature T becomes equal to or lower than the set temperature Ts (Yes in S310), the controller 33 determines whether an off signal is input as the other device heating notification signal (S320). When the heater 27 of the external storage 10E is operating, an on signal is input as the other equipment heating notification signal, but when the heater 27 of the external storage 10E is stopped, the on signal is input as the other equipment heating notification signal. Off signal is input.

If the ON signal is input as the other machine heating notification signal, the controller 33 makes a negative determination in S320, maintains the stopped state of the heater 27 in the own refrigerator, and continuously outputs the OFF signal as the own machine heating notification signal. Output (S325).

On the other hand, if the off signal is input as the other machine heating notification signal, the controller 33 makes an affirmative determination in S320 and switches the own machine heating notification signal output to the signal line F12 through the input/output circuit 35 to an on signal ( S330).

After that, if the off signal is continuously input as the other machine heating notification signal (Yes in S340), the controller 33 activates the stopped heater 27 in the own refrigerator (S350) to heat the inside of the refrigerator. do.

The controller 33 continuously operates the heater 27 until the set time elapses from the start of the operation of the heater 27 in S350, or until the temperature T inside the refrigerator detected by the temperature sensor 37 exceeds the set temperature Ts. Continue heating.

When the controller 33 determines that the set time has elapsed (Yes in S360), the controller 33 stops the heater 27 in the own warehouse (S370), and then outputs the own heating notification signal to the signal line F12 through the input/output circuit 35. is switched from an on signal to an off signal (S375). After that, the controller 33 determines whether the other device heating notification signal input from the signal line F22 through the input/output circuit 35 remains an off signal for a predetermined period of time (S380).

If the internal temperature T in the external storage 10E has not fallen below the set temperature Ts, or if the heat disinfection process has been completed in the external storage 10E, the other machine heating notification signal may remain an OFF signal. . As long as the other machine heating notification signal remains an off signal, the operation of the heater 27 is not started in the external storage 10E.

If it is determined in S380 that the other device heating notification signal remains an off signal for a predetermined period of time, the controller 33 executes the process of S330. That is, the controller 33 switches the self-heating notification signal to an on signal (S330). After that, if the other device heating notification signal is still an off signal (Yes in S340), the controller 33 executes the processes from S350 onwards.

If it is determined in S380 that the other device heating notification signal has been switched from an OFF signal to an ON signal, the controller 33 ends the alternate operation process.
In addition, when the controller 33 determines that the temperature T in the refrigerator exceeds the set temperature Ts due to the operation of the heater 27 in the refrigerator (Yes in S365), the controller 33 stops the heater 27 in the refrigerator (S390). Similar to the process at S375, the self-heating notification signal is switched from an on signal to an off signal (S395). After that, the controller 33 ends the alternate operation process.

In addition, if it is determined in S340 that an on signal is input as the other device heating notification signal, the controller 33 determines whether the parent device flag is set to the value 1, as shown in FIG. S400).

If it is determined that the master unit flag is set to value 1 (Yes in S400), the controller 33 outputs the on signal as the own unit heating notification signal to the signal line F12, and turns off the other unit heating notification signal. It waits until it switches to a signal (S410). When the other machine heating notification signal is switched to the off signal (Yes in S410), the controller 33 activates the heater 27 in the own warehouse (S420) and executes the processes from S360 onwards.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the master unit flag is not set to the value 1 (No in S400), the own unit heating notification signal is switched from an on signal to an off signal (S430), and then the processes from S320 onwards are executed.

As a result, when the disinfection storage 10 is not the main unit, priority is given to the operation of the heater 27 in the external storage 10E, and the operation of the heater 27 in the own storage is continued until the heater 27 in the external storage 10E is stopped. Hold.

The controller 33 repeatedly executes such an alternating operation process in S220 (see FIG. 8) until the termination condition regarding repetition of the alternating operation process is satisfied. Then, when the termination condition is satisfied (Yes in S230), the controller 33 sets the completion flag to the value 1, and terminates the repetition of the alternating operation process (S240). Thereby, the heating disinfection process performed by repeating the alternating operation process is completed. Setting the completion flag to a value of 1 means that the heat sterilization process has ended.

The end condition corresponds to the condition that the tableware is sufficiently heated and sterilized. Specifically, the termination condition is that the cumulative time during which the temperature inside the refrigerator T is equal to or higher than the set temperature Ts after starting the heat sterilization process exceeds a predetermined time, or when the temperature inside the refrigerator T is the first time. The condition is satisfied when a predetermined time period elapses after the temperature exceeds the set temperature Ts. For example, the condition is satisfied if the cumulative amount of time that the temperature T in the refrigerator is 90 degrees or higher exceeds 60 minutes from the start of the heat sterilization process, or if it exceeds 60 minutes after the temperature T first exceeds 90 degrees.

After that, the controller 33 switches the own device completion notification signal outputted to the signal line F13 through the input/output circuit 35 from an off signal to an on signal (S250). Further, the controller 33 waits until the other machine completion notification signal input from the signal line F23 through the input/output circuit 35 switches to an on signal (S260).

When the other device completion notification signal is switched to an on signal (Yes in S260), the controller 33 switches the interlock signal output to the signal line F11 through the input/output circuit 35 to an off signal (S270).

The controller 33 further determines whether the interlock signal inputted from the signal line F21 through the input/output circuit 35 has been switched to an off signal through the process in S270 (S280).

When determining that the input interlock signal has been switched to an off signal (S280: Yes), the controller 33 switches the chain operation signal output to the signal line F14 through the input/output circuit 35 to an on signal (S290), and then switches the chain operation signal to the on signal (S290). 1. End the control process.

On the other hand, if it is determined that the input interlock signal is not switched to an off signal (No in S280), the controller 33 executes a predetermined error process (S295) and then ends the first control process.

In S290, when the chain operation signal to be output is switched to an ON signal, the external storage 10E responds to this and the ON signal is input as a chain operation signal from the signal line F24 through the input/output circuit 35.

By repeatedly executing the first control process, when the input chain operation signal is switched to an on signal, the controller 33 makes an affirmative determination in the process of S115. At this time, since the completion flag is normally set to the value 1, the controller 33 makes an affirmative determination in S120 and executes the process in S160.

In S160, the controller 33 determines whether the parent device flag is set to the value 1 or not. In the first control process immediately after executing the process of S290, the controller 33 usually makes an affirmative determination in S115 and S120, and also makes an affirmative determination in S160.

If it is determined that the parent device flag is set to the value 1 (Yes in S160), the controller 33 executes a reset process (S180). In the reset process, the controller 33 resets the completion flag and the parent device flag to the value 0. Thereby, the controller 33 initializes the completion notification signal to an off signal.

According to this embodiment, when the interlock signal is maintained as an OFF signal for a predetermined period of time or more through the reset process, the external storage 10E also resets the completion flag and the main device flag, and sends a completion notification signal. Initialize to off signal.

In S160, when the controller 33 determines that the parent unit flag is not set to the value 1, it temporarily switches the chain operation signal output to the signal line F24 of the input/output circuit 35 to an ON signal (S170). The first control process ends.

The process of S170 is executed when the disinfection storage 10 is a child device. The external storage 10E also executes the first control process similarly to the disinfection storage 10. Therefore, when the disinfection storage 10 is the master device and the external storage 10E is the slave device, the disinfection storage 10 responds to the chain operation signal switched to the ON signal in the process of S290 by The storage 10E performs the processes of S115, S120, and S160, and then switches the chain operation signal output to the disinfection storage 10 to an on signal in S170.

In addition, when the chain operation signal from the external storage 10E to the disinfection storage 10 is switched to the ON signal, the disinfection storage 10 executes the reset process in S180 through the processes of S115, S120, and S160. This completes the chain operation.

Next, details of the signal switching process repeatedly executed by the controller 33 will be explained using FIG. 9. The controller 33 turns on an interlock signal output to the signal line F11 through the input/output circuit 35 in response to an interlock signal that is input from the signal line F21 through the input/output circuit 35 and is actively turned on/off by the parent device. / Execute signal switching processing to turn off. 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 shown in FIG. The interlock signal output to is set to an on signal (S530).

On the other hand, if the input interlock signal is an off signal (No in S510), the controller 33 sets the interlock signal output to the signal line F11 through the input/output circuit 35 to an off signal (S540). . 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.

Next, details of the second control process repeatedly executed by the controller 33 will be explained using FIG. 10. Execution of the second control process is prohibited when the master unit flag is set to the value 1, and is executed only while the master unit flag is reset to the value 0, that is, when the host unit is the slave unit. Ru.

When the second control process is started, the controller 33 controls the interlock signal input from the signal line F21 and the other machine heating notification signal input from the signal line F22 in a situation where the heater 27 in the own warehouse is stopped. It waits until both become ON signals (S610, S620, S630).

When the input interlock signal and other equipment heating notification signal become ON signals while the heater 27 in the own storage is stopped (Yes in S630), the controller 33 determines whether the own storage is operable or not. (S640), and if it is determined that the own storage is not operable (No in S640), the completion flag is set to the value 1, and furthermore, the own machine completion flag is output to the signal line F13 through the input/output circuit 35. The notification signal is switched to an on signal (S645), and the second control process is ended.

On the other hand, if the controller 33 determines that the storage is operable (S640: Yes), it waits until the other machine heating notification signal input from the signal line F22 is switched to an OFF signal (S650).

When the other device heating notification signal is switched to the off signal (Yes in S650), the controller 33 executes the alternate operation process shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 similarly to the first control process (S660). The controller 33 repeatedly executes the alternating operation process until the termination condition is satisfied, similar to the first control process.

When the termination condition is satisfied (Yes in S670), the controller 33 sets the completion flag to the value 1, and terminates the repetition of the alternate operation process (S680). Thereby, the heating disinfection process that is performed in stages by repeating the alternating operation process is completed. This heat sterilization process in the slave unit is performed without any operation instruction from the operation panel 31, on the condition that the input interlock signal is switched to the on signal and the other machine heating notification signal is switched to the on signal. It starts after the machine heating notification signal is switched to the off signal.

After completing the process of S680, the controller 33 switches the own device completion notification signal outputted to the signal line F13 through the input/output circuit 35 to an ON signal (S690), and ends the second control process.

According to the disinfection storage system 1 of this embodiment described above, the disinfection storages 10 and 10E corresponding to the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage have the same configuration. Each of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E outputs a self-heating notification signal as a first notification signal, and receives an other-machine heating notification as a second notification signal input from the other disinfection storage 10E and 10. It controls its own heater 27 based on the signal.

Thereby, the disinfection storages 10 and 10E control their own heaters 27 based on the operating status of each other's heaters 27. The disinfection storages 10 and 10E operate their own heaters 27 on the condition that each other's heaters 27 are stopped. Heat certain tableware alternately. By repeating this alternate heating, the sterilization storages 10 and 10E perform heat sterilization of tableware in parallel with the maximum power consumption of approximately one device.

As a first comparative example, when the plurality of disinfection storages 10 and 10E are not linked and perform heat disinfection processing at the same time, the power consumption per hour in the disinfection storage system 1 is lower than the simultaneous heating of the heater 27. It becomes very high.

As a second comparative example, each of the plurality of disinfection storages 10 and 10E continuously executes the heat sterilization process from start to finish in order, and the other disinfection storages do not perform the heat sterilization process during that time. It takes time until all the heat sterilization processes are completed in the entire sterilization storage system 1 including the plurality of sterilization storages 10 and 10E.

As described above, in an environment where the internal temperature is sufficient for heat sterilization, the heater 27 is stopped even during the heat sterilization process. According to this embodiment, while the heater 27 in the external storage 10E is stopped, the heater 27 in the disinfection storage 10 is activated.

Therefore, parallel execution of heat sterilization processing by alternately turning on and off the heaters 27 as in this embodiment is more effective than performing heat sterilization processing in turn in each of the plurality of sterilization storages 10 and 10E. The heat sterilization process for the entire storage warehouses 10 and 10E can be completed in a short time.

In the present embodiment, when the starting conditions for the heat sterilization process are satisfied (Yes in S140 or Yes in S650), the controller 33 continues until the ending conditions are met, such as when the heating above the set temperature Ts cumulatively exceeds a predetermined time. , starts a heat sterilization process that repeatedly operates the heater 27 based on the other machine heating notification signal and stops the heater 27 when the stop condition is satisfied (S220, S660). On the condition that termination conditions are met, such as cumulatively heating at or above the set temperature Ts for a predetermined time period (Yes in S230, Yes in S670), the heat disinfection process is terminated and the heater 27 is maintained in a stopped state.

In particular, the controller 33 stops the heater 27 when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied while the heater 27 in the own refrigerator is in operation, and inputs and outputs an off signal representing the stop of the heater 27 as a self-heating notification signal. It is output to the external storage 10E through the circuit 35.

The controller 33 turns off the heater 27 in the own warehouse on the condition that an off signal indicating the stop of the heater 27 in the external storage 10E is input from the external storage 10E as a notification signal for heating of another device while the heater 27 is stopped. is activated, and outputs an on signal indicating the operation of the heater 27 to the external storage 10E as a self-heating notification signal. According to the input/output of such notification signals, heating disinfection can be performed so that the heaters 27 do not operate simultaneously between the plurality of disinfection storages 10 and 10E.

In this embodiment, when the temperature T in the refrigerator detected by the temperature sensor 37 exceeds the set temperature Ts while the heater 27 in the refrigerator is in operation, the controller 33 stops the heater 27, assuming that the stop condition is satisfied. (S390). By controlling the heater 27 in this manner, excessive heating for the purpose of heating can be suppressed.

The controller 33 determines that the stop condition is satisfied even when the set time has elapsed since the heater 27 started operating, and stops the heater 27 (S370). According to such control of the heater 27, when heating the inside of the refrigerator from a low temperature, it is possible to prevent the heater 27 of the external storage 10E from not operating for a long period of time due to the heater 27 operating for a long period of time.

Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the plurality of disinfection storages 10 and 10E can be heated in stages from a low temperature state in a manner that makes the internal temperatures T of the disinfection storages 10 and 10E approximately equal. I can do it. The higher the temperature inside the refrigerator, the larger the temperature difference with the surrounding environment, and the greater the heat dissipation from the interior. Therefore, it is not possible to heat the multiple disinfection storages 10, 10E using this method. , which is significant for efficient heating.

Further, in this embodiment, when a driving instruction is input through the operation panel 31 as a user interface, the controller 33 outputs an interlock signal (on signal) to the external storage 10E through the input/output circuit 35.

When the interlock signal (on signal) is input from the external storage 10E through the input/output circuit 35 in response to this interlock signal (on signal), the controller 33 determines that the heat sterilization process start condition is satisfied. (Yes in S140), a self-heating notification signal is output to the external storage 10E, and the heating disinfection process is started.

According to the present embodiment, by executing the signal switching process (see FIG. 9), when an on signal is input as an interlock signal from the parent device, the slave device outputs an on signal as an interlock signal. However, the slave unit makes an affirmative determination in S510 and responds to the interlock signal from the base unit only when its own heater 27 is stopped and can be interlocked. The output may be switched to an on signal.

[Second embodiment]
Next, the configuration of the disinfection storage system 2 of the second embodiment will be explained using FIG. 13A. The disinfection storage system 2 of this embodiment is configured to include four disinfection storages 101, 102, 103, and 104 of the same type as the disinfection storage 10 of the first embodiment.

The pair of disinfection storages 101 and 102 corresponds to the pair of disinfection storages 10 and 10E of the first embodiment, and constitutes a disinfection storage system 1A that is substantially the same as the disinfection storage system 1 of the first embodiment. The difference between the disinfection storage system 1A and the disinfection storage system 1 is that the first ends of the signal lines F21 and F24, whose second ends are connected to the input port group of the disinfection storage 101, are not connected to the disinfection storage 102, but to the disinfection storage system 1A. It is to be connected to the output port group of the storage 104. Further, the second ends of the signal lines F21 and F24, whose first ends are connected to the output port group of the disinfection storage 102, are connected to the input port group of the disinfection storage 103 instead of the disinfection storage 101. .

In the disinfection storage system 1A, a signal line group F31 including signal lines F11, F12, F13, and F14 and a signal line group F32 including signal lines F22 and F23 are wired between the disinfection storage 101 and the disinfection storage 102. A signal line group F33 including signal lines F21 and F24 is wired between the disinfection storage 104 and the disinfection storage 101, and another signal line group F43 including the signal lines F21 and F24 is wired between the disinfection storage 102 and the disinfection storage 102. and the disinfection storage 103.

Similarly, the pair of disinfection storages 103 and 104 corresponds to the pair of disinfection storages 10 and 10E of the first embodiment, and constitutes a disinfection storage system 1B that is substantially the same as the disinfection storage system 1 of the first embodiment.

The difference between the disinfection storage system 1B and the disinfection storage system 1 is that the first ends of the signal lines F21 and F24, whose second ends are connected to the input port group of the disinfection storage 103, are not connected to the disinfection storage 104, but to the disinfection storage system 1B. It is to be connected to the output port group of the storage 102. Further, the second ends of the signal lines F21 and F24, whose first ends are connected to the output port group of the disinfection storage 104, are connected to the input port group of the disinfection storage 101 instead of the disinfection storage 103. .

In the disinfection storage system 1B, a signal line group F41 including signal lines F11, F12, F13, and F14 and a signal line group F42 including signal lines F22 and F23 are wired between the disinfection storage 103 and the disinfection storage 104. A signal line group F43 including signal lines F21 and F24 is wired between the disinfection storage 103 and the disinfection storage 102, and another signal line group F33 including the signal lines F21 and F24 is connected to the disinfection storage 104. and the disinfection storage 101.

In this way, the disinfection storage system 2 has a configuration in which the disinfection storage systems 1A and 1B similar to the disinfection storage system 1 of the first embodiment are connected in a loop. In the disinfection storage system 2, the signal line group F31, signal line group F43, signal line group F41, and signal line group F33 described above constitute a transmission path loop for interlock signals and chain operation signals.

In this disinfection storage system 2, when an operator inputs an operation instruction through the operation panel 31 of the disinfection storage 101, heat sterilization processing is executed in the disinfection storage 101, 102 of the disinfection storage system 1A by the function of the chain operation signal. After that, heat disinfection processing is performed in the disinfection storages 103 and 104 of the disinfection storage system 1B. In this way, the disinfection storage systems 1A and 1B execute the heat disinfection process in a chain manner.

Specifically, when a driving instruction is input through the operation panel 31 of the disinfection storage 101, the disinfection storage 101 outputs an on signal as an interlock signal. This interlock signal (on signal) is input into the disinfection storage 102, 103, 104 in order so as to propagate along the loop, and is further input into the disinfection storage 101.

In response to the input of this interlock signal (on signal), the disinfection storage 101 makes an affirmative determination in S140 and executes subsequent processing. Thereby, in the disinfection storages 101 and 102, heat disinfection processing is executed in parallel by repeating the alternating operation processing, similarly to the disinfection storage system 1 of the first embodiment.

When the heat disinfection process is completed in both the disinfection storage 101 and 102, the disinfection storage 101 outputs an off signal as an interlock signal (S270), and the disinfection storage 101 further outputs an on signal as a chain operation signal. (S290). In response to the input of this ON signal (Yes at S115), the disinfection storage 102 outputs an ON signal as a chain operation signal (S170).

Upon receiving the input of this chain operation signal (ON signal), the disinfection storage 103 makes an affirmative determination in S115, a negative determination in S120, and outputs an ON signal as an interlock signal in S130. As a result, the interlock signal as an on signal propagates through the loop again.
The disinfection storage 103 receives the input of the interlock signal (on signal) due to this propagation, makes an affirmative determination in S140, and starts the heating disinfection process by repeating the alternating operation process. Along with this, the sterilization storage 104 also performs heating sterilization processing by repeating the alternating operation process, in the same way as the sterilization storage system 1, so that the heaters 27 are operated alternately between the sterilization storages 103 and 104.

In this way, heat disinfection processing is executed in parallel in the disinfection storages 103 and 104. When the heat disinfection process is completed in both the disinfection storages 103 and 104, an off signal is output as an interlock signal from the disinfection storage 103 (S270), and an on signal is further output as a chain operation signal from the disinfection storage 103. (S290). In response to the input of this ON signal, the disinfection storage 104 outputs an ON signal as a chain operation signal (S170).

Upon receiving the input of this chain operation signal (ON signal), the disinfection storage 101 makes an affirmative determination in S115. At this time, in the disinfection storage 101, the heating disinfection process has already been completed and the completion flag is set to the value 1, so the disinfection storage 101 makes an affirmative determination in S120 and further makes an affirmative determination in S160. , executes reset processing (S180).

As a result, the interlock signal and the chain operation signal are switched to off signals, and the completion flag and the master unit flag are reset to the value 0. Furthermore, when the interlock signal is maintained as an off signal for a predetermined period of time or more, all disinfection storage units 102, 103, and 104 on the transmission path of the interlock signal reset their completion flags and master unit flags, Initialize various signals to off signals.

In this way, in the second embodiment, the disinfection storages 101, 102, 103, and 104 having the same configuration as the disinfection storage 10 of the first embodiment are connected as shown in FIG. 102 and between the disinfection storages 103 and 104, heating disinfection processing can be executed in parallel with the maximum power consumption being reduced to approximately one unit. Heat disinfection processing can be performed in order with the disinfection storage system 1B including the warehouses 103 and 104.

In particular, since a loop-shaped transmission path is provided between the disinfection storage system 1A and the disinfection storage system 1B as a transmission path for interlock signals and chain operation signals, the disinfection storage 101 of the disinfection storage system 1A Regardless of whether the operation instruction is input to any of the disinfection storages 103 of the disinfection storage system 1A and the disinfection storage system 1B, the heat disinfection process is executed in a chain manner in the disinfection storage system 1A and the disinfection storage system 1B.

In this way, according to the disinfection storage system 2 of the present embodiment, a large number of disinfection storages 101, 102, 103, and 104 are heated and disinfected with the maximum power consumption of about one machine, based on one operation instruction from the operator. The process can be carried out, and tableware can be efficiently sterilized by heating.

[others]
Although the disinfection storage systems 1 and 2 of the first and second embodiments have been described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and may take various forms.

For example, if the connection method of the disinfection storage systems 101-104 of the second embodiment is adopted, as shown in FIG. 13B, in addition to the disinfection storage systems 1A and 1B, an additional disinfection storage system 1C is added, for a total of six systems. A disinfection storage system 3 including disinfection storages 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, and 106 can be configured.

In the disinfection storage system 3, the signal line groups F51 and F52 wired between the disinfection storage 105 and the disinfection storage 106 are the same as the signal line group F41 wired between the disinfection storage 103 and the disinfection storage 104. , F42, and the signal line group F53 wired between the disinfection storage 104 and the disinfection storage 105 corresponds to the signal line group F43 wired between the disinfection storage 102 and the disinfection storage 103. do.

In the disinfection storage system 2, the signal line group F33 wired between the disinfection storage 101 and the disinfection storage 104 is wired between the disinfection storage 101 and the disinfection storage 106 in the disinfection storage system 3. . If this connection method is adopted, it is also possible to configure a disinfection storage system that can efficiently link together more than six disinfection storages. In addition, these disinfection storage systems 2 and 3 are disinfection storage systems that are composed of a pair of disinfection storages that have shifted to the alternate interlocking mode, but are not limited to this, and disinfection storage systems that can be interlocked with each other are mixed. A disinfection storage system may also be used.

In addition, in the above-mentioned disinfection storage system 1, the heaters 27 are operated alternately between the disinfection storage 10 and the disinfection storage 10E in order to suppress the power consumption to the maximum of about one unit, but the power consumption per hour is These heaters 27 may operate simultaneously within a range where the consumption does not exceed a preset upper limit.

For example, if the current input to the heater 27 gradually increases with the start of operation of the heater 27 and gradually decreases before the heater 27 stops, the current input to the heater 27 may be Even if the heater 27 in the warehouse 10E starts operating, the power consumption per hour can be suppressed. By operating the heaters 27 in duplicate in this way, it is possible to shorten the time required to complete heat disinfection in both the disinfection storages 10 and 10E. Similar concepts can also be applied to the disinfection storage systems 2,3.

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, 1A, 1B, 1C, 2, 3... Disinfection storage system, 10, 10E... Disinfection storage, 20... Accommodation space, 21... Housing, 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, 101, 102, 103, 104, 105, 106... Disinfection storage, F1, F2... signal line group, F11, F12, F13, F14... signal line, F21, F22, F23, F24... signal line, F31, F32, F33... signal line group, F41, F42, F43... signal line group, F51, F52, F53...Signal line group, P0...Power cable.

Claims (10)

A disinfection storage,
a self-heater, which is a heater configured to heat stored items in the refrigerator;
a controller configured to control the self-heater;
an input/output circuit configured to input a signal from an external storage, which is an external disinfection storage, and output a signal for the external storage;
Equipped with
The controller includes:
outputting a first notification signal regarding the operation of the self-heater to the external storage through the input/output circuit;
A sterilization storage that controls the self-heater based on a second notification signal related to the operation of an external heater that is a heater included in the external storage, which is input from the external storage through the input/output circuit. The disinfection storage according to claim 1, wherein the controller operates the self-heater on the condition that the external heater is stopped based on the second notification signal. The controller includes:
When a predetermined stop condition is satisfied during the operation of the self-heater, the self-heater is stopped, and a signal representing the stoppage of the self-heater is output as the first notification signal to the external storage;
On the condition that a signal representing the stoppage of the external heater is input as the second notification signal from the external storage while the self-heater is stopped, a signal representing the operation of the self-heater is sent to the first notification. The disinfection storage according to claim 2, wherein the signal is outputted to the external storage to activate the self-heater. The disinfection storage includes a detector configured to detect the temperature inside the storage,
4. The controller determines that the stop condition is satisfied and stops the self-heater when the internal temperature detected by the detector exceeds a set temperature while the self-heater is in operation. Disinfection storage. 4. The disinfection storage according to claim 3, wherein the controller determines that the stop condition is satisfied and stops the self-heater when a set time has elapsed from the start of operation of the self-heater. When the heat treatment start conditions are satisfied, the controller:
Starting a heating process that includes repeating activating the self-heater based on the second notification signal and stopping the self-heater when the stop condition is satisfied,
4. The disinfection storage according to claim 3, wherein when the termination condition is met, the heating treatment is terminated and the self-heater is maintained in a stopped state. Equipped with a user interface,
When a driving instruction is input through the user interface, the controller outputs a first interlock signal to the external storage through the input/output circuit;
When a second interlock signal is input from the external storage through the input/output circuit in response to the first interlock signal, it is determined that the heating process start condition is satisfied, and the self-heater is activated. The disinfection storage according to claim 6, wherein a signal representing the first notification signal is outputted to the external storage to start the heat treatment. The controller controls the second interlock signal when the first interlock signal is input from the external storage without inputting the operation instruction through the user interface while the self-heater is stopped. The disinfection storage according to claim 7, wherein a lock signal is output to the external storage and the heating treatment is started on condition that the external heater is stopped. A disinfection storage system,
Equipped with a first disinfection storage and a second disinfection storage,
The first disinfection storage is configured to perform a first heating process to heat the stored items by controlling a heater included in the first disinfection storage,
The second disinfection storage is configured to perform a second heating process to heat the stored items by controlling a heater included in the second disinfection storage,
The first heat treatment and the second heat treatment are performed in parallel so that the heater of the first disinfection storage and the heater of the second disinfection storage do not operate at the same time. Disinfection storage system. A disinfection storage system,
Equipped with a first disinfection storage and a second disinfection storage,
Each of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage is a disinfection storage according to any one of claims 1 to 8,
Each of the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage mutually outputs the first notification signal to the second disinfection storage or the first disinfection storage as the external storage. and controlling the self-heater based on the second notification signal from the external storage;
The first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage alternately operate the self-heaters to remove the stored items in the first disinfection storage and the second disinfection storage. Disinfection storage system with alternate heating.

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