JP2730594B2 - Cool storage device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Object of the Invention] (Industrial application field) The present invention relates to a cold storage device, and more particularly, to selectively operate a cooler according to a time zone so as to effectively use electric power. To a cold storage device.

(Problems to be Solved by the Related Art and the Invention) Generally, a refrigerating cycle having a compressor is used for a refrigerator, a showcase, a storage, and other storage devices for refrigerated or frozen storage of foods and the like. These storage devices are:
In order to maintain the freshness of fresh foods, fruits, etc., the internal temperature of the storage, for example, −18 ° C., −10 ° C., −
Maintain at 5 ° C, + 5 ° C, etc.

Therefore, in the storage device in use, a refrigeration cycle, that is, a compressor of several hundred watts, is constantly operated so as to maintain this low temperature. Also, as capacity increases, several kilowatts of compressor may be operated.

By the way, the electric compressor used in this refrigeration cycle has been manufactured as an energy-saving product as compared with the conventional product due to the improvement of technical ability. In such a case, a considerable amount of electric power is required, and in homes, stores, storage rooms, and the like, the amount of electric power used, that is, the electricity bill becomes a major problem.

In consideration of this situation, each electric power company adopts regular daytime power rates, nighttime power rates, and low-priced late-night power rates in order to make effective use of power. The use of electrical equipment along the line is planned.

However, in this fee system, the storage device is mainly used during the daytime or at nighttime, so that mainly daytime power and nighttime power are used, and low-priced late-night power is hardly used. For this reason, there has been a problem that electricity costs of storage devices used in homes, stores, storage rooms, and the like increase.

The present invention has a relatively high operation rate in consideration of the above points,
Further, a regenerative storage device that effectively uses late-night power in a low-priced time zone in a refrigeration cycle device that uses a large amount of power is obtained.

[Configuration of the invention]

(Means for Solving the Problems) The present invention relates to a storage for storing food and the like by refrigeration, freezing, etc., wherein the storage comprises an upper freezer compartment and a lower refrigeration compartment, and the upper freezer compartment is provided. The room is composed of a refrigeration unit and a regenerative unit by an insulating wall. The refrigerating unit includes a first cooler that freezes and refrigerates the food by the refrigerant action of the electric compressor, and the regenerative unit freezes and refrigerates the food. And a second cooler for storing cold in the cold storage member, wherein the heat insulating wall transfers cooling energy from the first cooler and the second cooler to the upper freezer compartment and the lower refrigerator. A blower that supplies the cooling energy to a lower refrigerator compartment on an intermediate heat-insulating wall separating the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment.
And a control circuit for selectively performing the switching operation of the cooler and the second cooler according to the time zone, and performing the cold storage of the cold storage member during the low power rate time zone.

(Operation) Food and the like are put in the storage, and the electric compressor is operated to operate the first cooler or the second cooler to perform a cooling operation, and the food or the like in the storage is refrigerated and frozen and stored.

The cooling operation of these coolers, in particular, the cooling operation of the second cooler during the low power charge time period performs refrigeration, frozen storage and cold storage of the cold storage member of the food. The cold storage energy of this cold storage member is stored by low-priced late-night power, and the damper device is opened in the high-priced daytime power band and nighttime power band, supplied to the storage by a blower, and used for refrigeration and freezing of food. The use of electric power is suppressed.

(Embodiment) An embodiment of the cold storage device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1 and 2 show a refrigerator 10 shown as an example of the cold storage device of the present invention. This refrigerator refrigerator 10
The upper freezing compartment 14 and the lower refrigerating compartment 15 are constituted by heat insulating walls 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f, 11g and heat insulating doors 12, 13, and the like. The upper freezer compartment 14 has a first cooler 18 that receives the refrigerant sent through the electric compressor 16 and the condenser 17 of the refrigeration cycle by switching, and freezes the food M such as meat. A, and a regenerator B having a second cooler 20 for receiving the refrigerant of the refrigerating cycle by switching and refrigerating the food M and refrigerating the regenerative member 21.

The cooling energy of the first cooler 18 and the cold energy of the cold storage member 21 stored by the second cooler 20 are respectively provided on the back of the heat insulating wall 11g between the freezing section A and the cold storing section B. A circulating cool air blower 22 is provided.

Insulated wall 11 at the back separating the freezer compartment 14 and the refrigerator compartment 15
A damper device 24 that guides the cooling energy of the first cooler 18 and the cold storage energy of the cold storage member 21 stored by the second cooler 20 to the refrigerating room 15 is provided at the corner between the d and the heat insulating wall 11b on the back side.
Is provided.

The refrigeration cycle is configured as shown in FIG. That is, the refrigerant compressed by the electric compressor 16 is supplied to the condenser 17 through the discharge pipe 24,
At 17 the refrigerant is condensed. This condensed refrigerant is sent to the switching valve 27 via the dryer 25 and the capillary tube 26. The condensed refrigerant sent to the switching valve 27 is passed through the regulating valve 28a and the expansion valve 29a to the first cooler 18 or the regulating valve 28b and the expansion valve 29.
The condensed refrigerant is supplied to the second cooler 20 via b, and the condensed refrigerant is evaporated by the coolers 18 and 20, and the coolers 18 and 20 perform a cooling operation. The refrigerant evaporated in the coolers 18 and 20 is returned to the electric compressor 16 via the coupler 30 and is compressed by the electric compressor 16 again.

As shown in FIG. 1, the electric compressor 16 of the refrigeration cycle is provided on the base 31 of the refrigerator 10 and the condenser 17 is provided on the refrigerator.
The first cooler 18 and the second cooler 20 are attached to the freezing section A and the heat storage section B, etc., and are mounted on the heat insulating section 11b on the back side of the refrigerator 10. Fifteen refrigerated foods N are used for frozen storage or refrigerated storage.

As the first cooler 18, a normal cooler having a refrigerating function is used. However, as the second cooler 20, for example, a cooler 20 having a configuration as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) is used. That is, the second cooler 20 is constituted by a three-dimensional container 31,
Inside the container 31, a refrigerant tube 20a in the form of a plover is disposed. The container 31 is provided with a plurality of air circulation pipes 32 penetrating between the stagnant refrigerant pipes 20a.
A cold storage member capable of storing cold energy for a long time, for example, an antifreeze liquid 21 is injected between the refrigerant pipe 20a and the air circulation pipe 32 inside the container 31.

Although the antifreeze is used as the cold storage member, the same effect can be obtained by using a cold storage member (not shown) such as calcium chloride between the cooling pipe 20a and the air flow pipe 32 instead. Can be. The cold storage member 21 is a second cooler
It is also possible to adopt a transportable container-type structure that is housed inside the 20.

As shown in FIG. 5, the damper device 24 opens and closes a passage 40 formed in the heat insulating wall 11d at the back connecting the freezing room 14 and the refrigerating room 15 by temperature control.
Is supplied to the refrigerator compartment 15. The damper device 24 is provided with a temperature detector 42 having a diaphragm 41 that expands and contracts according to the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15. A lever 43 is provided at the distal end of the diaphragm 41, and the lever 43 expands and contracts according to the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15, and the fulcrum P1 at one end is actuated by the operation of the diaphragm 41.
Can be rotated counterclockwise around the center. A pivotally attachable opening / closing lid 44 for opening and closing the passage 40 is attached to the other end of the lever 43. The opening / closing lid 44 controls opening and closing of the passage 40 by expansion and contraction of the diaphragm 41.

An arm 45 is provided at an end of the lever 43 opposite to the opening / closing lid 44. Further, the fulcrum P1 and the opening / closing lid 44
A support arm 46 is swingably provided at an end of the temperature detector 42 between the two. A spring 47 is stretched between the arm 45 and the support arm 46. When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15 is lower than a predetermined temperature, the lever 47 is
Reference numeral 43 denotes a dotted line position, that is, the opening / closing lid 44 is adjusted so as to close the passage 40.

FIG. 6 shows the electric compressor 16 and the blower of the refrigeration cycle.
22 and the switching valve 27 etc.
And an electric control circuit for switching and controlling the night power supply 52 with a low electricity rate according to the time zone.

The electric control circuit is provided with a timer device 53. At time, for example, at 6:00 am, the contact 54 of the timer device 53 closes, the contacts 55 and 56 open, and at 11 pm the contact 54 opens, and the contacts 55 and 56 Is opened and closed, and the daytime power supply 51 and the nighttime power supply 52 are switched and used.

When the contact 54 closes, the power of the daytime power supply 51 is
When the contact 54 is opened, the power of the daytime power supply 51 is stopped from being supplied to the electric compressor 16 and the like.

When the contact 55 is closed, the power of the midnight power supply 52 is
When the contact 55 is opened, the supply of the electric power of the midnight electric power supply 52 to the electric compressor 16 and the like is stopped.

Further, when the contact 56 is closed, the contact 56B associated therewith is closed. By operating the switching valve control device 57 in which the contact 56 is closed,
The switching valve 27 is switched so as to switch the refrigerant of the refrigeration cycle from the first cooler 18 to the second cooler 20, and the electric compressor 16 is operated so as to cool the second cooler 20.

When the contact 56 is opened, the contact 56B associated therewith is opened. As a result, the operation of the switching valve control device 57 is stopped, and the switching from the second cooler 20 of the refrigeration cycle to the first cooler 18 is performed.
The electric compressor 16 is operated so as to cool the cooler 18.

In the present embodiment, the daytime power supply 51 and the midnight power supply 52 are separately provided, but when the hourly charge system is introduced, they are supplied from one power supply. In this case, the timer device
The 53 contacts 54 and 55 become unnecessary.

The symbols 58A and 59A are thermostats,
The thermostat 58A closes a contact 58B when the room temperature of the freezing room 14 becomes approximately −18 ° C. or less, and opens the contact 58B when the room temperature becomes −21 ° C. or more to control the operation of the electric compressor 16 according to the temperature.

The thermostat 59A opens the contact point 59B when cold storage in the cold storage member 21 is completed, for example, when the temperature of the antifreeze liquid reaches about −18 ° C., and controls the operation of the electric compressor 16 based on the temperature.

First, a description will be given of a case where the refrigerator-freezer thus configured is operated with the nighttime power supply 52 (see FIG. 6).

At midnight, the timer device 53 operates to open the contact 54 and close the contacts 55 and 56. When the contact 55 closes,
Electric power from the midnight power supply 52 is supplied to the electric compressor 16 via the contact point 55, and the electric compressor 16 is operated to operate the refrigeration cycle.

When the contact 56 is closed, the switching valve control device 57 operates,
The switching valve 27 is switched so that the refrigerant flows from the first cooler 18 to the second cooler 20.

By this operation, the second cooler 20 is cooled, and the antifreeze liquid outside the cooling pipe 22a is cooled to about -18 ° C. by the cooling action.

If the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15 becomes 5 ° C. or more during this cooling operation,
The diaphragm 41 is expanded and the opening / closing lid 44 of the damper device 24 is operated to release the passage 40 into the refrigerator compartment 15. This allows antifreeze 21
The stored cold energy is guided to the refrigerator compartment 15 by the blower 22 through the air circulation pipe 32, the passage 40 and the like, and the cold food N is refrigerated.

When the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15 becomes 5 ° C. or less, a damper device is provided.
Operate the open / close lid 44 of the 24 to close the passage 40. This allows the second
Cooler 20 only cools the antifreeze liquid 21 and keeps the cold storage member 21 cool at about −18 ° C. This cold storage control is performed by opening and closing the contact 59B of the thermostat 59A.

During this time, when the temperature of the freezing compartment 14 becomes higher than about −18 ° C., the contact 58B of the thermostat 58A is opened and the switching valve controller 57 is opened.
By operating the switching valve 27, the first cooler 18 is switched to flow the refrigerant. By this switching, the temperature of the freezing room A is reduced by about-
It is cooled at 21 ° C. and the food M is frozen. This temperature control is performed by opening and closing a contact 58B of the thermostat 58A.

In the above case, since the heat insulating doors of the freezer compartments 14 and the refrigerator compartments 15 are not opened and closed at midnight and the temperatures of the freezer compartments 14 and the refrigerator compartments 15 do not decrease, the temperature of each freezer compartment 14 is reduced to about −18 ° C. or less. The temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15 is maintained at 5 ° C. or lower, and the antifreeze 21 is sufficiently cooled.

Next, in the daytime, since the contact 54 is closed by the timer device 53, the electric power from the daytime electric power source 51 is supplied to the electric compressor 16 to operate the refrigeration cycle. Blower for first cooler 20
The wind of 22 is sent, and the cooled air of the air distribution pipe 32 is sent into the storage.

In such an operation, for example, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15 is 5 ° C. or more, the operation of the diaphragm 41 causes
43 is rotated counterclockwise as in practice, and the opening / closing lid 44 of the damper device 24 opens the passage 40. With this opening, the cool air in the freezing room 14 is blown by the blower 22 through the passage 40.
The food N is refrigerated and stored in the refrigerator compartment 15 by the cool air in the freezer compartment 14.

After a predetermined time, when the temperature of the refrigerator compartment 15 is cooled to 5 ° C. or less, the diaphragm 41 contracts, the lever 43 is rotated clockwise as indicated by a dotted line, the opening / closing lid 44 closes the passage 40, and the Stop the supply of cold air to the refrigerator compartment 15, and
Performs refrigeration of the food N by the supplied cool air. On the other hand, when the opening / closing lid 44 closes the passage 40, the freezing compartment 14
The cool air generated by the air is circulated in the freezer compartment 14 by the blower 22 to freeze the food M.

By the operation of the damper device 24, freezing of the freezing compartment 14 and refrigeration of the refrigerating compartment 15 are performed, and the freezer / refrigerator is operated by a normal charge daytime electric power. The compressor 16 is stopped.

When the antifreeze liquid 21 is switched from the late night power time zone to the daytime power time zone again by the cooling of the antifreeze liquid 21, the first cooler 18, that is, the electric compressor 16 is not directly operated and the antifreeze liquid 21 is cooled. The freezer compartment 14
Thus, the refrigeration energy of the refrigerator compartment 15 and the refrigeration energy are covered. The operation of the freezing room 14 and the refrigerating room 15 by the heat storage energy differs depending on the degree of cooling of the antifreeze 21 and the opening and closing of the heat insulating doors 12 and 13, but can cover all of the daytime power periods in a long time. Therefore, the refrigerator can effectively use the midnight electric power, and the electric charge can be significantly reduced.

In the above embodiment, the power supply by the timer device,
An electronic switch using a semiconductor for opening and closing an electric compressor, a blower, or the like can be used.

FIG. 7 shows another embodiment in which the present invention is used in a storage. 7, 101 is a storage, 102 is a heat insulating material, 103 is a blower, 104 is a cooling device, 105 is a cooling device 104
, A cooling unit of the cooling device 104; 107, a refrigeration unit such as an electric compressor and a condenser; and 108, a storage temperature sensor.

The difference from the freezer is that the control temperature is kept at a constant temperature by setting a temperature sensor from ice temperature, for example, −0.01 ° C. to cold temperature, for example, 10 ° C. because the purpose is to preserve food without freezing. .

The temperature sensor 108 corresponds to the thermostat 58A in the embodiment of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 6, but they open at -18 ° C. and open at −21 ° C., whereas in the case of ice temperature, for example,
Precise control of the closed circuit at −0.01 ° C. and the open circuit at −0.05 ° C. is required, and cold storage, for example, 10 ° C. closed at 10 ° C., 12
The open circuit at ° C. can have a relatively coarse control range.

In order to keep the storage at the ice temperature, it is necessary to make the cold storage part larger than in the case of low temperature storage.

〔The invention's effect〕

The storage device of the present invention switches the operation of the electric compressor and the like between the daytime power supply and the late-night electric power supply according to the time zone and supplies the electric power, so that the electricity charge used for the operation of the electric compressor and the like is greatly reduced. can do.

In addition, since the cold storage member is stored cold using surplus power generated by late-night power, and the cold storage energy is used for freezing and refrigeration, the use time of daytime power is shortened, the use time of late-night power is extended, and the power consumption of the storage device is increased. Charges can be reduced.

Further, the cooler is divided into two, one cooler is operated by a power supply in the daytime, the other cooler is operated by the power supply at midnight, and the heat storage member is cooled by the power supply at midnight. Therefore, effective use of the power at midnight can be achieved.

Further, since the temperature control of the refrigerator compartment is performed by controlling the opening and closing of the damper device in the cold storage control, the temperature of the stored food can be controlled accurately.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a main part of a refrigerator-freezer as one embodiment of the storage device of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a main part of a refrigeration cycle used in the present refrigerator, and FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b) are plan views of a cooler used in FIGS. 1 and 2. Figure and side view, Figure 5
FIG. 6 is a plan view showing a main part of a damper device used in the refrigerator, FIG. 6 is a block diagram of an electric control device for driving the refrigerator, and FIG. 7 is another embodiment of the device of the present invention. It is a schematic sectional drawing of the storage shown. 10… Refrigerator-freezer, 11a, 11b, 11c, 11d, 11e, 11f and 11g…
Insulation material, 12, 13… Insulated door, 14… Freezer, 15… Refrigerator, 16
... electric compressor, 17 ... condenser, 18, 20 ... cooler, 22 ... blower, 25 ... dryer, 26 ... capillary tube, 27 ... switching valve, 28a, 28b ... regulating valve, 29a, 29b ... expansion valve, 30 … Coupler,
31… container, 32… pipe, 40… passage, 41… diaphragm,
42 ... detector, 43 ... lever, 44 ... open / close lid, 45, 46 ... arm, 47
... Spring, 51 ... Daytime power supply, 52 ... Midnight power supply, 53 ... Timer device, 54, 55 and 56 ... Electromagnetic switch, 57 ... Switching valve control device, 101 ... Storage, 102 ... Insulation material, 103 ... Blower, 104
... a cooling device, 105 ... a cold storage unit, 106 ... a cooling unit, 107 ... a freezing unit, 108 ... a temperature sensor.

Claims (1)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage for storing food or the like by refrigeration or freezing, wherein the storage is composed of an upper freezing compartment and a lower refrigerating compartment, and the upper freezing compartment is connected to a freezing section by a heat insulating wall. A refrigerating unit, wherein the refrigerating unit includes a first cooler that freezes and refrigerates food by a refrigerant action of an electric compressor, and the regenerative unit freezes and refrigerates food, and cools a regenerative member. The heat insulating wall includes a blower that supplies cooling energy from the first cooler and the second cooler to the upper freezing compartment and the lower refrigerating compartment. And a damper device for guiding the cooling energy to a lower refrigerator compartment on an intermediate heat insulating wall separating the freezer compartment and the refrigerator compartment, wherein the first cooler and the second cooler are operated in a time zone. Switching operation selectively according to Cold storage storage apparatus characterized by comprising a control circuit in which the cold accumulating the even cold storage member to perform a low-power charge time zone.