JP3003356B2 - Vending machine cooling and heating equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to the cooling of a hot and cold vending machine for selling canned beverage products.
It relates to a heating device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 6 shows a conventional general configuration of a hot and cold vending machine described above. In the figure, 1 is a vending machine cabinet, 2 is an outer door, 3
Is a product outlet opened to the outer door 2, 4 is an insulated inner door, 5 is a product storage shelf of, for example, a serpentine type housed in the cabinet of the cabinet 1, and 6 is a product outlet for products taken out of the product storage shelf 5. 3 is a shooter that leads to
At the bottom of the refrigerator as a heating device, a heat exchanger 8, which is connected to a condensing unit 7 of a refrigerator and functions as an evaporator for keeping the product cool, a heater 9 for heating the product, and a fan 10 inside the refrigerator are provided. In addition, 11 is a compressor of the condensing unit 7, 12 is an air-cooled condenser, and 13 is an outside fan.

[0003] The operation of cooling and heating the inside of the refrigerator by such a configuration is well known. When selling cold products (cold operation mode), the refrigerator is operated to cool the products stored in the product storage shelf 5 in the refrigerator. I do. In the case of selling hot products (hot operation mode), the operation of the refrigerator is stopped, and instead, the heater 9 is energized to store the stored products at 60 ° C.
Heat to about.

On the other hand, in a recent vending machine, a product storage is divided into two rooms, one of which is a cold dedicated room, and the other is a hot / cold room, so that hot and cold products are sold together. Cold vending machines are the mainstream, and therefore, a refrigerant circuit of a refrigerator is conventionally implemented as shown in FIG. That is, among the product storage compartments divided into two compartments in the compartment, one heat exchanger 8A, 8B is provided in each of the hot / cold compartment 14A and the cold dedicated compartment 14B, and each heat exchanger is an electromagnetic Valves 15A, 15B and capillary tube 16A,
The refrigerant circuit is configured by being connected in parallel to the condensing unit 7 via 16B. Further, the heater 9 is provided in the hot / cold chamber 14A.

In such a configuration, each of the chambers 14A. 14B
When cold products are sold together (two-chamber cold operation mode), the solenoid valves 15A and 15B are opened, the high-temperature refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor 11 is guided to the condenser 12 and condensed, and then the refrigerant liquid is subjected to capillary. Tube 16A, 1
The flow is supplied to the heat exchangers 8A and 8B through the branch 6B, and the products stored in the refrigerator are cooled by the heat absorbed at that time. On the other hand, the hot / cold room 14A is used for hot products and the cold exclusive room 14A.
When cold products are sold together in B (room 14A is in the hot operation mode), solenoid valve 15A is closed to stop supply of refrigerant to heat exchanger 8A, and heater 9 is energized to heat the products to the selling temperature. I do.

[0006]

By the way, in the above-described conventional cooling and heating apparatus, when the hot / cold chamber is set to the hot operation mode while keeping the cold dedicated chamber cool, the refrigerator and the heater are simultaneously operated. Power consumption increases for operation. Moreover, the exhaust heat taken by the condenser of the condensing unit (the temperature of the air-cooled condenser is usually about 40 to 50 ° C.) is radiated to the surroundings without using any heat.

[0007] In this respect, if a product housed in a hot / cold room can be heated by using the retained heat of the high-temperature refrigerant gas (hot gas) discharged from the compressor, a product heating heater installed in the room can be omitted, or By reducing the capacity, the power consumption can be greatly reduced in total. The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and has as its object the object of the hot and cold vending machine mentioned above, in which a heat exchanger installed in a hot / cold room at the time of hot operation is installed. The refrigerating cycle of the refrigerator is switched so as to function as a condenser cooperating with the condenser of the condensing unit, and the product is heated by using the heat of the hot gas flowing through the heat exchanger. An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling and heating device in a vending machine.

[0008]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a cooling / heating apparatus according to the present invention employs a hot / cooling apparatus.
The heat exchanger installed in the cold room is provided with a refrigerant switching circuit for flowing the high-temperature refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor during the hot operation to the condenser of the condensing unit via the evaporator.

Here, the configuration of the refrigerant switching circuit is such that the condenser and the capillary tube of the condensing unit are bypassed and the discharge side of the compressor and a heat exchanger (a heat exchanger installed in a hot / cold chamber). And a series connection pipe line with an electromagnetic valve connecting between the outlet of the heat exchanger and the inlet of the condenser.

In order to more effectively use the hot gas discharged from the compressor as a heat source for heating the product in the hot / cold chamber, the discharge port of the compressor is connected to the hot / cold chamber via the bypass pipe. The refrigerant line between the inlet of the heat exchanger installed in the chamber is preferably covered with a heat insulating material. further,
As means for stably maintaining the heating temperature of the product during the hot operation of the hot / cold room, it is preferable to provide control means for controlling the condensation capacity of the condenser of the condensing unit according to the level of the room temperature.

[0011]

In the above configuration, during the hot operation of the hot / cold chamber, the high-temperature refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor flows into the heat exchanger installed in the chamber through the hot gas bypass pipe. Thereby, the heat exchanger functions as a condenser, radiates heat to the room, and heats stored goods. Further, the refrigerant flowing out of the heat exchanger further enters the condenser of the condensing unit through the series connection pipe line and condenses, and then the refrigerant liquid is supplied to the heat exchanger installed in the cold dedicated chamber through the capillary tube. It evaporates, the stored goods in the room are cooled by the heat absorption at that time, and then sucked into the compressor again. In other words, in this operation mode, the heat exchanger installed in the hot / cold room functions as a condenser and the heat exchanger installed in the cold dedicated room functions as an evaporator by operating the refrigerator to heat the stored products in the hot / cold room. And at the same time cool the products in the cold room. In addition,
When each room is cold-operated, the refrigerator becomes a normal refrigeration cycle, and the refrigerant liquid condensed in the condenser of the condensing unit is supplied to the heat exchanger of each room through a capillary tube, and the heat exchanger is used as an evaporator. It functions to keep items stored in the refrigerator cool.

In addition, the refrigerant line connecting the discharge port of the compressor and the inlet of the evaporator disposed in the hot / cold chamber is covered with a heat insulating material via the hot gas bypass line. Hot gas (80 ° C
) Can be introduced into the heat exchanger while suppressing the temperature drop during the passage through the pipeline, and the utilization efficiency of the retained heat of the refrigerant is improved.

[0013] Further, by detecting the room temperature during the hot operation of the hot / cold room and controlling the condensing ability of the condensing unit according to the level of the room temperature, the heating temperature of the commodities stored in the hot / cold room is controlled. Can be stabilized. As a specific control means for that, hot /
Based on the detection value of the temperature sensor disposed in the cold room, the heat load of the hot / cold room increases (for example, immediately after replenishment of the product) (the condensing capacity of the heat exchanger increases as the room temperature decreases, and the condensing temperature increases. If the room temperature drops below the set value due to the above reasons, the fan attached to the air-cooled condenser of the condensing unit in series with the heat exchanger is stopped to stop its condensation capacity. Is controlled to be lower. As a result, the condensing temperature of the heat exchanger installed in the hot / cold room rises from the total balance, the temperature of the refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger rises, and the temperature of the products stored in the room rises quickly. Become like When the room temperature recovers to the set value, the fan of the condenser is switched to the operation.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the drawings of the embodiment, the same components corresponding to FIG. 7 are denoted by the same reference numerals. First, FIG. 1 shows a refrigerant circuit diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. Compared with the conventional refrigerant circuit shown in FIG. 7, a heat exchanger installed in the discharge side of the compressor 11 and the hot / cold chamber 14A is shown. Solenoid valve 17 between the inlet of 8A
In addition, a hot gas bypass line 17 provided with a.a is provided, and a series connection line 18 provided with a solenoid valve 18a is provided between the outlet of the heat exchanger 8A and the inlet of the condenser 12 of the condensing unit 7. It is plumbed. In addition, in addition to the above, a solenoid valve 19 is provided in the refrigerant pipe between the discharge side of the compressor 11 and the condenser 12, and an outlet of the heat exchanger 8A and the compressor 1
An electromagnetic valve 20 is additionally provided in the refrigerant line between the first suction side and the suction side.

With this configuration, the hot / cold chamber 14A
In the operation mode of a vending machine that sells hot and cold products by heating the cold room 14B and cooling the cold dedicated room 14B, the solenoid valves 15B, 17a, and 18a are opened (ON) as shown in FIG. 19 and 20 are closed (O
FF) Operate the refrigerator in the state. Thereby, the high-temperature refrigerant gas discharged from the compressor 11 flows into the heat exchanger 8A installed in the hot / cold chamber via the hot gas bypass pipe 17, and radiates heat to the indoor side to heat the stored goods.
Further, the refrigerant that has passed through the heat exchanger 8A further passes through the series connection pipe 18 and is connected to the condenser 1 of the condensing unit 7.
After being condensed by flowing into the heat exchanger 8B, the heat enters the heat exchanger 8B installed in the cold dedicated room through the capillary tube 16B, where it evaporates and cools the housed goods, and the evaporated refrigerant exits the heat exchanger 8B. And is sucked into the compressor 11.

On the other hand, in the operation mode in which the hot / cold chamber 14A and the cold dedicated chamber 14B are both cooled to sell cold products, each solenoid valve is switched as shown in FIG. Thereby, the flow of the refrigerant becomes the same as that in FIG. 7, and the heat exchangers 8A and 8B installed in each room both function as evaporators, and cool the products stored in each room. FIG. 4 shows a refrigerant pipe connecting the discharge port of the compressor 11 and the heat exchanger 8A including the hot gas bypass pipe described above.
1 shows an embodiment covered with 1, and adopts a heat insulating structure for a refrigerant pipe to supply a high-temperature refrigerant gas discharged from a compressor 11 to a heat exchanger 8A via a hot gas bypass pipe. The refrigerant temperature can be prevented from lowering in the flow process, and the heating efficiency of the product is improved.

FIG. 5 shows a hot / cold chamber 14A.
FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a control means for adjusting the condensation capacity of the condenser 12 in accordance with the change in the room temperature. In the drawing, reference numeral 22 denotes a temperature sensor for detecting the room temperature arranged in the hot / cold chamber 14a, and 23 denotes a condenser. A controller for controlling the operation of the fan 13 attached to the fan 12. Here, during the hot operation of the hot / cold chamber 14A, if the room temperature falls below the set value due to an increase in heat load or the like, the condenser 12 is instructed by a command from the controller 23 based on the signal of the temperature control 22. Of the fan 13 is stopped. When the room temperature recovers to the set value, the fan 13 is operated again. This allows hot / hot operation during hot operation, such as immediately after replenishment of products.
When the room temperature of the cold room decreases, the condensing temperature of the heat exchanger 8A can be raised to quickly heat the stored product to a suitable temperature for sale.

[0018]

As described above, the cooling and heating apparatus according to the present invention allows the heat exchanger installed in the hot / cold chamber to function as an evaporator or a condenser in accordance with the operation mode. During operation, the product can be heated by effectively utilizing the retained heat of the hot gas discharged from the compressor of the refrigerator. Therefore, it is possible to omit the heater for heating the product, which is installed in the vending machine of the conventional vending machine, or to replace the heater with a small capacity, and as a result, it is possible to achieve significant power saving during the hot operation. .

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a refrigerant circuit diagram of a refrigerator showing a cooling and heating device in a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of a refrigerant in an operation mode in which a hot / cold chamber is operated in a hot mode and a cold dedicated chamber is operated in a cold mode in the refrigerant circuit of FIG.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a refrigerant flow in an operation mode in which both a hot / cold chamber and a cold dedicated chamber are cold-operated in the refrigerant circuit of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a heat insulation structure of a refrigerant pipe according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a condenser capacity adjusting unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a configuration of a hot and cold vending machine.

FIG. 7 is a configuration diagram of a conventional internal cooling and heating device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 7 Condensing unit of refrigerator 8A Heat exchanger 8B Heat exchanger 11 Compressor 12 Condenser 13 Condenser fan 14A Hot / cold room 14B Cold dedicated room 17 Hot gas bypass line 18 Series connection line 21 Insulation material 23 Temperature sensor

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] An apparatus for cooling and heating a vending machine in which a product storage is divided into two chambers, one of which is a cold dedicated room and the other is a hot / cold room, wherein a heat exchanger is provided in each of the above rooms. Is installed, and each heat exchanger is connected in parallel to the condensing unit of the refrigerator to form a refrigeration cycle. For the heat exchanger installed in the hot / cold room,
A vending machine interior cooling and heating device comprising a refrigerant switching circuit for flowing a high-temperature refrigerant gas discharged from a compressor during a hot operation to a condenser of a condensing unit via the heat exchanger. 2. A cooling and heating apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant switching circuit bypasses the condenser and the capillary tube of the condensing unit and connects between the discharge side of the compressor and the inlet of the heat exchanger. A vending machine having a hot gas bypass pipe with a solenoid valve connected thereto and a series connection pipe with a solenoid valve connecting the outlet of the heat exchanger and the inlet of the condenser. , Heating equipment. 3. The cooling and heating apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the refrigerant pipe is provided between a discharge port of the compressor and a heat exchanger inlet installed in the hot / cold chamber via a hot gas bypass pipe. A cooling and heating device for a vending machine, wherein a path is covered with a heat insulating material. 4. The internal cooling and heating apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising control means for controlling the condenser capacity of the condenser according to the level of the room temperature in the hot operation mode of the hot / cold room. A vending machine cooling and heating device characterized by the following characteristics.