JP3027735B2 - Refrigeration equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a refrigeration apparatus suitable for a cold-keeping rice bin and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, as a refrigeration apparatus capable of easily obtaining fresh cereals at a time when the cereals are easily damaged, a cold-keeping rice bin apparatus capable of storing white rice for a long time has been proposed. FIG. 6 shows an example of this rice bin device. The rice bin device 90 shown in FIG. 6 has a vertically long housing 91,
The housing 91 has a storage 92 for storing white rice. The storage 92 is surrounded by a heat insulating material 93, and the heat insulating material 93 performs heat insulation processing. Below the storage 92, a weighing device 94 for dispensing desired white rice from the storage 92 is installed, and below the weighing device 94, for obtaining the white rice dispensed by the weighing device 94. An unloading container 95 is provided. A cooling device 98 having a heat absorbing unit 96 and a heat discharging unit 97 is provided above the storage 92.
Is installed. Cooling air can be supplied from the cooling device 98 into the storage 92 to cool the interior of the storage 92. For this reason, the rice bin device 90
Can construct an environment suitable for long-term storage of white rice in the storage 92.

[0003]

It is known that, when white rice is maintained at an ambient temperature of about 20 ° C. or less, generation of pests and mold can be prevented. It is also known that by maintaining the ambient temperature at about 15 ° C. or higher and further maintaining an appropriate humidity, it is possible to prevent low-temperature damage such as cracking of rice or discoloration of rice by drying. further,
White rice has a function of self-adjusting the balance of water content (moisture absorption) inside, and the moisture absorption state of white rice is a factor closely related to taste.

In the rice bin device 90 shown in FIG. 6, cold air is directly supplied to the white rice, so that the white rice directly hit by the cold air has a lower temperature than the other portions of white rice.
Furthermore, since it becomes easy to dry, the taste tends to decrease, such as cracking of rice. For this reason, a circulating layer for circulating air is provided around the storage to cool the whole white rice evenly, without directly applying cool air to the white rice stored in the storage, and the air in this circulating layer is cooled. A rice bin device of a type cooled by the device is being studied. In this type of rice bin device, the cool air circulating in the circulating layer cools the entire side wall of the storage substantially uniformly, and furthermore, the heat of the white rice can be indirectly absorbed through the entire side wall, so that the rice is stored in the storage. The whole rice can be uniformly cooled without excessively drying the white rice.

[0005] However, in the rice bin device provided with a circulation layer for circulating cool air around the storage as described above, in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, the amount of white rice stored in the storage is small. When bad conditions such as opening the lid overlap, a large amount of hot and humid atmosphere is introduced into the storage,
Condensation may occur on the side walls. That is, when a large amount of high-temperature and high-humidity outside air enters, a large amount of moisture rapidly enters the storage and is cooled as it is, so that dew condensation occurs on the low-humidity side wall. In addition, since the amount of stored white rice is small, the moisture absorption of the white rice itself is weak. In addition, when the storage amount of white rice is large, cool air circulates around and the cold air does not directly hit the white rice. Humidity is self-regulated by the hygroscopic action of the white rice itself, but if the amount of stored white rice is small, large amounts of moisture cannot be processed by the hygroscopic power of the white rice itself. Therefore, the white rice is wetted by the water droplets generated on the side wall, thereby deteriorating the taste of the white rice and causing mold.

[0006] In order to forcibly absorb water droplets generated on the side wall of the storage, it is conceivable to provide a water absorbing material on the side wall to prevent the white rice from getting wet. However, the water-absorbing material may be reduced in its water-absorbing action by rice bran or rice oil. For this reason, when a water absorbing material is provided on the side wall, it is difficult to maintain the action of absorbing dew condensation for a long period of time, and a problem remains in terms of durability.

Also, by providing a heat insulating material on the outside of the side wall facing the cooling device, which is liable to cause condensation, to prevent the temperature of the side wall from becoming too low, dew condensation does not occur on all side walls of the storage. It is conceivable to do so. However, the temperature of the side wall where the heat insulating material is not installed becomes low, and furthermore, there is heat conduction from the side wall. Therefore, the effect of the heat insulating material is hardly observed, and dew condensation occurs on the side wall of the storage.

Therefore, in the present invention, in a refrigeration apparatus for circulating air around such a storage to cool the refrigerated material such as white rice through the side wall of the storage, the storage of the refrigerated material in the storage is performed. Even when a high temperature and high humidity air enters the storage from the outside when the amount is small, the dew condensation on the side wall of the storage is almost certainly prevented without directly blowing the cool air to the object to be refrigerated. It is an object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration device that can prevent the refrigeration. It is another object of the present invention to provide a refrigeration apparatus that can store refrigerated items in a fresh state for a long time.

[0009]

For this reason, in the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention, a communication hole is opened near the input port on the upper side of the side wall of the storage box, and the communication hole is closed by refrigerated material such as white rice. In addition, through the communication hole, a portion of the high-temperature and high-humidity air that has entered the storage is guided to the circulation layer for dehumidification without directly applying cold air to the object to be refrigerated. . That is, the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention has a storage that can store refrigerated objects, a circulating layer that can circulate air along the outer side wall around the storage, and a chiller that can cool the air in the circulating layer. With a cooling device, the storage is capable of charging grains upward
The circulating layer is provided with a mouth and air is provided along the four side walls of the storage compartment.
And circulate, and
At least one communication hole communicating the inside of the storage and the circulating layer is provided in the vicinity of the one inlet.

In the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention, the air in the storage is guided to the circulating layer little by little through the communication hole, and dehumidified in the circulating layer by the heat absorbing portion of the cooling device. Therefore, even when a large amount of high-temperature, high-humidity air is introduced into the storage, the air can be gradually guided to the circulating layer, drained on the cooling device side, and discharged. In addition, the amount of air guided from the storage to the circulation layer can be controlled by the diameter and number of communication holes, so that the air inside the storage is not dehumidified too much, and furthermore, the rice is communicated to the extent that the rice itself absorbs moisture. Holes can be set. Therefore, even under adverse conditions where a large amount of high-temperature, high-humidity air enters the storage, it is possible to dehumidify the inside of the storage without excessively drying the stored refrigerated material such as white rice, and dew condensation occurs on the side walls of the storage. Can be prevented. Therefore, according to the present invention, refrigerated items such as white rice can be stored in an environment of an appropriate temperature range and an appropriate humidity under any circumstances, and refrigeration that can supply fresh and delicious refrigerated items for a long period of time. The device can be realized. For example, when the object to be refrigerated is white rice, the ambient temperature of the white rice is maintained at about 15 ° C. to about 20 ° C. Further, since the cool air can be maintained at an appropriate humidity without directly hitting the white rice, Low temperature damage such as cracking or rice drying and discoloration can be prevented. Further, in the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention, since the dew is not formed on the side wall of the storage and is also drained from the heat absorbing portion of the cooling device in the circulation layer separated from the storage, the white rice does not get wet. . Therefore, even when installed in a bad environment of high temperature and high humidity, it is possible to eliminate factors that impair the quality of the object to be refrigerated, such as generation of mold.
Further, unlike the above-described measures such as installing a water absorbing material on the side wall of the storage, there is no problem in durability and there is no need to additionally install a heat insulating material. Therefore, it is possible to realize a refrigeration device that is inexpensive, durable, and has a high quality maintaining ability.

Further, a refrigeration apparatus for grains such as white rice and wheat.
As above, it is provided above the storage for convenience.
By providing the communication hole near the inlet into which the grain can be charged, the communication hole is not blocked by the grain such as white rice put into the storage, so that the dehumidifying function can be prevented from being impaired. In addition, since the high-temperature and high-humidity air that has entered the refrigerator stays in the upper portion of the storage, the communication hole is provided in the upper portion of the storage, so that the high-temperature and high-humidity air is cooled and descends. The effect of dehumidifying as much as possible can be obtained.

Further, in a storage provided with a charging port above which grains can be charged, the structure is simplified by providing a circulation layer so that air circulates along four side walls of the storage. Furthermore, in order to suppress the flow rate of air flowing out to the circulation layer for dehumidification and to prevent the outflow of grains, it is desirable to form a plurality of communication holes smaller in size than the grains to be stored. When a plurality of communication holes are formed in this way, by arranging the communication holes at substantially equal intervals around the entire periphery of the side wall of the storage, the air in the storage can be averagely guided to the circulation layer. , It is easy to make the condition in the refrigerator uniform. In addition, it is desirable to install a circulation fan in the circulation layer to increase the circulation efficiency in the circulation layer and increase the dehumidification rate.
Furthermore, installing a circulation fan at approximately the same height as the communication hole to efficiently cool the air in the circulating layer around the communication hole and increase the dehumidification rate of the high-temperature and high-humidity air remaining at the top of the storage box Is also possible.

[0013]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a rice bin device as an example of a refrigerator according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the appearance of the rice bin device, and FIGS. 2 and 3 show a longitudinal section and a cross section of the rice bin device.

As shown in these figures, the rice bin device 1 of the present embodiment has a rectangular parallelepiped housing 3 in which an opening / closing lid 2 for charging white rice 30 is provided at the upper part. Inside the housing 3, a storage 4 for storing white rice 30 and a Peltier cooling device 10 which is a cooling device capable of indirectly cooling the storage 4 via a circulation layer 9 are stored. The storage case 4 is arranged inside the housing 3 on the front side. Above the storage box 4, there is provided an input port 4a into which the white rice 30 can be inserted with the opening / closing lid 2 opened,
Below the storage 4, a payout port 4 b for discharging a desired amount of white rice 30 from the inside of the storage to the measuring device 5 is provided. Below the weighing device 5 connected to the payout port 4b, a take-out container 6 for obtaining the white rice 30 paid out by the weighing device 5 is installed in a detachable manner with respect to the housing 3. . Since the white rice 30 dispensed by the weighing device 5 is stored in the take-out container 6, the user can obtain a desired amount of white rice 30 from the rice bin device 1 by pulling out the take-out container 6 to the outside.

The four side walls 5a, 5b, 5c of the storage 4
And 5d are surrounded by a heat insulating wall 7. Between the four side walls 5a to 5d of the storage 4 and the heat insulating wall 7, a circulating layer 9 through which air can circulate horizontally by a plurality of spacers 8 is provided. It is configured. In the rice bin device 1 of the present example, the side walls 5a to 5
d is cooled by the Peltier cooling device 10, and the inside of the storage case 4 is cooled from the four side walls 5a to 5d. Accordingly, the heat of the white rice 30 put into the storage 4 is absorbed through the side walls 5 a to 5 d of the storage 4, and as a result, the temperature of the storage 4 and the white rice 30 stored therein is reduced to the temperature of the circulation layer 9. Can be reduced indirectly according to Then, the air (cold air) cooled by the cooling device 10 does not directly enter the inside of the storage case 4, and the side walls 5 a to 5 in the storage case.
It is only cooled indirectly via d, and furthermore, the interior of the storage is closed when the opening / closing lid 2 is closed, so that the storage is cooled while the humidity in the storage is maintained to some extent.

The Peltier cooling devices 10 are arranged horizontally on the rear side of the housing 3 so as to face the side wall 5a of the storage case 4. This Peltier cooling device 10
Are Peltier cooling units 11 and 12 arranged side by side in a horizontal direction, and these Peltier cooling units 11
Heat sink 13 connected to the front side of
And a heat-dissipating heat sink 14 connected to the back side of the Peltier cooling units 11 and 12. The heat absorbing heat sink 13 projects to the circulation layer 9 and can absorb heat from the air circulating in the circulation layer 9. In addition, below the exhaust heat sink 14,
Two cooling fans 15 and 16 arranged in a horizontal direction
Is installed. These cooling fans 15 and 16
Thus, external air is forcibly supplied to the heat-dissipating heat sink 14 to increase the heat-dissipating efficiency. In this example, a circulation fan 17 is provided near the heat absorbing heat sink 13 in the circulation layer 9 so that air in the circulation layer 9 can be efficiently circulated. As a result, the side walls 5a to 5d of the storage case 4 can be uniformly cooled, and the white rice 30 stored in the storage case 4 can be kept cool within a predetermined temperature range. In this example, the circulation fan 1
The heat-absorbing heat sink 13 is located in the immediate vicinity of the outlet side of 7, and the air of the circulating layer 9 is efficiently supplied to the heat-absorbing heat sink 13 by the circulation fan 17 and cooled.

In the rice bin device 1 of this embodiment, white rice 30
The communication holes 2 each having a diameter smaller than the size of the white rice 30 and having a diameter of about 1.5 mm are formed in the four side walls 5a to 5d of the storage 4 in which
A plurality of 0s are formed. Each communication hole 20 is formed on the upper side of the side walls 5 a to 5 d corresponding to the vicinity of the input port 4 a of the storage 4.
The air introduced into the storage 4 from the side a can be efficiently guided to the circulating layer 9 immediately after being introduced into the storage 4.
These communication holes 20 are provided on the side walls 5 a to 5 d of the storage 4.
Are arranged in a line at substantially the same height all around. For this reason, the internal air of the storage case 4 is efficiently sucked into the circulation layer 9 from the communication hole 20 located on the suction side of the circulation fan 17.

In the rice bin device 1 of the present embodiment, a part of the air introduced into the storage 4 is communicated through the communication hole 20 which is a minute opening, in particular, the communication hole 20 located on the blowing side of the circulation fan 17. The air guided to the circulating layer 9 little by little is introduced into the heat absorbing heat sink 13 of the Peltier cooling device 10.
, Where it is cooled and dehumidified. Therefore, even when high-temperature and high-humidity air is introduced into the storage, the air can be gradually guided to the circulating layer 9, drained by the heat-absorbing heat sink 13 and discharged, and the side walls 5 a to 5 c of the storage 4 can be processed.
It is possible to prevent dew condensation from occurring on 5d. In particular, it is possible to prevent dew formation on the side wall 5a closest to the heat absorbing heat sink 13 and where dew condensation is likely to occur.

FIG. 4 shows the relationship between the amount of stored white rice and the humidity (relative humidity) of the internal air of the storage 4 when the storage 4 capable of storing a maximum of 20 kg of white rice is employed. is there. As shown in this figure, only about 3 kg of white rice is stored in the storage 4 capable of storing 20 kg of white rice, and the communication holes 20 are formed in the side walls 5 a to 5 d of the storage 4.
Is not formed, open the opening and closing lid 2 for the purpose of putting rice under bad conditions of high temperature and high humidity, and remove about 82% RH.
When the high humidity air is introduced into the storage 4, the side walls 5a to 5
In particular, dew condensation occurs on the side wall 5a on the back surface side of the storage case 4 close to the heat sink 13. On the other hand, in the rice bin device 1 of this example, since the communication hole 20 is formed in the storage box 4 as described above, the multi-humidity air is
That is, the heat absorbing heat sink 13 can perform a dehumidifying process as a drain, and can prevent dew condensation from occurring on the side walls 5a to 5d.

Here, the degree to which the air entering the storage 4 is guided to the circulation layer 9 can be suppressed by the size and number of the communication holes 20. FIG. 5 shows the relationship between the number of communication holes 20 and the change in the relative humidity of the internal air. As shown in this figure,
When the humidity (relative humidity) of the internal air of the storage 4 when the communication holes 20 are not formed is 92% RH, the communication holes 20 having a diameter of about 1.5 mm are formed at equal intervals in the side wall 5a of the storage 4.
When about 10-20 pieces are formed on the entire circumference of ~ 5d, the storage 4
The relative humidity of the internal air can be reduced to about 80% RH, and when about 90 pieces are formed, the relative humidity can be reduced to about 71% RH. Therefore, by controlling the number of the communication holes 20 and the like, it is possible to set the degree to such an extent that the internal air of the storage 4 is not excessively dehumidified, and to the extent that the hygroscopicity of the white rice itself can be utilized.

Therefore, a large amount of hot and humid air is stored in the storage 4.
The stored white rice can be dehumidified without excessively drying the stored white rice even under bad conditions, and the dew condensation on the side walls 5a to 5d of the storage 4 can be reliably prevented. This makes it possible to realize a rice bin device that can store white rice in an environment with an appropriate temperature range and an appropriate humidity under any circumstances. That is, the ambient temperature of white rice is about 15
C. to about 20.degree. C., and the white rice can be maintained at an appropriate humidity without directly applying cold air to the white rice. As a result,
It is possible to prevent low-temperature damage such as cracking of rice and drying and discoloration of rice. In addition, since dew condensation does not occur on the side walls 5a to 5d of the storage case 4, the quality of rice such as white rice getting wet and generating mold is not impaired. Furthermore, since it is not necessary to take measures such as installing a water absorbing material on one or all of the four side walls 5a to 5d of the storage 4, it has a high quality retention ability with low cost and excellent durability. We can provide rice bin equipment.

Further, in the rice bin device 1 of the present embodiment, the upper side of the side walls 5a to 5d of the storage 4 (in this example, the input port 4).
Since the communication hole 20 is formed in the vicinity of (a), the communication hole 20 is not blocked by the white rice put into the storage 4, and the above-described dehumidifying function can be prevented from being impaired. In addition, since the communication hole 20 is provided above the side walls 5a to 5d of the storage case 4, high-temperature and high-humidity air which easily stays in the upper portion of the storage case 4 is quickly guided to the circulation layer 9, and the inside of the circulation layer is formed. Can be dehumidified. Therefore, it is possible to obtain a descent that the hot and humid air can be dehumidified as much as possible before being cooled and descended in the storage. Further, when the circulation fan 17 for increasing the circulation efficiency in the circulation layer and the communication hole 20 are installed at substantially the same height, the air in the circulation layer 9 around the communication hole 20 is cooled, and It is also possible to increase the speed at which the stagnant hot and humid air is treated.

Further, in the rice bin device 1 of the present embodiment,
Since a plurality of communication holes 20 smaller in size than the white rice are formed, the amount of air guided to the circulation layer 9 for dehumidification can be suppressed, and the white rice can be prevented from leaking into the circulation layer 9. Further, the plurality of communication holes 20 are formed on the side walls 5 a to 5
Since the air is arranged at equal intervals on the entire circumference of 5d, air can be guided to the circulation layer 9 on average, and the humidity in the refrigerator can be easily made uniform.

In this embodiment, the rice bin apparatus using the Peltier cooling apparatus 10 has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a rice bottle apparatus using a cooling apparatus using a compressor or an evaporator. In addition, the refrigeration apparatus to which the present invention is applied has been described using the rice bin apparatus 1 as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to the white rice 30 but also applies to a refrigeration apparatus that refrigerates and stores other grains such as wheat and brown rice and other refrigeration apparatuses. Of course, it can be applied.

[0025]

As described above, in the refrigeration apparatus of the present invention, a small communication hole is provided in the vicinity of the input port on the upper side of the side wall of the storage, and the high-temperature and high-humidity entered the storage via the communication hole. Is introduced into the circulation layer little by little to dehumidify the hot and humid air. Therefore, even if a large amount of high-temperature and high-humidity air is introduced into the storage, the communication holes are not blocked by the grains, and the high-temperature and high-humidity air is gradually guided to the circulation layer without directly applying the cool air to the grains. It can be drained and discharged on the cooling device side. In addition, the amount of air guided from the storage to the circulation layer can be controlled by the diameter and number of communication holes, so that the air inside the storage is not dehumidified too much, and furthermore, the rice is communicated to the extent that the rice itself absorbs moisture. Holes can be set. For this reason, even under adverse conditions where a large amount of high-temperature and high-humidity air enters the storage, the inside of the storage can be dehumidified without excessively drying the stored refrigerated material such as white rice, and dew condensation on the side wall of the storage. It can be prevented from occurring. Further, since there is no need to take measures such as installing a water absorbing material on the side wall of the storage, a refrigeration apparatus which is low-priced, durable and has a high quality maintaining ability can be realized.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an external shape of a rice bin device to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the rice bin device shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the rice bin device shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between the amount of stored white rice and the humidity of the air inside the storage.

FIG. 5 is a graph showing the relationship between the number of communication holes and the humidity of the air inside the storage.

FIG. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a conventional rice bin device.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 ··· Rice bin device 2 ··· Opening and closing lid 3 ··· Housing 4 ··· Storage 4a ··· Input port 5a to 5d ··· Side wall 9 ··· Circulation layer 10 ··· Peltier cooling device 11, 12 ··· Peltier cooling unit 13・ ・ Heat absorbing heat sink 14 ・ ・ Heat discharging heat sink 17 ・ ・ Circulation fan 20 ・ ・ Communication hole 30 ・ ・ White rice

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (56) References JP-A-63-117514 (JP, A) JP-A-6-296433 (JP, A) Fully open 58-37845 (JP, U) Really open 1954 152763 (JP, U) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) A47J 47/04 A23B 9/00 F25D 11/00 101 F25D 21/04

Claims (4)

(57) [Claims] 1. A storage that can store refrigerated objects, a circulating layer that can circulate air along the outside of a side wall around the storing, and a cooling device that can cool air in the circulating layer. The storage is provided with an input port capable of charging grains upward, the circulating layer is provided so that air circulates along the four side walls of the storage, further comprising: A refrigerating apparatus, wherein at least one communication hole communicating between the inside of the storage and the circulating layer is formed near the upper inlet. 2. The refrigerator according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of the communication holes each having a size smaller than a grain are formed in the side wall. 3. The refrigerator according to claim 2, wherein the communication holes are arranged at substantially equal intervals along the entire circumference of the side wall. 4. The refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication holes are arranged in substantially a row at substantially the same height, and a circulation fan is provided in the circulation layer. .