JP6873884B2 - Temperature / humidity control cabinet - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a temperature / humidity control cabinet such as a dough conditioner that matures and ferments bread dough in a state where the temperature and humidity are adjusted before baking the dough.

Patent Document 1 discloses a dough conditioner for thawing, aging and fermenting bread dough. This dough conditioner has a storage for storing bread dough, a cooling means for cooling the storage, a heating means for heating the storage, a humidity control means for controlling the humidity of the storage room, and air in the storage. It is equipped with a ventilation means that circulates to make the temperature and humidity uniform. In this dough conditioner, the air in the storage chamber is circulated by the circulation means while the temperature is controlled by the cooling means or the heating means and the humidity is controlled by the humidity control means, and the bread dough stored in the storage chamber is frozen. , Thawing, aging and fermentation are being carried out.

JP-A-2009-254306

In the dow conditioner of Patent Document 1 described above, a spray nozzle for spraying water is used as a humidity adjusting means, and the operation of the spray nozzle is such that the detected humidity of the humidity sensor provided in the storage is lower than the set humidity. It is controlled so that water is sprayed when it is detected. In this type of dough conditioner, a water supply pipe derived from a water supply source such as water supply is connected to the spray nozzle, and a water supply valve is interposed in the water supply pipe. Further, a drainage pipe for draining the water remaining in the water supply pipe is connected downstream from the position where the water supply valve of the water supply pipe is interposed, and the drainage pipe is interposed in the drainage pipe. Before executing the fermentation management program that freezes, thawes, matures and ferments the dough with a dough conditioner, the water supply valve and drain valve are opened so that the water remaining in the water supply pipe is drained from the drainage pipe. I try to keep the water in the pipe clean. However, in the drainage conditioner, the temperature inside the storage is controlled at 0 ° C or lower in the freezing process, and after temporarily suspending the freezing process of the fermentation control program, the fermentation control program starting from the freezing process is executed again. If the water supply valve and the drain valve are opened and the water remaining in the water supply pipe is drained from the drain pipe, there is a risk that the water led to the water supply pipe will freeze in the storage where the temperature is 0 degrees or less. .. According to the present invention, in a temperature / humidity control cabinet in which a water supply valve and a drain valve are opened to drain water remaining in the water supply pipe from the drain pipe, the water in the water supply pipe is affected by the temperature in the storage when draining. The purpose is to prevent it from freezing.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention presents a storage chamber for storing stored items, a circulation fan for circulating air in the storage compartment, a cooling device for cooling the inside of the storage compartment, and humidification for humidifying the inside of the storage compartment. It is equipped with a device, a temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage, and a control device that has a temperature control program that controls the operation of the cooling device so that the storage reaches a set temperature based on the detection temperature of the temperature sensor. The humidifier is a temperature / humidity control cabinet, and the humidifier is connected to the water supply pipe that supplies water to the storage, the water supply valve that is interposed in the water supply pipe, and the position downstream from the position where the water supply valve of the water supply pipe is interposed. The drainage pipe and the drainage valve connected to the drainage pipe are provided, and the water supply valve and the drainage valve are opened before the temperature control program is executed to execute the drainage program for draining the water remaining in the water supply pipe. A temperature / humidity control cabinet that controls so that the drainage program is not executed when the temperature sensor detects a temperature below the freezing temperature of water before executing the temperature control program. Is to provide.

In the temperature / humidity control cabinet configured as described above, when the temperature control program controls the inside of the storage cabinet to be below the temperature at which water freezes, the temperature at which the temperature control program is stopped and then re-executed. If the drainage program is executed before the control program, the water that has passed through the water supply pipe may freeze under the influence of the temperature inside the storage. In the temperature / humidity control cabinet of the present invention, when the temperature sensor detects a temperature below the temperature at which water freezes before executing the temperature control program, the drainage program is controlled not to be executed, so that the temperature inside the storage cabinet is adjusted. When the temperature was below the freezing temperature of the water, it was possible to prevent the water from being sent to the water supply pipe and to prevent the water from freezing in the water supply pipe.

It is a front view of the temperature and humidity control cabinet of this invention. It is a vertical sectional view of the front part of FIG. 1 along the left-right direction. It is a cross-sectional view of AA. It is a schematic diagram of the cooling device, the heating device and the humidifier of the greenhouse degree control cabinet. It is a BB sectional view. It is a block diagram which shows the control device.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the temperature / humidity control cabinet of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The temperature / humidity control cabinet 10 of the present invention is called a dough conditioner, and each step of freezing (freezing), retarding (refrigerating), preheating and proofing (fermentation) is executed in order before baking the bread dough. is there. In the temperature / humidity control cabinet 10, the temperature is controlled according to each step when each of the above steps is executed, and the humidity is controlled in addition to the temperature control in the preheating and proofing steps.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the temperature / humidity control cabinet 10 has a storage cabinet 12 for storing bread dough (stored items) in a portion of the housing 11 excluding the right side portion, and a machine room in the right portion of the housing 11. It is equipped with 13. As shown in FIG. 3, a front opening 12a for putting in and taking out a tray on which bread dough is placed is provided in the front part of the storage 12, and a door 14 for opening and closing the door 14 can be opened and closed in the front opening 12a. It is provided.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, partition plates 15 are provided on the right side and the bottom of the storage 12, and the right side and the bottom partitioned by the partition 15 of the storage 12 control the temperature and humidity. The duct passage 16 is used to send the adjusted air to the storage 12. The duct passage 16 includes a vertical duct passage 16a arranged on the right side of the storage 12 and a horizontal duct passage 16b arranged on the bottom of the storage 12. Further, the upper portion of the vertical duct passage 16a protrudes toward the machine room 13, and this portion accommodates the evaporator 25 of the cooling device 20 and the heater 31 of the heating device 30, which will be described later, to cool the air. It is a temperature control space 16c for heating.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, a circulation fan 17 is attached to the upper part of the partition plate 15 arranged on the right side of the storage 12 and as shown by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. The air in the storage 12 is guided to the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17. The air guided to the duct passage 16 is cooled or heated in the temperature control space 16c to adjust the temperature, and is sent to the left side portion of the storage 12 through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b. There is.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a temperature sensor 18 and a humidity sensor 19 are arranged in the temperature control space 16c, and the temperature sensor 18 detects the temperature in the storage 12 and is a humidity sensor. Reference numeral 19 denotes a humidity inside the storage 12.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, an evaporator 25 of a cooling device 20 for cooling the inside of the storage 12 is arranged in the temperature control space 16c. The cooling device 20 cools the air in the storage 12 passing through the temperature control space 16c to cool the inside of the storage 12. The cooling device 20 uses a well-known refrigerant circuit, and includes a compressor 21 for compressing the refrigerant, a condenser 22 for cooling the compressed refrigerant gas, a dryer 23 for removing water contained in the liquefied refrigerant, and liquefaction. A capillary tube (expansion means) 24 for expanding the refrigerant and an evaporator 25 for vaporizing the expanded liquefied refrigerant to cool the inside of the storage 12 are provided. The evaporator 25 is arranged in the temperature control space 16c of the duct passage 16, and other parts are arranged in the machine room 13. In this cooling device 20, the refrigerant gas compressed by the compressor 21 is cooled by the condenser 22 to become a liquefied refrigerant, and the liquefied refrigerant is expanded by the capillary tube 24 through the dryer 23 and sent to the evaporator 25. , The air in the temperature control space 16c is cooled when vaporized by the evaporator 25. Further, the compressor 21 employs an inverter type motor and can control the rotation speed. Further, the condenser 22 is provided with a cooling fan 22a for cooling the refrigerant, and the cooling fan 22a employs an inverter type motor so that the rotation speed can be controlled. Although a capillary tube is used as the expansion means, the method is not limited to this, and an expansion valve such as an electronic expansion valve may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a heating device 30 for heating the inside of the storage 12 is provided in the temperature control space 16c. The heating device 30 heats the air in the storage 12 passing through the temperature control space 16c to heat the inside of the storage 12. The heating device 30 includes a heater 31 that heats the air in the temperature control space 16c, and a bracket 32 that attaches the heater 31 to the temperature control space 16c. The heater 31 is attached to the lower side of the evaporator 25 of the cooling device 20 by the bracket 32. The heater 31 uses a glass tube heater, and can not only efficiently heat the air in the temperature control space 16c by radiant heat, but also has a function as a defrost heater of the evaporator 25 arranged on the upper side. ..

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5, a humidifier 40 is arranged in the vertical duct passage 16a of the duct passage 16, and the humidifier 40 humidifies the inside of the storage 12. The humidifier 40 includes a spray nozzle 41 that sprays water in a mist form, a water supply pipe 42 that supplies water from a water supply source such as a water supply to the spray nozzle 41, and an air supply pipe 43 that supplies air to the spray nozzle 41. It is provided with an air compressor 44 that sends air to a spray nozzle in a pressurized state via a trachea 43. The water supply pipe 42 is connected to a water supply source such as water supply, and the water supply pipe 42 is interposed with a pressure reducing valve 42a and a water supply valve 42b. Further, a drainage pipe 45 is connected to the water supply pipe 42 downstream of the water supply valve 42b, and a drainage valve 45a is interposed in the drainage pipe 45.

The spray nozzle 41 is arranged at the rear portion of the vertical duct passage 16a at the same height as the lower portion of the temperature control space 16c. The spraying direction from the tip of the spray nozzle 41 is directed from the rear part of the vertical duct passage 16a to the front, and is in a direction intersecting (orthogonal) with the air descending the vertical duct passage 16a by the circulation fan 17. When the water supply valve 42b is opened and the air compressor 44 is operated, water from the water supply pipe 42 and air from the air supply pipe 43 flow into the spray nozzle 41, and the water is sprayed from the spray nozzle 41 in the form of mist. Further, when the water is not sprayed from the spray nozzle 41 in the form of mist, the water remaining in the water supply pipe 42 is discharged from the drain pipe 45 by opening the drain valve 45a so that the water does not remain in the water supply pipe 42. It is designed to do.

As shown in FIG. 6, the temperature / humidity control cabinet 10 includes a control device 50, and the control device 50 includes a circulation fan 17, a temperature sensor 18, a humidity sensor 19, and a cooling device 20 (compressor 21, condenser 22). It is connected to the fan motor 22b), the heating device 30 (heater 31), and the humidifier 40 (water supply valve 42b, air compressor 44, and drain valve 45a). The control device 50 includes a microcomputer (not shown), and the microcomputer includes a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and a timer (all of which are not shown) connected via a bus. The control device 50 includes a fermentation control program (temperature control program) in which the bread dough in the storage 12 is sequentially executed in the ROM by each step of freezing (freezing), retarding (refrigerating), preheating and proofing (fermentation). The temperature / humidity control cabinet 10 can selectively execute at least one of each step of freezing (freezing), retarding (refrigerating), preheating and proofing (fermentation).

The fermentation control program keeps the inside of the storage 12 at -5 ° C for 3 hours in the freeze process, keeps the inside of the storage 12 at 0 ° C to 2 ° C in the retard process, and keeps the storage 12 in the preheating process. The inside of 12 is controlled to maintain a humidity of 75 to 80% at 15 ° C. to 18 ° C. for 2 hours, and to maintain a humidity of 75 to 85% at 28 ° C. to 35 ° C. for 1 hour in the proof (fermentation) step. .. In this fermentation control program, the time required for the freeze (freezing) step, the preheating step and the proofing (fermentation) step is reduced from the time required from the start time of the freeze (freezing) step to the preset end time of the proofing (fermentation) step. The remaining time is controlled to execute the retard (refrigerating) process. The temperature, humidity and time are just examples and can be changed depending on the type of bread dough used for fermentation.

The control when executing the fermentation control program (temperature control program) will be described below. Before executing the fermentation control program, the control device 50 executes the drainage program unless the temperature inside the refrigerator detected by the temperature sensor 18 is equal to or lower than the temperature at which water freezes (0 ° C or lower). The drainage program is for draining the water remaining in the water supply pipe 42 before executing the fermentation control program. The control device 50 opens the water supply valve 42b and the drain valve 45a by executing the drainage program. Since the spray port of the spray nozzle 41 is minute, most of the water sent to the water supply pipe 42 is discharged from the drain port formed in the duct passage 16 through the drain pipe 45. After 30 seconds have passed since the water supply valve 42b and the drain valve 45a were opened, the water supply valve 42a was closed, the water remaining in the water supply pipe 42 was discharged from the drain pipe 45, and the water supply valve 42a was closed. After 30 seconds, the drain valve 45a is closed to end the drainage program for draining the water remaining in the water supply pipe 42.

After executing the drainage program, the control device 50 executes the fermentation control program. In the freeze step of the fermentation control program, the control device 50 controls the operation of the cooling device 20 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 18 to control the temperature inside the storage 12 so as to be −5 ° C. doing. Cooling when the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set upper limit temperature higher than the set temperature of the storage 12 of -5 ° C (the set upper limit temperature is set, for example, 1 ° C higher than the set temperature, and the same applies hereinafter). When the device 20 is operated, the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 is set to be lower than the set temperature of the storage 12 of −5 ° C. (the set lower limit temperature is set, for example, 1 ° C lower than the set temperature, and the same applies hereinafter. ) Is detected, the operation of the cooling device 20 is stopped. When the cooling device 20 is operating, the air sent from the inside of the storage 12 to the temperature control space 16c of the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is cooled by exchanging heat with the evaporator 25. As shown by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the cooled air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is cooled by the cooled air. Will be done.

When 3 hours have passed since the freeze step was started, the control device 50 executes the retard step. In the retard (refrigerating) step, the control device 50 controls the operation of the cooling device 20 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 18 to control the temperature inside the storage 12 so as to be 2 ° C. When the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set upper limit temperature higher than the set temperature of the storage 12 by 2 ° C, the cooling device 20 is operated, and the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 is 2 ° C, which is the set temperature of the storage 12. When a lower set lower limit temperature is detected, the operation of the cooling device 20 is stopped. When the cooling device 20 is operating, the air sent from the inside of the storage 12 to the temperature control space 16c of the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is cooled by exchanging heat with the evaporator 25. As shown by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the cooled air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is cooled by the cooled air. Will be done.

When a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of the retard (refrigeration) process, the control device 50 executes the preheating process. In the preheating step, the control device 50 controls the operation of the cooling device 20 or the heater 31 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 18, so that the temperature inside the refrigerator 12 is controlled to 18 ° C., and the humidity is controlled. By controlling the operation of the humidifier 40 based on the detected humidity of the sensor 19, the humidity inside the refrigerator 12 is controlled to be 85%. In an environment where the room temperature is higher than the set temperature of 18 ° C, the cooling device 20 is operated when the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set upper limit temperature higher than the set temperature of the storage 12 of 18 ° C. It is controlled so that the operation of the cooling device 20 is stopped when the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set lower limit temperature lower than the set temperature of the storage 12 of 18 ° C. When the cooling device 20 is operating, the air sent from the inside of the storage 12 to the temperature control space 16c of the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is cooled by exchanging heat with the evaporator 25. As shown by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the cooled air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is cooled by the cooled air. Will be done.

On the other hand, in an environment where the room temperature is lower than the set temperature of 18 ° C., the heater 31 is operated when the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set lower limit temperature lower than the set temperature of the storage 12 of 18 ° C. When the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set upper limit temperature higher than the set temperature of the storage 12 of 18 ° C., the operation of the heater 31 is stopped. When the heater 31 is operating, the air sent from the inside of the storage 12 to the temperature control space 16c of the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is heated by the heater 31. As shown by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the heated air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is warmed by the heated air. Be done.

Further, in the preheating step, the control device 50 not only controls the temperature described above, but also controls the humidity in the storage 12 so as to be 75%. When the control device 50 detects a set lower limit humidity whose detection humidity by the humidity sensor 19 is lower than 75% (the set lower limit humidity is set, for example, 5% lower than the set humidity, and the same applies hereinafter), it is humidified by the humidifier 40. When the humidity sensor 19 detects a set upper limit humidity higher than 75% (the set upper limit humidity is set, for example, 5% higher than the set humidity, and the same applies hereinafter), humidification by the humidifier 40 is performed. It is controlled to stop. When water is sprayed from the spray nozzle 41 in the form of mist, the air sent from the storage 12 to the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is the water sprayed from the spray nozzle 41 in the form of mist in the vertical duct passage 16a. It is vaporized and humidified, and as shown by the arrow of the two-point chain line in FIG. 4, the humidified air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is inside. Humidified by humidified air.

Two hours after the start of the preheating step, the control device 50 executes the fermentation (proofing) step. In the proof (fermentation) step, the control device 50 controls the operation of the heater 31 based on the temperature detected by the temperature sensor 18, so that the temperature inside the storage 12 is controlled to 35 ° C., and the humidity sensor By controlling the operation of the humidifier 40 based on the detected humidity of 19, the humidity inside the storage 12 is controlled to be 85%.

When the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 detects a set lower limit temperature lower than 35 ° C., which is the set temperature of the storage 12, the heater 31 is controlled to operate, and the detection temperature of the temperature sensor 18 is the set temperature of the storage 12. When a set upper limit temperature higher than a certain 35 ° C. is detected, the operation of the heater 31 is controlled to be stopped. When the heater 31 is operating, the air sent from the inside of the storage 12 to the temperature control space 16c of the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is heated by the heater 31. As shown by the arrow of the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 4, the heated air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is warmed by the heated air. Be done.

Further, the control device 50 not only controls the temperature but also controls the humidity in the storage 12 so as to be 85%. The control device 50 controls the humidifier 40 to humidify when the humidity sensor 19 detects a set lower limit humidity lower than 85%, and detects a set upper limit humidity where the humidity detected by the humidity sensor 19 is higher than 85%. It is controlled so as to stop the humidification by the humidifier 40. When water is sprayed from the spray nozzle 41 in the form of mist, the air sent from the storage 12 to the duct passage 16 by the circulation fan 17 is the water sprayed from the spray nozzle 41 in the form of mist in the vertical duct passage 16a. It is vaporized and humidified, and as shown by the arrow of the two-point chain line in FIG. 4, the humidified air is sent to the storage 12 again through the vertical duct passage 16a and the horizontal duct passage 16b, and the inside of the storage 12 is inside. Humidified by humidified air. One hour after starting the proofing (fermentation) process, the control device 50 ends the fermentation control program.

In the temperature / humidity control cabinet 10 configured as described above, the humidifier 40 has a water supply pipe 42 for supplying water into the storage cabinet 12, a water supply valve 42b interposed in the water supply pipe 42, and a water supply pipe 42. A drainage pipe 45 connected downstream from the position where the valve 42b is interposed and a drainage valve 45a interposed in the drainage pipe 45 are provided. Further, in the temperature / humidity control storage 10, the control device 50 opens the water supply valve 42b and the drain valve 45a before executing the fermentation control program (temperature control program) that controls the temperature and humidity of the storage 12. , Control to execute a drainage program to drain the water remaining in the water supply pipe 42.

In this temperature / humidity control storage 10, when the freeze step of the fermentation control program is executed and the temperature is controlled to be −5 ° C., which is lower than the temperature at which water freezes in the storage 12 Sometimes the freeze process is stopped and the fermentation control program is run again. If the drainage program is executed before the fermentation control program is executed again, the water that has passed through the water supply pipe 42 may be affected by the temperature in the storage 12 and freeze. Therefore, in the temperature / humidity control cabinet 10, when the temperature sensor 18 detects a temperature below the freezing temperature (for example, 0 ° C. or lower) before executing the fermentation control program, the drainage program is controlled not to be executed. did. By doing so, the water sent to the water supply pipe 42 is prevented from freezing due to the influence of the temperature in the storage 12, and the water supply pipe 42 can be prevented from being damaged by the frozen water.

10 ... Temperature / humidity control cabinet, 12 ... Cooking cabinet, 17 ... Circulation fan, 18 ... Temperature sensor, 20 ... Cooling device, 40 ... Humidifier, 42 ... Water supply pipe, 42b ... Water supply valve, 45 ... Drainage pipe, 45a ... Drainage Valve, 50 ... Control device.

Claims (1)

A storage for storing things and
A circulation fan that circulates the air in the storage,
A cooling device that cools the inside of the storage
A humidifier that humidifies the inside of the storage, and
A temperature sensor that detects the temperature inside the storage, and
A temperature / humidity control cabinet provided with a control device having a temperature control program for controlling the operation of the cooling device so that the storage cabinet has a set temperature based on the detection temperature of the temperature sensor.
The humidifier includes a water supply pipe for supplying water into the storage, a water supply valve interposed in the water supply pipe, and a drainage pipe connected downstream of the position where the water supply valve is interposed in the water supply pipe. , With a drain valve interposed in the drain pipe
A temperature / humidity control cabinet that executes a drainage program in which the water supply valve and the drainage valve are opened before the temperature control program is executed to drain the water remaining in the water supply pipe.
A temperature / humidity control cabinet characterized in that when a temperature equal to or lower than a temperature at which water freezes is detected by the temperature sensor before the temperature control program is executed, the drainage program is controlled not to be executed.

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