JPH01182283A - Insulated container - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make possible changes in refrigeration capacity and switch in use between refrigerator and refrigerator vehicle, by providing an externally manipulable solenoid valve at an appropriate place of refrigerant pipe and terminating the supply of the refrigerant to some of a plurality of coolers. CONSTITUTION:A refrigerator 8 is driven by an external electric source. An insulated room 1a is enclosed by a heat insulating material 3 and the placement and removal of contents are effected through a door 4. A plurality of coolers 12 are located in the interior upper part of the insulated room 1a and a cold insulating agent 23 is accommodated in each cooler. A refrigerant pipe 24 constitutes a circulating passageway of a refrigerant passing through said coolers 12 and said refrigerator 8. An externally manipulable solenoid valve 30 is carried at an appropriate place of the refrigerant pipe 24, whereby, when the electromagnetic valve 30 is opened with a compressor 27 of the refrigerator 8 in an operating condition, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 24 in all of the coolers 12 to chill the cold insulating agent 23 and, conversely, when the solenoid valve 30 is closed, the refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 24 in the four of the seven coolers 12 to chill the cold insulating agent 23.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention is useful for transporting frozen foods, fresh foods, etc., which require cold storage, by vehicle, etc. This relates to a refrigerated container that accommodates.

(Prior art and its problems) A conventional refrigerated container includes a refrigerator driven by an external power source, a refrigerated chamber surrounded by heat insulating material and into which objects to be refrigerated can be taken in and out through a door, and an upper part of the refrigerated container. The refrigerator was equipped with a cooler which was arranged and contained a cold storage agent therein, and a refrigerant pipe which formed a refrigerant circulation path through the cooler and the refrigerator.

However, such conventional refrigerated containers have the disadvantage that the cooling capacity cannot be varied. For example, depending on the type of object to be kept cold, there are times when it should be frozen and times when it should be refrigerated, but since the cooling capacity cannot be changed, it is necessary to decide at the manufacturing stage whether to use it as a freezer or a refrigerator. , and its uses are limited. Furthermore, for example, the outside air temperature differs greatly between summer and winter, but since the cooling capacity cannot be varied, the temperature inside the cold storage chamber changes depending on the outside air temperature, making it impossible to keep the objects to be kept cold at a predetermined temperature.

(Means for Solving the Problems) In order to solve the above problems, the refrigerated container of the first invention includes a refrigerator driven by an external power source, and is surrounded by a heat insulating material and has a door for allowing objects to be refrigerated to be taken in and out. a refrigerant pipe that forms a refrigerant circulation path through these coolers and the refrigerator; and a solenoid valve which is disposed at an appropriate position in the refrigerant pipe and is operated from the outside to stop the supply of refrigerant to some of the plurality of coolers.

Further, the cold storage container of the second invention includes a refrigerator driven by an external power source, a cold storage chamber surrounded by a heat insulating material and into which objects to be kept to be kept can be taken in and taken out through a door, and a cooling container arranged at the upper part of the cold storage chamber and inside the cold storage container. a cooler in which a cold storage agent is stored; a refrigerant pipe that passes through the cooler and the refrigerator to form a refrigerant circulation flow path; A flow rate regulator is provided to adjust the passing flow rate.

(Function) In the cold storage container of the first invention, the supply of refrigerant to some of the plurality of coolers is stopped by externally operating a solenoid valve disposed at an appropriate position in the refrigerant pipe. Therefore, if you open the solenoid valve while the refrigerator is operating,
Since the refrigerant is supplied to all the coolers and the regenerators in all the coolers are cooled, the cooling capacity is maximized after the operation of the refrigerator is stopped. In addition, if the solenoid valve is closed while the refrigerator is operating, refrigerant will not be supplied to some coolers and the regenerator in some coolers will not be cooled, so the refrigerator will stop operating. After that, the cooling capacity will be smaller than when it is at maximum. If the cooling capacity is small in this way, running costs can be reduced by reducing the amount of cool storage.

In addition, in the cold storage container of the second invention, by operating a flow rate regulator disposed below the cooler that adjusts the flow rate of cold air passing in the vertical direction, the cold air is supplied from the cooler to the objects to be cooled. Since the flow rate of the cooled air changes, the cooling capacity changes.

(Example) Hereinafter, an example of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 22.

FIG. 1 is a front view of a refrigerated container according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a vertical side view of the same, and FIG. 3 is a vertical front view of the same.
Reference numeral 1 denotes a container body forming a cold storage chamber 1a for storing objects to be kept cold, and a plurality of casters 2 are rotatably attached to the lower surface of the container body 1. The container body 1 is a double-structured box with an open front, and is made of metal such as aluminum alloy, and a heat insulating material 3 is formed by injecting and foaming, for example, rigid polyurethane foam between the inner and outer walls. is formed. A double-walled door 4 made of metal such as aluminum alloy is attached to the front of the container body 1 so that it can be opened and closed freely. is injected and foamed to form the heat insulating material 5.

A locking handle 6 for opening and closing the door 4 is attached to the front surface of the door 4, and a card rack 7 is attached for inserting a card in which the type of the object to be kept cool is written. A refrigerator 8 driven by an external power source is mounted on the container body 1, and a thermometer 9 is installed on the front of the case 8a of the refrigerator 8 to measure and display the temperature in the cold storage chamber 1a in analog form. The display part is installed. A large opening is formed in the side surface of the case 8a to air-cool the refrigerator 8, and this opening is covered with a wire mesh 10.

A plurality of (seven in this embodiment) coolers 12 for cooling the inside of the cold storage chamber 1a are arranged in the upper part of the cold storage chamber 1a, and a cooler 12 is arranged below the cooler 12. A flow rate regulator 13 is disposed to adjust the flow rate of cold air directed downward from the air conditioner. The rear end of this flow rate regulator 13 is in contact with the inner wall of the rear wall of the container main body 1, that is, the rear inner plate 14, and the object to be kept cool is placed at approximately the center position in the vertical direction of the cold storage chamber 1a. A shelf 15 for storage is arranged.

This shelf 15 is constituted by, for example, a perforated plate or a pipe assembly, and allows cold air to freely pass therethrough, and a damper 16 is disposed below this shelf 15 to adjust the flow rate of the cold air in the vertical direction. Further, a plurality of L-shaped heat pipes 17 are arranged along the flow rate regulator 13 and the rear inner plate 14, and a drain hole 18 is formed in the bottom wall of the container body 1.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 4 to 7, the cooler 12 is fixed at both ends in the front and back direction to a pair of mounting plates 20, and these mounting plates 20 are attached to the inner wall of the container body 1. It is being Each cooler 12 has a box-shaped cooler main body 21
It is composed of a large number of fins 22 integrally protruding from the outer surface of the cooler main body 21, and a cold storage agent 23 housed inside the cooler main body 21. is passing.

The refrigerant pipe 24 passes through the refrigerator 8 and the cooler 12 and constitutes a refrigerant circulation flow path, and the connecting portion between the refrigerator 8 and the cooler 12 is constituted by a flexible hose 26. . That is, as shown in FIG. 8, a refrigeration cycle is constituted by a refrigerator 8 and a cooler 12.
is equipped with a compressor 27, a condenser 28, and a fan 29. A solenoid valve 30 that is operated by external operation is arranged at a suitable position in the refrigerant pipe 24. When the solenoid valve 30 is opened while the compressor 27 of the refrigerator 8 is operating, all the inside of the cooler 12 is closed. The refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipes 24 to cool the regenerator 23, and conversely, when the solenoid valve 30 is closed, the refrigerant flows into the refrigerant pipes 24 in four of the seven coolers 12. It flows and the cool storage agent 23 is cooled.

The flow rate regulator 13 is composed of two perforated plates 32 and 33, as shown in detail in FIGS. It is placed so that it can slide in the direction. A support plate 34 is provided to protrude upward from the front end of the upper surface of the lower perforated plate 33, and a screw 35 is rotatably supported on the support plate 34. A knob 36 is attached to the head of this screw 35, and this screw 35 is screwed into a screw hole in a plate 37 that projects upward from the front end of the upper surface of the upper perforated plate 32.

Therefore, when the knob 36 is rotated, the upper perforated plate 3
2 slides on the lower perforated plate 33 in the front-back direction.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 12 to 14, the lower perforated plate 33 has a wavy shape in which peaks 39 and troughs 40 are alternately arranged in the width direction, and a large number of holes 41 are formed. They are formed on each mountain portion 39 at a predetermined pitch. Both side edges in the width direction of the perforated plate 33 protrude upward to form mounting portions 42, which are fixed to the inner wall of the container body l.

At the rear end of each trough 40 of the perforated plate 33, the rear inner plate 1 is provided.
Four parts 43 into which the parts 4 are fitted are formed.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 15 to 17, the upper perforated plate 32 has a wavy shape in which peaks 45 and troughs 46 are alternately arranged in the width direction, and a large number of holes 47 are formed in each. They are formed on the peak portion 45 at a predetermined pitch. The size and pitch of this hole 47 are the same as those of the hole 41 described above. Closure plates 48 are fixed to both ends of each trough 46 of the perforated plate 32, so that the condensed water of the cooler 12 accumulates in the trough 46. Note that in order to ensure that all of the condensed water is received, it is preferable to arrange the cooler 12 directly above the trough 46.

A through hole (not shown) is formed in the closing plate 48 on the rear end side, and the condensed water accumulated in the valley 46 flows from the through hole of the closing plate 48 to the bottom along the rear wall of the container body 1. The water reaches the wall and is drained to the outside of the container body 1 through the drain hole 18 . The plate body 37, which projects upward from the front edge of the upper surface of the perforated plate 32, is provided with a screw hole 49 into which the screw 35 is screwed.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 18 and 19, the rear inner plate 14 has a wavy shape in which peaks 51 and troughs 52 are alternately arranged in the width direction, and are arranged in the vertical direction. .

Both side edges in the width direction of the rear inner plate 14 protrude toward the front side to form mounting portions 53, and the mounting portions 53 are fixed to the inner walls of both side walls of the container body 1. Rear inner plate 14
is arranged so that the valley portion 52 protrudes toward the front side,
Each trough 52 fits into the recess 43 of the lower perforated plate 33.

As shown in detail in FIGS. 20 to 22, the heat pipe 17 has an elliptical cross section and is bent in an L-shape as a whole, and a liquid heat medium 55 is sealed inside. The heat pipe 17 extends from the trough 40 of the lower perforated plate 33 to the trough 52 of the rear inner plate 14, and extends through both troughs 40.
．． 52 is arranged over almost the entire length. That is, a heat pipe 17 is placed in contact with each valley 40.52, and the horizontal part of each heat pipe 17 is located between the perforated plate 32 and the perforated plate 33, and the vertical part is located inside the rear part. It is located on the back side of the plate 14 and is welded to the valley portions 40 and 52 at appropriate locations.

The damper 16 has exactly the same structure as the flow rate regulator 13. Note that a heat insulating material may be attached to the damper 16 to the extent that it does not impede the circulation of cold air.

Next, the effect will be explained. First, before loading the container body 1 into a vehicle, power is supplied to the refrigerator 8 from the outside to drive the compressor 27, circulate the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 24, and cool the regenerator 23 in the cooler 12. put. This refrigerator 8
The operation is carried out for about 10 hours, for example. At this time, if the electromagnetic valve 30 is opened, the refrigerant circulates through the refrigerant pipes 24 passing through the insides of all the coolers 12, and the cool storage agent 23 of all the coolers 12 is cooled. Furthermore, if the solenoid valve 30 is energized and closed, the refrigerant will circulate through the refrigerant pipes 24 passing through four of the seven coolers 12.
The cool storage agents 23 of the four coolers 12 are cooled. Therefore, for example, when the cold storage room 1a is used as a freezer, the refrigerator 8 is operated with the solenoid valve 30 open, and when the cold storage room 1a is used as a refrigerator, the solenoid valve 30 is closed. The refrigerator 8 is operated in this state.

After this, the operation of the refrigerator 8 is stopped, the items to be refrigerated are stored in the cold storage room 1a, and the container body 1 is loaded onto a vehicle. The flow rate regulator 13 is adjusted according to the temperature and the like. That is, when the outside temperature is high such as in the summer, or when you want to keep the object to be cooled at a sufficiently low temperature, the holes are inserted so that the holes 47 of the upper perforated plate 32 and the holes 41 of the lower perforated plate 33 completely overlap. Position the plate 32. As a result, the flow rate of cold air passing through the flow rate regulator 13 from top to bottom is maximized, and the cooling capacity for cooling the objects to be kept cold in the cold storage chamber 1a is maximized. On the other hand, when the outside temperature is low such as in winter, or when you want to keep the object to be refrigerated at a slightly higher temperature, turn the knob 36 and slide the upper perforated plate 32. The area where the hole 41 of the plate 33 overlaps is reduced. As a result, the flow rate of cold air passing through the flow rate regulator 13 from top to bottom decreases, and the cooling capacity for cooling the objects to be kept cold in the cold storage room la decreases.

In addition, if you want to change the temperature between the upper and lower halves of the cold storage room la, for example, if you want to use the upper half of the cold storage room 1a as a freezer and the lower half as a refrigerator, the damper 16 Adjust. That is, the damper 16 is the flow regulator 1
3, and can adjust the flow rate of cold air from the upper side of the damper 16 to the lower side using the same operation and principle as the flow rate regulator 13. temperature can be adjusted.

In this way, after adjusting the flow rate regulator 13 and the damper 16 and storing the items to be kept in the cold storage room 1a, the container body 1
loaded onto a vehicle and transported to the destination. At this time, since cold is stored in the cold storage agent 23 of the cooler 12, the cooler 12
The surrounding air is cooled by this, and the cold air flows downward from the cooler 12 inside the cold storage chamber 1a. Then, the flow rate is adjusted by the flow rate regulator 13 and the damper 16, and the objects to be kept cool on the upper side of the shelf 15 and the objects to be kept cold on the lower side of the shelf 15 are kept cool at predetermined temperatures. This cold storage can be continued for about 10 hours, for example. Further, since the rear inner plate 14 has a wavy shape in which peaks 51 and troughs 52 are alternately arranged along the vertical direction, it functions as an air rib that guides cold air downward. In addition, the heat pipe 17 reduces the temperature difference between the upper and lower parts of the cold storage chamber 1a. This is particularly effective when the damper 16 is fully opened and both the upper and lower shelves 15 are used as a freezer or refrigerator. In other words, if the length of the cold storage chamber 1a in the vertical direction is long, the temperature difference between the top and bottom becomes large.
The heat pipe 17 operates based on the temperature difference, absorbs heat in the high temperature part, and radiates heat in the low temperature part, so that the temperature can be made uniform.

Note that when the upper side of the shelf 15 is used as a freezer and the lower side of the shelf 15 is used as a refrigerator, the length of the upper and lower sides of the shelf 15 in the vertical direction is short, so the upper and lower sides of each Even in this case, the heat pipe 17 can of course equalize the temperature difference in the vertical direction. Further, condensed water is generated on the surface of the cooler 12, but this condensed water is received by the troughs 46 of the perforated plate 32 on the upper side of the flow rate regulator 13, and is collected along the troughs 52 of the rear inner plate 14. The water is guided to the bottom wall of the container body 1 and drained to the outside through the drain hole 18.

In this way, the object to be kept cool can be kept at a predetermined temperature without requiring any power source during transportation, and the cooling capacity can be varied. In particular, according to the first invention, since the solenoid valve 30 is provided to vary the number of coolers 12 that store cold, the cooling capacity can be greatly varied, for example, when used as a freezer and when used as a refrigerator. It becomes possible to switch between the two, and the range of uses can be expanded. In particular, according to the second invention, since the flow rate regulator 13 is provided to vary the flow rate of cold air, the cooling capacity can be finely adjusted, such as changing the outside temperature depending on the season, the type of objects to be cooled, etc. It becomes possible to keep the food cool at an appropriate temperature depending on the situation. Furthermore, if the shelf 15 and the damper 16 are provided as in this embodiment, the cold storage temperature between the upper half and the lower half of the cold storage chamber 1a can be greatly changed. For example, the upper side of the shelf 15 can be used as a freezer. However, the applications can be expanded, such as using the lower side of the shelf 15 as a refrigerator. Further, by providing the heat pipe 17 as in this embodiment, it is possible to equalize the temperature within the cold storage chamber 1a. Also, as in this example,
If the condensed water from the cooler 12 is received in the valleys 4δ of the upper perforated plate 32 and drained to the outside of the container body 1, it is possible to prevent condensed water from adhering to the objects to be cooled or the inner walls of the container body 1. disappears. In addition, as in this embodiment, the rear inner plate 1
4 and.

If a corrugated plate in which a large number of peaks 51 and valleys 52 are alternately arranged is used, it functions as an air rib that guides cold air downward, so that it is possible to promote uniformity of temperature within the cold storage chamber 1a.

(Another embodiment) In the above embodiment, the refrigerator 8 is provided above the container body 1, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the refrigerator 8 is provided below the container body 1. It may also be provided on the side.

Further, in the above embodiment, the manually operated flow rate regulator 1
3 is provided, but the present invention is not limited to such a configuration. For example, a multi-row butterfly damper may be used as the flow rate regulator 13, and its opening and closing may be automated by a gas pressure controller.

Further, in the above embodiment, the shelf 15 and the damper 16 are provided to make the temperature different between the upper half and the lower half of the cold storage chamber 1a, but the present invention is limited to such a configuration. The shelves 15 and dampers 16 may be provided as necessary.

Further, in the above embodiment, the flow rate regulator 13 is provided,
Although the flow rate of cold air is adjusted, the first invention is not limited to such a configuration, and it is not necessarily necessary to provide the flow rate regulator 13.

Further, in the above embodiment, the solenoid valve 30 is provided to switch the number of coolers 12 that store cold, but the second invention is not limited to such a configuration, and the solenoid valve 30 is not necessarily provided. There is no need to provide it.

(Effects of the Invention) As explained above, according to the present invention, the object to be kept cool can be kept at a predetermined temperature during transportation without requiring any power supply.
Moreover, the cooling capacity can be varied. In particular, according to the first invention, since a solenoid valve is provided that stops the supply of refrigerant to some of the plurality of coolers by external operation, the cooling capacity can be greatly varied, and it can be used as a freezer, for example. This makes it possible to switch between using the refrigerator as a storage unit and as a refrigerator, expanding the range of uses and reducing running costs. In particular, according to the second invention, since the flow rate regulator is provided below the cooler and adjusts the flow rate of cold air passing in the vertical direction, the cooling capacity can be finely adjusted. It becomes possible to maintain cold storage at an appropriate cooling temperature depending on changes, types of objects, etc.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a front view of a refrigerated container according to an embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal side view of the same, Fig. 3 is a longitudinal front view of the same, Fig. 4 is a plan view of the cooler, and Fig. 5 is the same. 6 is a rear view of the same, FIG. 7 is a sectional view of one cooler, FIG. 8 is a circuit diagram of a refrigerant circuit composed of a refrigerator and a cooler, and FIG.
The figure is a front view of the flow rate regulator, Figure 10 is a plan view of the same, and Figure 11 is a front view of the flow rate regulator.
The figure is an enlarged sectional view of the same main part, Fig. 12 is a plan view of the lower perforated plate, Fig. 13 is a front view of the same, Fig. 14 is an enlarged sectional view of the same main part, and Fig. 15 is a top view of the upper perforated plate. A plan view, FIG. 16 is a front view of the same, FIG. 17 is an enlarged sectional view of the same essential parts, FIG. 18 is a front view of the rear inner plate, FIG. 19 is a bottom view of the same, and FIG. 20 is a front view of the heat pipe. , FIG. 21 is a side view of the same, and FIG. 22 is a sectional view of the same. 1a...Cold storage room, 3...Insulating material, 4...Door, 5.
...insulation material, 8...refrigeration machine, 12...cooler, 13
...Flow rate regulator, 23...Cold storage agent, 24...Refrigerant pipe, 30...Solenoid valve Patent applicant Nippon Aluminum Industry Co., Ltd. rumored

Claims (9)

[Claims] (1) A refrigerator driven by an external power source, a cold storage room surrounded by heat insulating material and into which objects to be kept cold can be taken in and out through a door, and a cold storage agent placed in the upper part of this cold storage room. a plurality of coolers; a refrigerant pipe that passes through the coolers and the refrigerator to form a refrigerant circulation flow path; A refrigerated container characterized by being provided with a solenoid valve that stops the supply of refrigerant to a part of the refrigerant container. (2) A patent claim in which the cold storage room is provided with a shelf that allows cold air to pass through in the vertically intermediate portion, and a damper that adjusts the flow rate of the cold air that passes in the vertical direction below the shelf. The cold storage container described in item 1 of the scope. (3) A patent in which the damper consists of two perforated plates overlapping one another, and the flow rate is adjusted by manually sliding one of the perforated plates to change the overlapping area of the holes in both perforated plates. A cold storage container according to claim 2. (4) A refrigerator driven by an external power source, a cold storage chamber surrounded by heat insulating material and into which objects to be stored can be taken in and out through a door, and a cold storage agent placed in the upper part of this cold storage chamber. a cooler, a refrigerant pipe that passes through the cooler and the refrigerator to form a refrigerant circulation flow path, and a flow rate regulator that is disposed below the cooler and adjusts the flow rate of cool air passing in the vertical direction. A cold storage container characterized by being equipped with. (5) The flow rate regulator consists of two perforated plates that overlap one another, and the flow rate is adjusted by manually sliding one of the perforated plates to change the overlapping area of the holes in both perforated plates. A cold storage container according to claim 4. (6) The two perforated plates have a wavy shape with many peaks and valleys arranged alternately in the width direction, and the holes are formed in the peaks and in the valleys of the upper perforated plate. The cold storage container according to claim 5, which is configured to receive condensed water from the cooler and lead it to the outside. (7) The cold storage room has a wavy-shaped rear inner plate vertically installed at the rear end with a large number of peaks and valleys arranged alternately in the width direction. The troughs are continuous with the peaks and troughs of the perforated plates that make up the flow rate regulator, and from the troughs of these continuous perforated plates to the troughs of the rear inner plate, there is an L-shape extending almost the entire length of each trough. The cold storage container according to claim 6, in which a heat pipe is installed. (8) A patent claim in which the cold storage room is provided with a shelf that allows cold air to pass through in the vertical middle part, and a damper that adjusts the flow rate of the cold air that passes in the vertical direction below the shelf. The cold storage container according to any one of items 4 to 7. (9) A patent in which the damper is composed of two perforated plates overlapping one another, and the flow rate is adjusted by manually sliding one of the perforated plates to change the overlapping area of the holes in both perforated plates. A cold storage container according to claim 8.