JPH0214396A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To prevent that the temperature of the pieces of goods rises at the time of a defrosting operation and to defrost a cooler in a short time by providing an actuating means to automatically actuate a damper according to the temperature change between the time of a cooling operation and the time of the defrosting operation. CONSTITUTION:At the time of the cooling operation, a coil spring 16 is deformed into an extended state by an extension spring 17, and a damper 15 is pulled by the extension spring 17 and opens a ventilation flue 12. Air in a chamber is cooled in a cooler 9 by a fan 8, made into cooling air, and sent in the ventilation flue 12 in the direction of an arrow A, and the cooling air flows and circulates through goods shelves 6 and cools the pieces of goods. On the other hand, at the time of the defrosting operation, power is applied to a heater 11, and the cooler 9 and air around the cooler 9 are heated. Therefore, the temperature of the coil spring 16 becomes high, and the coil spring 16 overcomes the extension spring 17 by its shape storing effect and returns to a compressed state. The damper 15 closes the ventilation flue 12 and prevents that high-temperature air generates convection and flows in the ventilation flue 12. Consequently, the temperature rise of the pieces of goods can be avoided. Further, the cooler 9 is heated also by the high-temperature air and defrosted in a short time.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] This invention cools and keeps stored products cool with a cooler provided below the product shelf, and also performs defrosting operation at appropriate times to heat the cooler with a heater. This invention relates to a vending machine that removes frost.

[Conventional technology]

As this type of vending machine for selling frozen products, the one shown in FIG. 3 is known. In FIG. 3, the main body case 1 of the vending machine is equipped with a door 2 on the front, and the inside is partitioned by a heat insulating wall to form a chamber 3, and a machine room 4 is provided below the chamber 3. There is. The front side of the warehouse is closed by an inner door 5 which has a small door 5a for product filling and a small door 5b for carrying out at the top and bottom, and a product shelf 6 is provided inside the warehouse 3, and a product chute 7 is placed below the shelf. A fan 8, a cooler 9, and a defrosting heater 11 are provided, respectively.

The rear end of the product chute 7 rises along the back surface of the product shelf 6, and forms a ventilation path 12 between it and the back surface of the refrigerator. On the other hand, in the machine room 4, a compressor 13, a condenser 14, etc., which constitute a cooling 2S9 and a refrigeration cycle, are installed.

In the above-mentioned vending machine, the cooler 9 is normally operated, and during this cooling operation, the fan 8 sends the air inside the refrigerator through the cooler 9 toward the ventilation passage 12 as shown by arrow A. From there, the products are cooled and kept cold by passing through the product shelves 6. While the cooling operation continues, frost forms on the surface of the cooler 9 and the cooling capacity decreases. Thus, defrosting operation is performed in a timely manner. During this defrosting operation, the cooler 9 and fan 8 are stopped, and the heater 11 is energized. Thus, the cooler 9 is heated and defrosted by the heater 11.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

By the way, in conventional vending machines, during defrosting operation, high-temperature air heated by the heater 11 rises through the ventilation passage 12 by convection and flows to the product shelf 6, raising the temperature of the products. This rise in temperature of products, especially for frozen products, must be avoided as much as possible in order to maintain quality, and has become a serious problem for this type of vending machine. Furthermore, since the heat generated by the heater 11 escapes with the surrounding air, the heating efficiency of the cooler 9 becomes low, resulting in a disadvantage that defrosting takes a long time.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vending machine that can prevent the temperature of products from rising during defrosting operation and can defrost the cooler in a short time.

[Means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has a ventilation path formed between a product shelf installed inside the main body case and the back side of the product shelf, and a fan, a cooler, and a defrosting device installed below the product shelf. A heater is provided, and during a cooling operation, the fan circulates the air that has passed through the cooler through the product shelf and the ventilation passage to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and during a defrosting operation, the heater is energized to cool the refrigerator. A vending machine that removes frost from a vending machine is provided with a damper that opens and closes the ventilation passage, and an actuation means that automatically operates the damper according to temperature changes during cooling operation and defrosting operation. This is what I did.

[Effect]

According to the above means, the damper automatically closes the ventilation passage when the operating means senses the ambient temperature during the defrosting operation.

Therefore, heated air does not flow to the product shelves, and the cooler is effectively heated and defrosted.

〔Example〕

FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 show an embodiment of this invention.
Components common or identical to those in FIG. 3 are designated by the same reference numerals.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, 10 is a partition plate that divides the lower part of the refrigerator into a suction side and an outlet side for the fan 8, and 15 is supported by a hinge at one end of the partition plate 14, and the ventilation passage 12 is connected to the lower end of the partition plate 15. It is a damper that opens and closes with. 16 is a coil spring made of shape memory alloy and compressed at high temperature;
7 is a coiled tension spring made of spring steel wire.

In the above configuration, during cooling operation, the coil spring 16 is deformed into an extended state by the tension spring 17 as shown in FIG. 1, and the damper 15 is pulled by the tension spring 17 to open the ventilation passage 12.

The air inside the refrigerator is cooled by the fan 8 in the cooler 9 to become cooling air, which is sent through the ventilation path 12 in the direction of arrow A, circulates through the product shelves 6, and cools the products. On the other hand, during defrosting operation, the heater 11 is energized to heat the cooler 9 as well as the air around it. This raises the temperature of the coil spring 16, and due to its shape memory effect, the coil spring I6 overcomes the tension spring 17 and returns to the compressed state. The damper 15 is pulled by the coil spring 16 and closes the ventilation passage 12 to prevent hot air from flowing into the ventilation passage 12 through convection. Therefore, an increase in the temperature of the product can be avoided. Further, since the high temperature air heated by the heater 11 stays around the cooler 9, the cooler 9 is also warmed by the high temperature air and defrosted in a short time.

When the cooling operation is started again, the cooled coil spring 16 is deformed by the tension spring 17, and the ventilation passage 12 is opened again.

In the above embodiment, a coil spring made of a shape memory alloy is used to operate a damper to open and close a ventilation passage, but a temperature sensor detects the temperature of the air heated by a heater during defrosting operation. It is also possible to automatically open and close the ventilation passage by a method other than the above-mentioned embodiments, such as operating a damper with a solenoid based on the above-mentioned conditions, and the same effect can be obtained.

〔Effect of the invention〕

According to this invention, a damper is provided for opening and closing the ventilation passage, and an actuation means is provided for automatically operating the damper according to temperature changes during cooling operation and defrosting operation. is prevented from flowing into the ventilation path, preventing the temperature of the product from rising, and the cooler uses the heater and the air heated by the heater to
Heats extremely efficiently and removes frost in a short time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Fig. 1 is a sectional view of a vending machine according to an embodiment of the present invention in a cooling operation state, Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same in a defrosting operation state, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view of a conventional vending machine. be. ■...Main case, 3...Interior, 6...Product shelf,
8... Fan, 9... Cooler, 1 Heater 2... Ventilation path, ■ 5... Damper 6... Shape-memory alloy container (Fig. 2)] 4 Fig.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1) A ventilation path is formed between a product shelf installed in the interior of the main case and the back surface of the refrigerator, and a fan, a cooler, and a defrosting heater are arranged below the product shelf. During the cooling operation, the fan circulates the air that has passed through the cooler through the product shelf and the ventilation passage to cool the inside of the refrigerator, and during the defrosting operation, the heater is energized to cool the cooler. A vending machine for removing frost, characterized in that it is provided with a damper that opens and closes the ventilation passage, and is provided with an operating means that automatically operates the damper according to temperature changes during cooling operation and defrosting operation. vending machine. 2) A vending machine according to claim 1, in which a spring made of a shape memory alloy is used as the actuation means for automatically opening and closing the damper.