JPH0271075A - Refrigerator - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To remove dusts by utilizing a defrosting time being a stopping time of a humidifier by providing an opening/closing valve in a drain tube for discharging spraying water in the humidifier, and making control means for opening at the time of defrosting of a refrigerating unit operate in conjunction therewith. CONSTITUTION:An opening/closing valve to be opened at the time of defrosting of a refrigerating unit 2 is provided in a drain tube 11 for discharging spraying water in a humidifier 3. The humidifier 3 is stopped at the time of defrosting of the unit 2, the valve EV is opened by utilizing the stopping time to discharge water in the humidifier 3 together with dusts, thereby preventing the performance of the humidifier 3 from decreasing upon the accumulation of the dusts in a water storage tank. The tube 11 of the humidifier 3 is connected to a drain pan D, and a filter F is provided in a drain tube 13 connected to the pan D. Drain in which the dusts are removed and the water in the humidifier 3 is returned to water supply means to be supplied to a body 3a. Accordingly, the water can be effectively utilized.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Industrial Field of Application) The present invention relates to a refrigeration device installed in a refrigerated container for storing fresh foods, and particularly relates to humidification measures.

(Prior Art) Generally, in order to maintain the freshness of fresh foods, it is necessary to preserve them under optimal low-temperature conditions depending on the type of the fresh foods. For example, if the fresh food is fruits and vegetables, the temperature must be within a temperature range that does not cause low-temperature damage, and in the case of fish and meat whose taste may change when frozen, it must be within a temperature range that does not freeze. In the case of fish and meat that do not cause any problems, optimal low-temperature conditions are required for each food, such as a corresponding temperature range.

Under these demands, today's transportation of fresh foods to remote locations such as overseas is often carried out by air transport, which takes a short time to prevent deterioration of freshness. The current situation is that it is impossible to transport food while maintaining its freshness by setting only temperature conditions, since transport methods other than air transportation take longer to transport.

Therefore, in view of this point, there have been ideas to maintain freshness not only by setting temperature conditions but also by adjusting humidity.

That is, the adoption of refrigerated containers equipped with humidifiers for transporting fresh foods is attracting attention. In this case, since the required humidity within the container is generally as high as 85 to 95%, the performance of the humidifier and its peripheral equipment are also required to be quite high.

And, as this type of humidifying device,
As disclosed in Publication No. 71, since there is a limit to the amount of water that can be used during transportation, in order to use water effectively, the defrost drain discharged during defrosting of the refrigerator is collected in a drain pan. There is a system in which the defrost drain is supplied to a humidifier via a water supply pump and used as water for humidification.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such a humidifying device, the dust and fine particles contained in the drain are supplied into the humidifier when the drain is collected, and the dust, etc. If the dust accumulates in the water storage tank of the humidifier and adheres to the vibrator, not only will its ultrasonic generation ability decrease and smooth spraying will not be possible, but the vibrator's This will also lead to a reduction in lifespan.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to discharge the water stored in the humidifier using the defrost time when the humidifier is stopped, thereby making it possible to remove dust.

(Means for Solving the Problems) The means taken by the present invention to achieve the above object are as described below.

First, the invention according to claim (1) includes a refrigeration unit (2) that supplies cooled air indoors, and a refrigeration unit (2) that sprays and humidifies the cooled air, and that the drive of the refrigeration unit (2) is stopped during defrosting. The humidifier (3) is equipped with a humidifier (3).
3) The drain pipe (11) that discharges the spray water inside is provided with an on-off valve (EV), and the on-off valve (EV) is opened when the refrigeration unit (2) is defrosted. This is a refrigeration device with associated control means.

Further, the invention according to claim (a) is the refrigeration apparatus according to claim (1), in which the evaporator (2a) of the refrigeration unit (2)
A drain pan (D) is installed below the refrigeration unit (2) to collect the drain discharged during defrosting,
On the other hand, the humidifier (3) includes a humidifier main body (3a) and a water supply means provided downstream of the drain pan (D) to constantly supply water to the humidifier main body (3a).
The drain pipe (11) of 3) is communicated with the drain pan (D), and the drain pipe (13) is connected to the drain pan (D).
is a refrigeration device equipped with a filter (F) and connected to the water supply means.

Furthermore, the invention according to claim (3) is the refrigeration apparatus according to claim (1) or (a), wherein the humidifier (3) is an ultrasonic humidifier, and the ultrasonic humidifier is operated in a humidifying operation. This refrigeration system is equipped with a timer means (TM) that outputs a signal to drive for a predetermined period of time at regular intervals.

(Function) The function of the present invention with the above configuration is as shown below.

In the invention according to claim (1), the refrigeration unit (2) is installed in the drain pipe (11) that discharges the spray water in the humidifier (3).
), the humidifier (3) is stopped when the refrigeration unit (2) is defrosted, and the on-off valve (EV) is opened using this stoppage. The water in the humidifier (3) is discharged together with dust, etc., and the water in the humidifier (3) is discharged as dust accumulates in the water tank.
This prevents performance deterioration.

In the invention according to claim (2), the drain pipe (11) of the humidifier (3) is connected to the drain pan (D), and the filter (F) is connected to the drain pipe (13) connected to the drain pan (D). By installing a
a), and it is possible to use water effectively.

In the invention according to claim (3), an ultrasonic humidifier (3
) during humidification operation, the ultrasonic humidifier (3) is driven intermittently by a timer means (TM) that outputs a signal to drive for a predetermined time at regular intervals, and a predetermined amount of humidification is performed. be.

(Example) Next, an example of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

As shown in Fig. 2, a freezing container (1) is provided with a freezing unit chamber (4) equipped with a freezing unit (2) and a humidifier (3) on the - side of the container body (1a). It is used for transporting fresh foods, etc.

Each container component will be explained in detail below.

The container body (1a) has a food storage room (not shown) inside.
and the above-mentioned refrigeration unit chamber (4), each chamber being partitioned by a partition wall (6).

Moreover, a ceiling duct (7a) forming a discharge passageway (7) through which humidified cooling air supplied from the refrigeration unit chamber (4) flows is provided in the upper part of the food storage chamber. The ceiling duct (7a) is provided with a plurality of introduction holes (7b), (7b), . . . for discharging cooling air into the storage room. That is, the cooling air and generated mist generated by the refrigeration unit (2) and humidifier (3) in the refrigeration unit chamber (4) pass through the discharge passage (7), and then enter the introduction hole (7b).
(7b) It is supplied into the storage room from... and contributes to maintaining the freshness of the fresh food in the storage room. The cross-sectional area of the discharge passage (7) is equal to 1 of the cooling passage (8), which serves as an outlet for the cooling air and generated mist above the refrigeration unit chamber (4).
/3, which is small. Therefore, the cooling air from the refrigeration unit chamber (4) flows from the cooling passage (8) to the discharge passage (
By increasing the speed when flowing into the discharge passage (7), the cooling air is allowed to flow to the other end of the discharge passage (7). Furthermore, the introduction holes (7b), (7b)
In order to equalize the temperature and humidity inside the food storage room, the introduction hole near the refrigeration unit room (4) is made small in diameter, and the diameter of the introduction hole is made smaller as the distance from the refrigeration unit room (4) increases. The configuration is such that the diameter gradually increases. In addition, an opening (not shown) is provided at the bottom of the partition wall (6),
The storage chamber and the refrigeration unit chamber (4) are communicated with each other, and the opening portion is configured to introduce air within the storage chamber into the refrigeration unit chamber (4).

The refrigeration unit (2) has a refrigerant circuit connected to an evaporator (2a) in addition to a compressor, a condenser, and an expansion mechanism (not shown), and is a conventionally well-known unit that includes a blower fan (2b) and the like. The air sucked in from the bottom of the refrigeration unit room (4) is cooled by the evaporator (2a), and the cooled air is sent to the cooling passage (8) by the blower fan (2b).
It discharges from the discharge passageway (7).

The humidifier (3) consists of an ultrasonic humidifier main body (3a) installed adjacent to the refrigeration unit (2) as a main part. The internal structure of the humidifier main body (3a) is substantially the same as that of conventionally known ones, and the water stored in the water tank is scattered by ultrasonic waves emitted by a vibrator to generate mist. The mist is emitted from the spray nozzle (3b). In addition, the air intake port (3d) (Fig. 1) is provided adjacent to the downstream side of the blower fan (2b), and
The injection nozzle (3b) has its injection port (3c) at the entrance of the discharge passage (7), that is, the cooling passage (8) and the discharge passage (
7) is extended near the boundary with

This device also includes a timer means (
, TM) (see Figure 1). By this timer means (TM), the ultrasonic humidifier (3), (
In 3), the operation is repeated, for example, driving for 5 minutes and stopping for 5 minutes. Incidentally, this timer means (TM) is used for the driving,
The stopping time can be set to be longer or shorter, and is appropriately set so that the humidity is empirically known and suitable for the cargo.

Next, the water supply circuit of the humidifier (3) having the above configuration will be explained based on FIG. 1.

21 left and right! ! Humidifier placed at location i (3), (3
) has its water supply pipe (10) connected to a water supply pump (P), and a heater part (H) that utilizes the refrigerant hot gas of the refrigerant circuit is interposed in the middle thereof. The purpose of the heater portion (H) is to prevent the water supply from freezing. On the other hand, the overflow pipe (12) returns excess water in the water storage tank to the circuit, and its downstream side is connected to a water tank (T), which is connected to the water tank (T) via a strainer (S). and is connected to the water supply pump (P). In addition, the drain pipe (11) is installed at the bottom of the evaporator (2a) and is a drain pan (D
) via a drain valve (DV), and the drain pan (D) is connected to the water pump (P) by a drain pipe (13) having a strainer (S).

The feature of the present invention is that the drain valve (
A drain solenoid valve (EV) and a filter (F) are interposed in the drain pipe (13), which are arranged in parallel with the drain pipe (EV). To explain in detail, the drain pipe (11) is equipped with a drain valve (D V
) from the suction side to the discharge side and bypass the pipe (B)
is connected to the bypass pipe (B), and a drainage electromagnetic valve (EV), which is an on-off valve, is provided in the bypass pipe (B). As shown in FIG. 3, the drain electromagnetic valve (EV) is configured to open simultaneously with the start of defrosting of the refrigeration unit (2) in response to an output signal from a control circuit that is a control means. On the other hand, the filter (F) is installed in the drain pipe (13) and is configured to remove dust and the like contained in the drain sent from the drain pan (D) to the water supply pump (P). Further, a three-way solenoid valve (CV) is interposed in the water supply pipe (10), and the first discharge boat (
Pl) is communicated with the humidifier main body (3a), and the second
The discharge boat (P2) is connected to the overflow pipe (12) via the bypass pipe (B'), and the three-way solenoid valve (
CV) is configured to be controlled by an output signal of a control circuit. Furthermore, the control circuit has a first contact which is an a contact.
The relay contact (DXI) and the second relay contact (b contact)
DXl) is provided, and the first relay contact (DXl) is provided, and the first relay contact (DXl) is provided.
The excitation coil (SVI) of the three-way solenoid valve (CV) is connected in series with
) is constructed by connecting the excitation coil (SV2) of the discharge solenoid valve (EV) and the excitation coil (Hu) of the drive switch of the humidifier main body to the second relay contact (DXl) and the i-row, respectively. When the refrigeration unit (2) is defrosted, the first relay contact (DXI) is closed and the three-way solenoid valve (C
V), and connect the water supply pipe (10) and overflow pipe (12).
), while opening the second relay contact (DXl) to open the drain electromagnetic valve (EV) and at the same time stopping the drive of the humidifier body (3a).

Next, the operation of the humidifier (3) will be explained.

In the humidifier (3) and its water supply circuit configured in this way, water for spraying is sent into the humidifier body (3a) after passing through the heater part (H) by driving the pump (P), and the water is sent to the desired location. A certain amount of water is atomized inside, and the spray is sent to the injection port (3
C) toward the discharge passageway (7). on the other hand,
Excess water within the humidifier body (3a) is discharged from the overflow pipe (12), stored in the water tank (T), and then supplied to the humidifier body (3a) via the water supply pump (P).
supplied to Furthermore, when draining the water from the humidifier body (3a) during maintenance of the humidifier (3), open the manual drain valve (DV) and send the dust and water to the drain pan (D). Ibaraki will be sent to the pump (P).

Next, the humidifier (3
) and the refrigerator will be explained.

First, when cooling and humidifying the inside of the container, the refrigeration unit (2) is operated as in the conventional case, and the cooling air is sent from the blower fan (2b) along with the generated mist from the humidifier body (3a) to the above-mentioned discharge passage. (7) into the storage chamber.

Next, after a predetermined period of operation, when the refrigeration unit (2) is defrosted, the second relay contact (DX2) of the control circuit is energized to stop the humidifier body (3a), and the excitation coil (SV2) is energized. and the above drainage solenoid valve (EV
), open the drain pipe (11), and drain the water in the water tank to the drain pan (D). At this time, the dust and fine dirt accumulated in the water tank are drained into the drain pan (D) together with the discharged water. Then, the water collected into the drain pan (D) is filtered when passing through the filter (F) to remove the above-mentioned dust, and then supplied to the humidifier body (3a) again by the water supply pump (P). will be done. Also, the first relay contact (DXI) opens,
The excitation coil (SVI) is demagnetized and the three-way solenoid valve (CV)
is switched, and the water supplied to the humidifier main body (3a) returns directly to the overflow pipe (12).

Then, when the defrost of the refrigeration unit (2) is released, both relay contacts are switched and the drain solenoid valve (EV) is activated again.
At the same time, the humidifier main body (3a) starts to be driven. Note that the above-mentioned defrost control may be performed by setting a timer every predetermined period of time (for example, 6 hours) or by setting an AP
Various controls are possible, such as interlocking with the operation of S (air pressure switch) or manually.

Further, the position of the filter is not limited to the downstream side of the drain pan (D), and can be changed as appropriate as long as it is within the circulation circuit of the humidifier (9). In addition, the amount of water supplied to the humidifier main body (3a) in the state of the water draining operation is set to be smaller than the amount of water drained to the drain pan (D) in the overflow type humidifier (9).

On the other hand, a float switch type humidifier can be operated by increasing the amount of water discharged or by closing the water supply solenoid valve in the same way as described above.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, the present invention has the following effects.

In the invention according to claim (1), an on-off valve is provided in the drain pipe for discharging spray water in the humidifier, and a control means for opening the on-off valve at the time of defrosting the refrigeration unit is linked to the on-off valve. As a result, when the refrigeration unit is defrosted, the on-off valve is opened and the water in the humidifier is discharged along with dust, etc., which reduces the performance of the humidifier and reduces the lifespan of the vibrator due to the accumulation of dust in the water tank. This is to prevent the decline.

Further, in the invention according to claim (2), the discharge pipe of the humidifier is communicated with the drain pan, and a filter is provided on the drain pipe connected to the drain pan, so that the drain and humidifier from which dust is removed are provided. Since the water inside the humidifier is supplied to the humidifier, the water can be used effectively.

Furthermore, in the invention according to claim (3), the humidifier is constituted by an ultrasonic humidifier, and a timer means outputs a signal to drive the ultrasonic humidifier for a predetermined time at regular intervals during humidification operation. Since the ultrasonic humidifier is driven intermittently, for example, compared to a system in which the ultrasonic humidifier is driven and controlled by a detection signal detected by a humidity sensor, it is difficult to check the detection accuracy of the humidity sensor, malfunction, etc. Since there is no need to consider the reliability of the sensor, there is an advantage that maintenance of the humidity sensor is not required and the reliability of the device is improved.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figures 1 to 3 show embodiments of the present invention, Figure 1 is a diagram showing a humidifier circuit, Figure 2 is a partially cutaway side view of a shipping container, and Figure 3 is a control of a solenoid valve. It is a circuit diagram. (2)... Refrigeration unit, (2a)... Evaporator, (
3) Humidifier, (3a) Humidifier body, (11
)...Drain pipe, (P)...Water pump, (D)...
・Drain pan, (EV)... Drainage solenoid valve (on/off valve), (F)... Filter, timer means... (TM).

Claims (3)

[Claims] (1) A refrigeration unit (2) that supplies cooled air indoors, and a humidifier (3) that sprays and humidifies the cooled air and is stopped when the refrigeration unit (2) is defrosted; A drain pipe (11) for discharging the spray water in the humidifier (3) is provided with an on-off valve (EV), and the on-off valve (EV) opens and closes when the refrigeration unit (2) is defrosted. A refrigeration system characterized in that control means are linked to each other. (2) In the refrigeration apparatus according to claim (1), a drain pan (D) is provided below the evaporator (2a) of the refrigeration unit (2) to collect drain discharged during defrosting of the refrigeration unit (2). On the other hand, the humidifier (3) includes a humidifier main body (3a) and a water supply means provided downstream of the drain pan (D) and constantly supplies water to the humidifier main body (3a), Drain pipe (11) of the humidifier (3)
is communicated with the drain pan (D), and the drain pan (D
) A refrigeration system characterized in that the drain pipe (13) connected to the drain pipe (13) is provided with a filter (F) and is also connected to the water supply means. (3) In the refrigeration apparatus according to claim (1) or (2), the humidifier (3) is an ultrasonic humidifier, and the ultrasonic humidifier is operated for a predetermined period of time at regular intervals during humidification operation. A refrigeration device characterized in that it is equipped with a timer means (TM) that outputs a driving signal.