JPH0415465A - Low-temperature and-humidity preservation box - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To allow an object preserved to be ready for use immediately after taken out of a preservation box without dew on it by controlling the inside temperature of preservation box lower than the outside temp. by use of electronic freezing element, and setting the inside humidity of the box at 20-50% RH by use of low-humidity unit. CONSTITUTION:The inside temp. of preservation box 1 is controlled so as to be lower than the outside temp. by 5-10 deg.C with electronic freezing element 4, and inside humidity of the box 1 is set at 20-50% RH with self-regenerative low humidity unit 7 using drier 6 such as silica gel. Thus, objects such as photographs, etc. can be constantly preserved for a long period, and used immediately after taken out of the box without dew on them because inside temp. does not fall below the dew point.

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention is applicable to photographs (e.g. color paper, color negative,
This invention relates to a low-temperature, low-humidity storage that can store color reversal films (color reversal films, etc.), cameras, etc. for long periods of time without deteriorating due to temperature and humidity.

[Conventional technology]

Photographs such as color paper and color reversal film are generally affected by temperature and humidity, and if stored for a long period of time,
This results in image deterioration due to discoloration of the image area or so-called slines in which the white background area turns yellow.

[Problem to be solved by the invention]

To prevent these, it is generally recommended to store the product at low temperature and low humidity, but even if the temperature and humidity are excessively low, dew will form on the product when it is removed from the storage cabinet or storage box if the temperature is below the dew point. In particular, temperature and humidity vary depending on the region, and these trends are noticeable depending on the preservation region. In addition, a constant temperature and constant temperature warehouse using the Peltier effect and a self-regenerating low humidity unit has been proposed (1986-13).
No. 74), the above-mentioned problems when storing photographs, etc. have not been solved.

[Means for Solving the Problem] The present inventor studied the storage conditions of color paper, color reversal film, etc. in several different regions in Japan, and
Conditions in which photographs, etc. can be stored stably for a long period of time in good condition by using a constant temperature constant temperature warehouse as described above, and when necessary, they can be immediately taken out and used without causing problems such as dew as described above. They discovered this and achieved the present invention.

That is, the present invention provides a low temperature unit 1 using an electronic refrigeration element.
In a low-temperature, low-humidity storage facility equipped with a self-regenerating low-humidity unit using ~ and a desiccant, temperature sensors are installed inside and outside the storage chamber, and the temperature inside the storage chamber is lower than the outside temperature based on the temperature of both temperature sensors. A temperature control mechanism is provided to control the electronic refrigeration element so that the temperature is 5 to 10 degrees Celsius lower, and the humidity in the storage is 20 to 50% R1 (
This is a low-temperature, low-humidity storage warehouse characterized in that the low-humidity unit is set at .

The storage cabinet of the present invention can be used not only for storing photographs, but also for storing products that are stored for a long period of time at low temperature and low humidity, and which do not want to be exposed to dew when taken out.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing an example of the storage of the present invention,
The storage 1 is composed of a wall 2 made of heat insulating material and a front door 3 made of a heat insulating material, and the back wall 2 is equipped with a low temperature unit 5 using an electronic refrigeration element 4 based on the Bertier effect and a desiccant 6 such as silica gel. A self-regenerating low humidity unit 7 is provided.

The electronic refrigeration element 4 is connected to a DC power source (not shown) via a temperature control mechanism to be described later, and is configured to release heat inside the storage to the outside and cool the inside to a constant temperature. The electronic refrigeration element 4 has fins inside and outside the storage,
It is designed to effectively absorb and dissipate heat.

Low humidity unit 7, internal shack 8 and external shutter 9
A humidity control sensor 10 installed inside the refrigerator detects that when the humidity inside the refrigerator exceeds a certain level, the interior shutter 8 is opened, the external shunter 9 is closed, and the desiccant absorbs moisture inside the refrigerator. When the humidity drops to a certain level, the shack 8 is closed to stop moisture absorption.

When putting products in and out of the refrigerator, open door 3 to reduce the humidity inside.
When the temperature rises, the internal shutter 8 opens again to absorb moisture.

In this case, if moisture absorption is carried out for a long time, the moisture absorption ability of the desiccant will decrease, so the timer is set to 1 at an appropriate time, for example every 5 to 10 hours, and the internal shutter 8 is is closed, the external shutter 9 is opened, and the desiccant is heated and regenerated by an electric heater (not shown).

The heating time is also controlled by a timer as appropriate depending on the capacity of the desiccant.

Once the desiccant is regenerated, heating is stopped and the external shutter 9 is closed to allow moisture absorption.

In the present invention, the humidity in the storage is 20 to 50%R1
1, preferably set to 25-45% RH.

A solenoid valve may be used to open and close the shutter in the above operation, or a shape memory alloy may be used in combination with a heating means.

Another feature of the present invention is that a temperature sensor 11 is installed inside the storage.
A temperature sensor 12 and a temperature control mechanism 13 are provided outside the storage, and the temperature inside the storage is 55% lower than the outside temperature.
The electronic refrigeration element is controlled so that the temperature is lowered by ~10°C.

An example of this control mechanism is shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the temperature control mechanism 13 consists of a comparison circuit and a control circuit, and the signals from the internal temperature sensor 11 and the external temperature sensor 12 are input into the comparison circuit, and the temperature of the internal sensor 11 is calculated as the temperature difference between the two. A signal is sent to the control circuit so that the temperature is 5 to 10 degrees Celsius lower than the temperature of the external sensor 12, and thereby the electronic refrigeration element 4 is turned off.

〔Effect of the invention〕

The present invention is a low-temperature, low-humidity storage chamber as described in ``--, in which the humidity inside the chamber is maintained at 20 to 50% RH, and the temperature inside the chamber is maintained at 5 to 10 degrees Celsius lower than the temperature outside the chamber. Therefore, photographs and the like can be stored stably for a long period of time, and when taken out, the temperature does not drop below the dew point, so there is no chance of condensation, and they can be used immediately after being taken out.

Further, the storage of the present invention is not influenced by the local environment and can stably store photographs and the like in any region and at any time.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a plan sectional view showing one example of the storage cabinet of the present invention, and FIG.
The figure is an explanatory diagram of the temperature control mechanism used in the present invention. 1... Storage, 2... Electronic refrigeration element, 5
...Low temperature unit, 7...Low humidity unit, 10
... Humidity control sensor, 11 ... Internal temperature sensor 1
2... External temperature sensor, 13... Temperature control mechanism. Representative Patent Attorney (6642) Toshio Fukasawa (and 3 others)

Claims (1)

[Claims] In a low-temperature, low-humidity storage facility equipped with a low-temperature unit using an electronic refrigeration element and a self-regenerating low-humidity unit using a desiccant, temperature sensors are installed inside and outside the storage chamber, and the temperature inside the storage chamber is determined based on the temperature of both temperature sensors. A temperature control mechanism is installed to control the electronic refrigeration element so that the temperature is 5 to 10 degrees lower than the outside temperature, and the humidity inside the storage is 2.
A low-temperature, low-humidity storage, characterized in that the low-humidity unit is set to have a RH of 0 to 50%.