JPH04291491A - Vending machine with cold and heat regeneration function - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To suppress the increase of maximum power consumption in the summer by keeping commodities stored in a storehouse cold or warm by an evaporator and/or an electric heater provided in the storehouse which is sectioned by heat insulating walls in a vending machine and supplying inexpensive night power for power consumption of the vending machine. CONSTITUTION:A cold regenerator 37 whose heat is taken by an evaporator to physically or chemically change in the case of the ambient temperature lower than a certain value and which absorbs heat from the periphery to cool the periphery while restoring in the case of the ambient temperature higher than the certain value and/or a heat regenerator which absorbs heat from a heater 9 to physically or chemically change in the case of the ambient temperature lower than a certain value and evolves regenerated heat to heat the periphery while restoring are arranged in the vicinity of the evaporator 8 or the heater 9 on the inside wall surface of a storehouse 5. A feezer 7 or the heater 9 is started or stopped in according with the temperature in the storehouse by a detection controller 36, and commodities 12 are cooled or heated in the daytime by the cold regenerator 37 or the heat regenerator changed by night power.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to cold storage and heat storage in which a cold storage agent and/or heat storage agent is provided in a storage compartment that is partitioned into a machine and uses an internal evaporator and/or heater to refrigerate or heat various products. Regarding vending machines with functions.

0002

[Prior Art] A vending machine that sells various products in a refrigerated or heated state has a storage compartment for storing the various products divided into sections with insulating walls, and a refrigerator installed in the storage compartment. The evaporator or heater, which is an element, uses electric power supplied from outside the machine to cool or heat various products and to refrigerate or heat them. In addition, vending machines that sell a variety of products are required to be able to store and sell a larger variety of products and have a strong ability to attract customers, and in recent years, machines have become larger. At the same time, the number of vending machines with eye-catching exterior designs is increasing. In particular, the design of the exhibition room, which is usually divided into sections at the front of the aircraft, where product samples, advertisements, etc. are displayed and products for sale are advertised toward the front, is designed to widen the exhibition room vertically and with a wide angle at the front. The exterior designs are becoming more eye-catching and diverse, with a three-dimensional feel that resembles a show window with a wide field of view that allows you to see inside. Along with this, the entire front part of the aircraft is illuminated by the lighting used to illuminate the exhibition interior, making it easier to purchase products from vending machines in dark places at night or even during the day. Power consumption is on the rise. However, on the other hand, unnecessarily increasing power consumption is not only important from the perspective of the world's energy resources, but also from the perspective of lowering Japan's maximum power consumption, especially in the summer, and it is also important to increase power consumption by using vending machines. There is also a problem in terms of reducing electricity costs for vending companies, and it is essential for vending machines to save energy. Conventional examples of this type of vending machine are shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a perspective view from the front diagonally upper right showing the appearance of the vending machine to which the present invention is applied, and Figure 5 is a right side vertical sectional plan view showing the internal configuration of a conventional vending machine, with the left side of the figure being the front side. It is.

In FIGS. 4 and 5, 1 is a case whose front opening is covered with a door 2, and the case 1 and the door 2 constitute a body 3. Inside the case 1, a storage 5 whose front opening is covered with a storage door 4 having heat insulating properties is defined by a heat insulating wall 6. An evaporator 8 and an electric heater 9, which are components of an electric refrigerator 7, which cool or heat the air in the storage 5, are located at the bottom of the storage 5, which is partitioned by the heat insulating walls 6. A blower 11 for blowing air in the storage 5 to the evaporator 8 and the heater 9 through a wind tunnel 10 is arranged in a row in front and behind the blower 11. In the storage 5 above the blower 11, there is an input port 1 which opens at the front and into which the product 12 is put.
3 and a carry-out port 1 which opens on the bottom surface and allows the product 12 to be dropped and carried out.
Storage shelves 16 are disposed inside which are formed a plurality of passages 15 extending vertically while meandering back and forth, in which various products 12 are stored and conveyed. At the lower end of each passage 15 of the storage shelf 16, a carry-out mechanism 17 is provided that drops and carries out the goods 12 in the passage 15 one by one from the lowest position through the carry-out port 14 each time a sale is made. The front, rear, and upper spaces between the storage compartment 5 and the inner wall surface of the storage compartment 5 form a ventilation passage 18 through which the air inside the storage compartment 5 is blown by the blower 11. This ventilation passage 18 has a lower end upper surface that partitions between the evaporator 8, heater 9, and blower 11 and the storage shelf 16, forming a downward slope toward the front, and an upper end facing the back of the storage shelf 16. Shooter 1 with a J-shaped side cross section that is in contact with the
The wind tunnel 1
It communicates within 0. In addition, the components of the refrigerator 7, such as a compressor 21, a condenser 22, and a blower 23, are arranged at the inner bottom of the case 1 under the storage 5. At the bottom of the door 2, there is an opening in the front. A take-out port 24 through which the product 12 is taken out is formed, and the top end is rotatably supported by a rotating shaft 25 that communicates the take-out port 24 with the inside of the storage 5 and whose shaft length direction is horizontal to the left and right. Communication hole 27 covered with lid 26
is formed on the storage door 4. In addition, in the front part of the door 2 where the outlet 24 is formed, there is an exhibition room 30 in the upper part where advertisements, product samples 28, etc. (not shown) are illuminated with lighting lights 29 and displayed, and products for sale are advertised facing the front. Below this exhibition room 30 are selection buttons 31 arranged on the left and right for selecting the products 12, slots 32 and 33 for inserting coins and banknotes, respectively, and an operation for returning the inserted coins. A return lever 34 for returning change, a return port 35 that opens at the front for returning change, and the like are provided.

[0004] In the vending machine configured as described above, the products 12 stored in the aisles 15 of the storage shelves 16 are
Air is blown by the blower 11 to the evaporator 8 or heater 9
The air inside the storage 5 circulates through the ventilation passage 18 and the wind tunnel 10 while being cooled or warmed by air, and also flows through the passage 15. Further, the refrigerator 7 or the heater 9 is energized unless the temperature (t) in the storage 5 reaches a lower limit temperature (tc) or an upper limit temperature (th) set by a thermostat (not shown). When the customer presses the selection button 31 to select the product 12 after inserting coins or banknotes into the slots 32 and 33, the sales operation is such that the selected product 12 on the storage shelf 16 is A carry-out mechanism 17 provided in the storage passage 15 drops and carries out the lowest product 12 in the passage 15 through the carry-out port 14. This dropped product 12 falls onto the upper surface of the chute 19 that slopes downward toward the front, pushes open the lid 26 while rolling or sliding, passes through the communication hole 27, and is delivered into the outlet 24. be done.

[0005]

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] By the way, such a conventional vending machine is cooled or heated by the air inside the storage 5, which is blown by the blower 11 and cooled or warmed by the evaporator 8 or the heater 9. Since the heated product 12 is refrigerated or heated, unless the temperature (t) in the storage 5 becomes below the lower limit temperature (tc) or above the upper limit temperature (th), the refrigerating machine including the evaporator 8 is used. 7 or the heater 9 are energized, and the lighting lamp 29 is always energized during the sale, regardless of day or night. On the other hand, there is a demand for vending machines that can store and sell more products 12 of a wider variety of products and have a higher ability to attract customers. The aircraft body 3 becomes larger, and the exhibition room 30 also becomes larger accordingly. Therefore, due to the increase in heat load,
Due to an increase in the refrigerating capacity of the refrigerator 7 and an increase in the size of the exhibition room 30, the number of lighting lights 29 increases, and the current consumption of the refrigerator 7, heater 9, lighting lights 29, etc. increases. As a result, the total amount of electricity consumed increases and the electricity bill increases.
There is a problem in that this is putting pressure on the profits and losses of businesses that sell products 12 using vending machines, and is also a factor that increases the maximum power consumption in Japan, especially in the summer.

[0006] This invention can reduce electricity costs even if the heat load of products refrigerated or heated onboard the aircraft is the same, suppress the increase in the maximum power consumption in Japan, especially in the summer, and, by extension, reduce the energy consumption of the world. Our goal is to provide a vending machine with cold storage and heat storage functions that will help solve the problem.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems] In order to solve the above problems, according to the present invention, an evaporator, which is a component of an electric refrigerator, and an electric In a vending machine that is equipped with a type heater and that uses this evaporator or heater to refrigerate or warm various products stored in the storage before selling them, when the ambient temperature is below a certain level, heat is removed by the evaporator. A cold storage agent that physically and/or chemically changes itself and cools the surroundings while absorbing heat from the surroundings and restoring itself when the ambient temperature rises above a certain level; When the ambient temperature drops below a certain level, the heat storage agent absorbs heat from the heater and physically and/or chemically changes itself and releases the stored heat, restoring itself while heating the surroundings. shall be provided within.

[0008] In addition to the above, a cold storage agent and/or a heat storage agent is supported on the inner wall surface of the storage chamber.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent is provided near the evaporator or heater.

[0010] Furthermore, in addition to the above, the physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent are performed using late-night electricity.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, a detection control device is provided which detects the temperature inside the storage and starts and stops the refrigerator or heater when this temperature becomes below a predetermined lower limit temperature or above a predetermined upper limit temperature, and controls the cooling or cooling inside the storage. Heating is performed using a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent instead of an evaporator or heater.

0012

[Operation] This invention is a component of an electric refrigerator that cools the products stored in a storage compartment that is partitioned with heat insulating walls when the ambient temperature is below a certain level. A cold storage agent that physically and/or chemically changes itself by removing heat from the evaporator, and also absorbs heat from the surroundings and cools the surroundings while restoring itself when the ambient temperature exceeds a certain level; Alternatively, when the ambient temperature is above a certain level, the heat absorbed from an electric heater installed in the storage room and heating the product and stored by physically and/or chemically changing is absorbed when the ambient temperature is below a certain level. Since the storage is equipped with a heat storage agent that heats the surrounding area while restoring itself by releasing it when Alternatively, a heat storage agent can be used in place of an evaporator or heater, and the refrigerator or heater can be stopped during that time, so a cold storage agent that has been physically and/or chemically changed during the night when power consumption is low, etc. Alternatively, the heat storage agent can be used in place of the evaporator or heater by stopping the refrigerator or heater during the day when power consumption is high.

In addition to the above, since the cold storage agent and/or heat storage agent is supported on the inner wall surface of the storage chamber, the air inside the storage chamber, which circulates in the ventilation passage while being cooled or heated by the evaporator or heater, is used as the cold storage agent. Alternatively, it can be brought into contact with a heat storage agent to cause physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, since the cold storage agent or heat storage agent is disposed near the evaporator or heater, the air inside the storage chamber circulates through the ventilation path while being cooled or heated by the evaporator or heater. Immediately after this air is cooled or heated by an evaporator or heater, it can be brought into contact with a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent to rapidly cause physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, since the physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent are carried out using late-night electricity, the physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent can be carried out using low-cost late-night electricity. It is possible to make a change in the target.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, a detection control device is provided which detects the temperature inside the storage and starts and stops the refrigerator or heater when this temperature becomes below a predetermined lower limit temperature or above a predetermined upper limit temperature, and controls the cooling or cooling inside the storage. Since heating is performed by a cold storage agent or heat storage agent instead of an evaporator or heater, the cold storage agent or heat storage agent is physically and/or chemically changed using low power consumption and cheap late-night electricity. can be used to cool or heat the inside of the storage in place of the evaporator or heater by stopping the refrigerator or heater without using expensive daytime power that consumes a large amount of power.

[0017]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Examples of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG. 1 is a right side longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a vending machine with cold/thermal storage functions according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an internal configuration of a vending machine with cold/thermal storage functions according to a different embodiment of the present invention. These are right side vertical cross-sectional views of essential parts, with the left side of the figure being the front side. 3 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the vending machine with cold storage/thermal storage function shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the external appearance of the vending machine to which the present invention is applied, viewed diagonally from the upper right side of the front. The same or the same parts as those in FIG. 5 are indicated by the same reference numerals.

In FIGS. 1 to 4, reference numeral 1 denotes a case whose front opening is covered with a door 2, and the case 1 and the door 2 constitute a body 3. Inside this case 1, a storage 5 whose front opening is covered with a storage door 4 having heat insulating properties is defined by a heat insulating wall 6. An evaporator 8 and a heater 9, which are components of the refrigerator 7, are located deep inside the storage 5, which is partitioned by the heat insulating wall 6. A blower 11 for blowing air is arranged in front and behind the blower 11 with the blower 11 facing forward. In the storage 5 above the blower 11, an input port 13 which opens at the front and into which the products 12 are placed, and an exit port 14 which opens at the bottom and allows the products 12 to fall and be carried out are formed at both upper and lower ends, respectively. A storage shelf 16 is provided inside which has a plurality of passages 15 extending vertically while meandering back and forth, in which the items are stored and transported. This storage shelf 16
The lower end of each passage 15 is equipped with a carry-out mechanism 17 that drops and carries out the goods 12 in the passage 15 one by one from the lowest position through the carry-out port 14 each time it is sold. The front, rear and upper spaces between the two form a ventilation path 18 through which the air inside the storage 5 passes, which is blown by the blower 11. The ventilation path 18 has a lower end that partitions between the evaporator 8, heater 9, and blower 11 and the storage shelf 16, and the upper surface forms a downward slope toward the front, and the upper end forms a slope behind the storage shelf 16. It communicates with the inside of the wind tunnel 10 through a number of ventilation holes 20 formed at the lower end of the chute 19, which is in contact with the chute 19 and has a J-shaped side cross section. Ventilation passage 18
The temperature (T) inside this ventilation passage 18 is detected at the bottom of the depth side of A detection control device 36 for starting and stopping 9 is provided, and Th and Tc satisfy Th≧th and Tc≦tc.
It is set so that In addition, in the storage 5, in one embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. Air blower 11 while being cooled by 8
The air in the storage 5 that is blown by the air and flows through the ventilation passage 18 removes heat and changes physically and/or chemically, and when the temperature inside the ventilation passage 18 exceeds a certain level, heat is removed from the air. For example, a flat plate-shaped cold storage agent 37 containing calcium chloride as a main component is pasted to the storage chamber 5, which cools the inside of the storage chamber 5 while absorbing and restoring itself. And Figure 2
In a different embodiment of the present invention, the cool storage agent 37 is attached to the lower surface of the front end of the lower end of the chute 19, and
An opening/closing plate 38 is provided which opens and closes a portion of the depth side of the large number of ventilation holes 20 by sliding back and forth on the upper surface of the ventilation hole 20 by a drive mechanism (not shown). On the other hand, the components of the refrigerator 7, such as a compressor 21, a condenser 22, and a blower 23, are arranged at the inner bottom of the case 1 under the storage 5, and an outlet 24 is provided at the bottom of the door 2. This outlet 24
A communication hole 27 that communicates with the inside of the storage 5 and is covered with a lid 26 whose upper end is rotatably supported by a rotation shaft 25 is connected to the storage door 4.
is formed. In addition, when storing the product 12 in the storage 5 at a temperature, instead of using the cold storage agent 37, the heat absorbed from the heater 9 and stored by physically and/or chemically changing itself is stored at the temperature in the ventilation passage 18. For example, a heat storage agent (not shown) containing sodium thiosulfate as a main component is used, which is released when the temperature is below a certain level and heats the inside of the storage chamber 5 while restoring itself.
The other configurations are the same as the conventional example described above.

In the above-mentioned configuration, the vending machine with the cold storage/thermal storage function of the present invention has the same vending operation as the conventional example described above, but there is no refrigerated or heated vending machine in the passage 15 of the storage shelf 16 in the storage 5. The cooling or heating operation of the stored products 12 will be explained according to the flowchart of FIG.

First, in S-1, the temperature (T) inside the ventilation passage 18 detected by the detection control device 36 reaches the predetermined lower limit temperature (Tc).
If it is not below or above the predetermined upper limit temperature (Th), S
-2 Proceed to detect refrigerator 7 or heater 9 and control device 3
6 is activated and the opening/closing plate 38 is advanced to close a part of the depth side, so that the air in the storage chamber 5 that is blown by the blower 11 and flows from the wind tunnel 10 through the ventilation hole 20 and through the ventilation path 18 is cooled. The cooling agent 37 or the heat storage agent (not shown) flows around the agent 37 or the heat storage agent (not shown) to cool or heat the coolant 37 or the heat storage agent (not shown), and returns to S-1. However, ventilation duct 18
If the temperature (T) in 38 to open a part of the depth side of the ventilation hole 20, and proceed to S-4. For S-4, if it is late at night (for example, between 11pm and 7am when cheap late-night electricity is available), use S.
Returning to -1, if it is daytime when late night electricity is not available,
Until the thermostat (not shown) detects in S-6 that the temperature (t) in the storage chamber 5 has become equal to or higher than the lower limit temperature (tc) or lower than the upper limit temperature (th), the opening/closing plate 38 is periodically closed at S-5. The air inside the storage 5 is blown by the blower 11 and flows from the wind tunnel 10 through the ventilation holes 20 through the ventilation passages 18 and the passages 15 while being cooled or warmed by the cold storage agent 37 or a heat storage agent (not shown). The products 12 in the storage 5 are cooled or heated and kept refrigerated or heated. Then, in S-6, when the thermostat (not shown) detects that the temperature (t) in the storage 5 has become higher than the lower limit temperature (tc) or lower than the upper limit temperature (th), the process returns to S-1. If the capacity of the heat storage agent (not shown) is sufficient for the heat load in the storage chamber 5, the temperature (t) in the storage chamber 5 will be lower than the lower limit temperature (t
c) or below the upper limit temperature (th), so it is unlikely that the temperature will return to S-1 during the day when late-night power cannot be used.

[0021]

Effects of the Invention According to the present invention, when the ambient temperature is below a certain level, an electric refrigerator is provided which is provided in a storage compartment formed with a heat insulating wall inside the machine and cools the products stored in the storage compartment. Heat is removed by the evaporator, which is a component, and the device changes physically and/or chemically, and when the ambient temperature rises above a certain level, it absorbs heat from the surroundings and cools the surroundings while restoring itself. When the cold storage agent and/or the ambient temperature is above a certain level, the heat absorbed from the electric heater installed in the storage room and heated by the product and stored by physically and/or chemically changing is absorbed into the ambient temperature. The storage chamber is equipped with a heat storage agent that is released when the temperature drops below a certain level and heats the surrounding area while restoring itself, so it can be physically and/or chemically changed during the night when power consumption is low. The cold storage agent or heat storage agent can be used in place of the evaporator or heater by stopping the refrigerator or heater during the daytime when power consumption is high.

In addition to the above, since the cold storage agent and/or heat storage agent is supported on the inner wall surface of the storage chamber, the air inside the storage chamber, which circulates in the ventilation passage while being cooled or heated by the evaporator or heater, can be used as the cold storage agent. Alternatively, it can be brought into contact with a heat storage agent to cause physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, since the cold storage agent or heat storage agent is disposed near the evaporator or heater, the air inside the storage chamber circulates through the ventilation path while being cooled or heated by the evaporator or heater. Immediately after this air is cooled or heated by an evaporator or heater, it can be brought into contact with a cold storage agent or a heat storage agent to rapidly cause physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, since the physical and/or chemical changes in the cold storage agent or heat storage agent are carried out using late-night electricity, the cold storage agent or heat storage agent can be changed using late-night electricity, which is inexpensive and consumes little electricity. Physical and or chemical changes can be made.

Furthermore, in addition to the above, a detection control device is provided which detects the temperature inside the storage and starts and stops the refrigerator or heater when this temperature becomes below a predetermined lower limit temperature or above a predetermined upper limit temperature, and controls the cooling or cooling inside the storage. Since heating is performed using a cold storage agent or heat storage agent instead of an evaporator or heater, the heat storage agent or cold storage agent that has been physically and/or chemically changed can be used with cheap late-night electricity that consumes little electricity. It can be used to cool or heat the inside of a storage warehouse instead of an evaporator or heater by stopping the refrigerator or heater without using expensive daytime power that consumes a lot of power.

[0026] As a result, products can be refrigerated or heated in the storage room using cheap late-night electricity, which consumes less electricity, without using daytime electricity, which consumes a lot of electricity and is relatively expensive. Even if the electricity bill is the same, the electricity bill will be significantly reduced, which will help improve the profit and loss of businesses that sell products using vending machines, and will also help to suppress the increase in the maximum power consumption in Japan, especially in the summer. This has the effect of being able to.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

[Fig. 1] Right side longitudinal cross-sectional view showing the internal configuration of a vending machine with cold storage and heat storage functions according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 2] A right side vertical sectional view of the main part showing the internal configuration of a vending machine with a cold storage/thermal storage function according to a different embodiment of the present invention.

[Fig. 3] Flowchart showing the control operation of the vending machine with cold storage and heat storage functions shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

[Fig. 4] A perspective view showing the external appearance of a vending machine to which the present invention is applied, seen from the front diagonally upper right side.

[Figure 5] Right side vertical cross-sectional plan view showing the internal configuration of a conventional vending machine

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Case 2 Door 3 Aircraft 4 Storage door 5 Storage 6 Insulated wall 7 Refrigerator 8 Evaporator 9 Heater 10 Wind tunnel 11　　　Blower 12 Products 13 Input port 14　　　　Export 15 Passage 16 Storage shelf 17 Unloading mechanism 18 Ventilation duct 19 Shooter 20 Ventilation hole 21 Compressor 22 Condenser 23 Blower 24 Outlet 25 Rotation axis 26 Lid 27 Communication hole 28 Product sample 29　　　　Lighting light 30 Exhibition room 31 Selection button 32 Input port 33 Input port 34 Return lever 35　　　　Return slot 36 Detection control device 37 Cold storage agent 38 Opening/closing plate

Claims (5)

[Claims] Claim 1: An evaporator, which is a component of an electric refrigerator, and/or an electric heater are provided in a storage compartment partitioned by a heat insulating wall, and storage is stored in the storage compartment by the evaporator or heater. In a vending machine that sells refrigerated or heated products, when the ambient temperature is below a certain level, the evaporator removes heat and the machine changes physically and/or chemically, and the ambient temperature rises. A cold storage agent that cools the surroundings while restoring itself by absorbing heat from the surroundings when the temperature exceeds a certain level, or a cold storage agent that absorbs heat from the heater and changes itself physically and/or chemically when the ambient temperature exceeds a certain level. A vending machine with a cold storage/thermal storage function, characterized in that the storage is equipped with a heat storage agent that heats the surroundings while restoring itself by releasing the stored heat when the ambient temperature falls below a certain level. . 2. The vending machine with cold storage and heat storage functions according to claim 1, wherein the cold storage agent and/or the heat storage agent is supported on the inner wall surface of the storage chamber. 3. A vending machine with a cold/thermal storage function according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein a heat storage agent or a cold storage agent is disposed near the evaporator or the heater. 4. A vending machine with a cold/thermal storage function according to claims 1 to 3, wherein the physical and/or chemical change of the cold storage agent or the heat storage agent is performed using late-night electricity. Machine. 5. A vending machine with a cold storage/thermal storage function according to claims 1 to 4, wherein the temperature inside the storage is detected, and when the temperature becomes below a predetermined lower limit temperature or above a predetermined upper limit temperature, the refrigerator or heater is turned on. A vending machine with a cold storage/thermal storage function, which is equipped with a detection control device that starts and stops, and uses a cold storage agent or heat storage agent to cool or heat the inside of the storage room instead of an evaporator or heater.