JPH04367096A - Cooling controller of vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To improve the cooling performance of a room where a cooler is not provided, in a vending machine to cool commonly plural merchandise storing rooms with one cooler. CONSTITUTION:When merchandise storing rooms 1A and 1B are commonly cooled by an evaporator 9 provided in a room 1A, a temperature sensor 15 to ON-OFF-control the evaporator 9 is provided even in a room 1B, and concerning the room 1A, besides the usual set temperature, the over-cooling prevention temperature of the lower temperature than this is set, and when the temperature at the room 1B is the set temperature or above, on the conditions that the temperature in the room 1A is the over-cooling prevention temperature or above, the evaporator 9 is ON. Thus, while the freezing of the merchandise due to the over-cooling of an evaporator providing room 1A is prevented, the cooling performance of the room 1B without any evaporator can be improved.

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

0001

[Industrial Application Field] This invention relates to a vending machine that cools and sells products such as canned beverages, and in particular has cooling control that allows the temperature of the product storage chamber to be quickly lowered while preventing the products from getting too cold. Regarding equipment.

0002

[Prior Art] In a vending machine that sells both hot and cold products, the main body is divided into several product storage chambers, and these product storage chambers can be cooled or heated individually by switching. . In such a vending machine, a cooler is installed in only one of the multiple adjoining product storage rooms, and this cooler cools these rooms in common to save energy and improve the vending machine. It is known to reduce manufacturing costs.

For example, in a vending machine where four product storage chambers are arranged on the left and right, one chamber on the left is a cold-only chamber, and three chambers on the right are hot-or-cold chambers, a heater is installed in each of the three chambers. However, the cooler (evaporator) is installed only in the left ventricle and the middle right ventricle (third chamber from the left), and the two chambers on the left and the two chambers on the right are each commonly cooled by one cooler. It has become so. In addition, ventilation holes that are opened and closed by shutters are provided in the partition walls of each of the two rooms that share a cooler, and the ventilation holes are closed when one of the rooms is operated hot. .

0004

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention] However, in such vending machines, the temperature sensor for controlling the cooler on and off based on the set temperature has conventionally been placed only in the room where the cooler is installed. Ta. Therefore, while the room in which the cooler is installed has cooled down below the set temperature, the cooler will not turn on, and other rooms that share this cooler tend to become hotter. In particular, when a chamber without a cooler is switched from hot operation to cooling operation, there is a problem in that it takes a long time for that chamber to cool down. This invention provides a vending machine that commonly cools multiple product storage compartments with a single cooler, and even if the temperature of the compartment in which the cooler is installed is below the set temperature, the cooling is performed when other compartments require cooling. It is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling control device for a vending machine that enables the vending machine to be turned on and improves the cooling performance of a room without a cooler.

[0005]

[Means for Solving the Problems] This invention installs temperature detection means for on/off control of the cooler in all product storage rooms that share this cooler, and allows the cooler to be turned on and off even from a room without a cooler. While issuing an ON request, a separate overcooling prevention temperature is set to prevent the room where the cooler is installed, which has a high cooling effect, from getting too cold. Even if there is a request to turn on the cooler, it is not acknowledged. That is, the present invention includes means for detecting the temperature of each product storage chamber, and means for storing the set temperature of each product storage chamber and the overcooling prevention temperature of the product storage chamber in which a cooler is installed. , a control means for turning on the cooler only when the temperature of any of the product storage chambers is equal to or higher than the set temperature and the temperature of the product storage chamber in which the cooler is installed is equal to or higher than the overcooling prevention temperature; shall be established.

[0006]

[Operation] A temperature detection means and a set temperature are provided even for rooms without a cooler, and the cooler is controlled on and off by comparing the detected temperature and the set temperature of each room. However, since the room where the cooler is installed cools down more easily than other rooms, there is a risk that the product will freeze due to being too cold before the other rooms reach the set temperature. Therefore, for the cooler installation room, we set an overcooling prevention temperature that does not fall below the set temperature by a certain value, and if there is a request to turn on the cooler from another room, the temperature in the cooler installation room will be reduced to overcooling. Turn on the cooler only when the temperature is above the prevention temperature. This increases the chances that the cooler will turn on more than before, improving cooling performance in rooms without a cooler.

[0007]

Embodiments Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described based on FIGS. 1 to 3. First, Figure 1 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of a vending machine.The vending machine main body is divided into four product storage chambers 1A to 1D. Canned drinks are stored in each. Here, the left ventricle 1A is a cold-only chamber, and the middle left ventricle 1B, middle right ventricle 1C, and right ventricle 1D are all hot-or-cold chambers. A ventilation hole 2 is provided in the partition wall between the left ventricle 1A and the middle left ventricle 1B, and is opened and closed by a shutter 3. Similarly, a ventilation hole 4 is provided in the partition wall between the middle right ventricle 1C and the right ventricle 1D, and is opened and closed by a shutter 5.

6 is a condensing unit of the refrigerator consisting of a motor compressor (MC), a condenser, etc.
Two evaporators 9 and 10 are provided, which are connected via electromagnetic valves 7 and 8. Evaporator 9 is left ventricle 1
It is installed in A and commonly cools that chamber and the middle left ventricle 1B. Further, the evaporator 10 is installed in the middle right ventricle 1C, and commonly cools the middle right ventricle 1C and the right ventricle 1D. 11, 12, and 13 are middle left ventricle 1B, middle right ventricle 1C, and right ventricle 1D, respectively.
Heaters installed in each room heat each room individually. 14,
15, 16 and 17 are left ventricle 1A, middle left ventricle 1B,
Temperature sensors consisting of thermistors installed in the middle right ventricle 1C and the right ventricle 1D detect the temperature of each chamber individually. Reference numeral 18 denotes an electrical equipment box housing a control device that compares the detected temperature with a preset temperature and controls the evaporators 9 and 10 or the heaters 11 to 13 on and off.

Although not shown, motor fans are installed in each of the chambers 1A to 1D, and evaporators 9, 10
Alternatively, indoor air is forced to circulate through the heaters 11-13. Here, as shown in the figure, when the shutter 3 is open, the air passage is configured such that the air in the middle left ventricle 1B circulates through the evaporator 9 as shown by the arrow. Similarly, shutter 5
When the right ventricle 1D is open, the air in the right ventricle 1D flows through the evaporator 1.
Cycle through 0. Note that when the shutter 3 or 5 is opened, the operating circuit is automatically switched from heating to cooling.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of the control device in FIG. 1. The control unit 19 stores the temperature of each chamber 1A to 1D obtained from the input signals from the temperature sensors 14 to 17 and the storage unit 20.
The temperature of the evaporators 9 and 1 is compared with the preset temperature.
0 or an on/off signal for the heaters 11 to 13. The storage unit 20 stores the set temperatures for cooling and heating operations for each chamber 1A to 1D, and also the supercooling prevention temperature for the left chamber 1A and middle right chamber 1C, which is lower than the cooling set temperature to prevent products from freezing. It is set. These data are set and inputted from a setting section 21 consisting of a keyboard.

22, 23, 24, 25, 26 and 27 are relays driven by an output signal from the control section 19,
The MC 28 of the refrigerator, the electromagnetic valves 7 and 8, and the heaters 11 to 13 are turned on and off, respectively. Here, the electromagnetic valves 7 and 8 open and close the refrigerant passages to the evaporators 9 and 10, and when turned off, cooling is stopped. Further, the MC 28 is controlled to be turned off when both the electromagnetic valves 7 and 8 are turned off.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the control operation of the control section 19. Based on this, the operation when the shutter 3 is opened and only the left ventricle 1A and the middle left ventricle 1B are cooled by the evaporator 9 will be described below. Note that the same operation is performed when only the middle right ventricle 1C and the right ventricle 1D are cooled by the evaporator 10, or when all the chambers are cooled, so a description thereof will be omitted. First, in step S1, it is checked whether the temperature of the left ventricle 1A is below the set temperature, and if the temperature is not below the set temperature, the left electromagnetic valve 7 is opened in step S2, and then in step S3.
Turn on the MC28 to cool both chambers 1A and 1B.

If the temperature of the left ventricle 1A is below the set temperature in step S1, it is further checked in step S4 whether it is above the supercooling prevention temperature. If the temperature is higher than the supercooling prevention temperature, it is checked in step S5 whether the temperature of the middle left ventricle 1B is lower than the set temperature, and if the temperature is not lower than the set temperature, the process proceeds to step S2 to perform cooling. If the temperature of the middle left ventricle 1B is also below the set temperature, the electromagnetic valve 7 is closed in step S6, and the MC 28 is turned off in step S7 to stop cooling. On the other hand, if the left ventricle 1A is not above the supercooling prevention temperature in step S4, the process immediately proceeds to step S6 to stop cooling without checking the temperature of the middle left ventricle 1B. This prevents the products in the left ventricle 1A from freezing due to excessive cold.

[0014]

[Effects of the Invention] According to the present invention, in a vending machine that has multiple product storage chambers that are commonly cooled by one cooler, the temperature of the chamber where no cooler is installed does not meet the set temperature. In some cases, even if the temperature in the room where the cooler is installed is below the set temperature, if it is above the supercooling prevention temperature, the cooling operation is performed, so that the room without the cooler goes from hot to cold. The temperature can be lowered quickly even immediately after switching to the cooler, and the products in the cooler installation room will not freeze.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a front view schematically showing the configuration of a vending machine in an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a control device of the vending machine in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the control device in FIG. 2;

[Explanation of symbols]

1A Product storage room 1B Product storage room 1C Product storage room 1D Product storage room 9 Evaporator 10 Evaporator 14 Temperature sensor 15 Temperature sensor 16 Temperature sensor 17 Temperature sensor 19 Control section 20 Memory section 21 Setting section

Claims (1)

[Claims] Claim 1: A vending machine in which a plurality of product storage chambers are commonly cooled by a cooler installed in one of the chambers,
means for respectively detecting the temperature of each product storage chamber; means for storing each set temperature of each of the product storage chambers and an overcooling prevention temperature of the product storage chamber in which a cooler is installed; and any of the products. When the temperature of the storage room is equal to or higher than the set temperature,
and a control means for turning on the cooler only when the temperature of the product storage chamber in which the cooler is installed is equal to or higher than the overcooling prevention temperature.