JPH09245237A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To adequately execute an energy conserving operation by changing- over partial area blowing into whole area blowing when temp. difference obtained by subtracting in-warehouse lower part temp. from in-warehouse upper part temp. is higher than previously set reference temp. difference and also external air temp. is within the range of previously set reference external air temp. SOLUTION: Unless both conditions, that is, temp. difference obtained by subtracting in-warehouse lower part temp. from in-warehouse upper part temp. is higher than previously set reference temp. difference and external air temp. is within the range of previously set reference external air temp., are satisfied, or unless one of the conditions is satisfied, the comlexer 11 of a freezer is operated and a blowing fan 10 is rotated in a direction for executing partial area blowing. Then, when the both conditions are satisfied, the complexer 11 of the freezer is operated and also the blowing fan 10 is rotated in the direction not for partial area blowing but for whole area blowing. Thus, the energy conserving operation is adequately executed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic vending machine capable of energy saving operation.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic vending machine for canned drinks or the like generally has a refrigerator and a heater in the machine, and by operating these devices and a blower fan according to the sales mode, the canned drinks stored in the refrigerator, etc. This product is cooled and heated and sold as a cold or hot product.

By the way, when the selling mode is cold, the refrigerator is operated and the cool air of the evaporator is forcedly circulated by the fan blow, and the internal temperature is maintained at the target temperature on the low temperature side (about 5 ° C.). The compressor is turned on and off. On the other hand, if the sales mode is hot,
The heater is operated to forcibly circulate the hot air of the heater by blowing the fan, and the heater is on / off controlled so that the internal temperature is maintained at the target temperature on the high temperature side (about 60 ° C.).

By the way, the power consumption of the vending machine is deeply related to the outside air temperature, and the power consumption reaches a peak during a specific daytime period in summer, when the outside air temperature is high, for example, from 13:00 to 16:00. Power consumption in other time zones does not pose a problem because the power consumption in general households and stores is low, but in the same time zone, power consumption is high not only in vending machines but also in general households and shops. For,
There is a problem that the total power demand is concentrated and the power supply system is hindered.

In view of the above circumstances, recently, in order to prevent the power demand from being concentrated in a specific time zone during the day, an attempt has been made to reduce the power consumption of the vending machine during the same time zone. .

[0006] For example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 5-114077, it is possible to switch between full-area air blowing for the entire inside of the refrigerator and partial area air blowing for a portion near the product unloading side. In the obi zone, cooling is performed under blown air to store a large amount of energy in products such as canned beverages, and in the time zones other than midnight, cooling is performed under partial blown air and the energy stored in the midnight is used. The power consumption is kept low at times other than midnight.

[0007]

However, in the method disclosed in the above publication, the switching of the blowing mode during cooling is forcibly controlled according to time.
There is a problem that when the heat load of the stored product is low due to the relationship with the outside air temperature, that is, even if cooling is performed under partial air blowing, cooling is performed under the entire area air blowing, and power is consumed untitledly.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an automatic vending machine capable of appropriately performing the energy saving operation by appropriately switching the blowing modes. .

[0009]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention relates to an automatic vending machine which cools products such as canned beverages stored in a refrigerator to a target temperature and sells them as cold products. Cooling air from the cooling source is forcibly circulated from the upper part of the inside to the lower part of the inside by a fan to cool the entire stored products, and the cooling air from the cooling source is forced to circulate to the inside of the inside by a fan to sell. Partial area air blowing means for mainly cooling only the products in the immediate vicinity, first in-compartment temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the upper compartment, and second in-compartment temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature in the lower compartment. , While cooling the stored goods by the outside air temperature detecting means for detecting the outside air temperature and the partial area air blow, the temperature difference obtained by subtracting the inside lower temperature from the inside upper temperature is higher than the preset reference temperature difference. , And the outside temperature is preset When in reference outside air temperature ranges and and a blowing zone switching means for switching a partial area blown to the whole blowing in, and its main feature that.

In the vending machine according to the present invention, the temperature difference obtained by subtracting the lower temperature inside the refrigerator from the upper temperature inside the refrigerator is higher than the preset reference temperature difference, and the outside air temperature is within the preset reference outside air temperature range. In some cases, the cooling air of the cooling source is forcedly circulated from the upper part of the column toward the lower part of the column by fan blowing, and the entire stored product is cooled under the entire-range air blowing. When these conditions are not met, the cool air from the cooling source is forcibly circulated to the lower part of the column by the fan blowing, and only the stored products in the lower part of the column (only the stored products that are about to be sold) are mainly cooled under the partial-area ventilation.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS FIG. 1 shows a sectional structure of an automatic vending machine to which the present invention is applied. In the figure, 1 is a heat-insulating main body having a front opening, 2 is a heat-insulating inner door that opens and closes the opening of the main body 1, 3 is a product exhibition room, outer door having a product outlet, etc., 4 is a main body 1 Four front and rear serpentine columns arranged inside, 5 is a product discharge device arranged at the lower part of the serpentine column 4, 6 is a discharge chute for guiding the discharged products to the product outlet, and 7 is an L-shaped ventilation passage on the back of the column. D
It is a duct plate that constitutes the. Incidentally, the carry-out chute 6 is formed with a large number of ventilation holes (not shown) which allow ventilation during the whole-area and partial-area ventilation, which will be described later.

Reference numeral 8 is an evaporator of a refrigerator arranged in the lower part of the air passage D, 9 is an electric heater arranged adjacent to the evaporator 8, 10 is a blower fan for forced circulation of cold air or hot air, and 11 is The compressor of the refrigerator arranged in the machine room at the bottom of the main body, 12 is the condenser of the refrigerator arranged in the machine room,
13 is a blower fan for cooling the condenser, 14 is a first in-compartment temperature detector such as a thermistor arranged above the column, 15
Is a second chamber temperature detector such as a thermistor arranged in the lower part of the column, 16 is an outside air temperature detector such as a thermistor arranged in the machine room, and S is a product such as a canned beverage stored in the column 4. Yes, the first inside temperature detector 14 indicates the inside temperature Th at the upper part of the column, the second inside temperature detector 15 indicates the inside temperature Tl of the lower part of the column, and the outside air temperature detector 16 indicates the outside air temperature To. Detect each.

The refrigerator comprises an evaporator 8, a compressor 11, a condenser 12 and an expansion valve (not shown). The evaporator 8 produces cold air when the compressor 11 operates.

The blower fan 10 for forced circulation has a propeller type or line flow type fan shape, and bidirectional air blowing is possible by rotating the fan motor 10a (see FIG. 3) forward and backward. The blower fan 10 has a blower passage D.
It is arranged to face the evaporator 8 and the electric heater 9 at the opening position of the end portion of.

At the upper end position of the duct plate 7 forming the ventilation passage D, a first opening 7a for defining the circulation direction of the whole-area ventilation is formed corresponding to the products on the upper part of the column, and the intermediate height is substantially the same. A second opening 7b for defining the circulation direction of the partial area ventilation is formed at the position corresponding to the product at the bottom of the column, and further, at the lower end position, it serves as a suction opening during the entire area ventilation and an outlet during the partial area ventilation. An end opening 7c is formed.

A shutter 7d for controlling the ventilation direction is provided between the first opening 7a and the second opening 7b in the air passage D. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the shutter 7d is made of a lightweight material such as resin, one end side of which is rotatably supported by the inner wall of the air passage D, and the other end side of which is opposed. The air passage D is closed by abutting a stopper 7e provided on the wall. Further, on the upper surface of the shutter 7d, there is provided a projection 7d 'for defining the opening angle of the shutter 7d and enabling the return to its own weight.

In the above duct structure, when the blower fan 10 is rotated in a predetermined direction, the shutter 7d is opened upward by wind pressure as shown by the solid line arrow in the figure, and the first opening of the blower passage D is opened. Items stored from 7a to the top of the column,
It is possible to form a circulation path for the products stored in the lower part of the column and the whole-area airflow flowing in the direction of the end opening 7c. Further, when the blower fan 10 is rotated in the opposite direction, the shutter 7d is returned by its own weight as shown by the broken line arrow in the drawing, and the stored product under the column from the end opening 7c, the second opening 7b. It is possible to form a circulation path for partial-area airflow that flows in the direction.

In order to accurately perform the partial area air blowing indicated by the broken line arrow in the figure, it is desirable to make the air volume for the partial area air blowing smaller than that for the whole area air blowing so that the air blowing does not reach the upper part of the column. In the case of a fan shape in which the air volume changes with forward and reverse rotation, it is better to use the rotation direction on the large air volume side for blowing the entire area. Also, in the case of a fan shape in which the air volume does not change in forward and reverse rotation, it is better to reduce the motor rotation speed during partial area air blowing than in the entire area air blowing to reduce the air volume, and in either case, depending on the fan shape and motor rotational speed. It is possible to arbitrarily set the air flow rates for the entire-area blow and the partial-area blow.

FIG. 3 shows a control system configuration of the vending machine. In the figure, 21 is a control circuit of a microcomputer configuration including a CPU, a memory, an input / output device, and the like.
Reference numeral 22 is a compressor drive circuit that supplies predetermined power to the compressor 11, 23 is a heater drive circuit that supplies predetermined power to the heater 9, and 24 is the motor 1 of the forced circulation fan 10.
A fan drive circuit for supplying electric power for forward rotation or reverse rotation to 0a, and 14, 15, 16 are the first inside temperature detector, the second inside temperature detector, and the outside air temperature detector described above. .

The control circuit 21 stores a control program for controlling the temperature of each of cold and hot and switching the air-blowing area in the memory, and the temperature detectors 14, 1 respectively.
Based on the detection signals at 5 and 16, each drive circuit 22,
Control signals are sent to 23 and 24.

The control method when the selling mode is cold will be described below with reference to the flowchart of FIG. Since the control method when the selling mode is hot is the same as the conventional method, the description thereof is omitted here.

First, after the control is started, it is checked whether or not the current time tt corresponds to a specific daytime zone (13: 00≤tt <16:00).

When the present time tt is within the range of 16: 00 ≦ tt <13:00, which is outside the specific time zone of the daytime, subsequently, the inside temperature Th of the column upper part and the inside temperature Tl of the column lower part are It is checked whether or not Th-Tl> 5 ° C. is satisfied and whether or not the outside air temperature To is 10 ° C. <To <25 ° C. is checked.

Th-Tl> 5 ° C. and 10 ° C. <To <25 ° C.
If both conditions are not satisfied, or if one of the conditions is not satisfied, the compressor 11 of the refrigerator is operated and the blower fan 10 rotates in the direction shown in FIG. To do.

As a result, the cool air of the evaporator 8 is forcibly circulated to the lower part of the column by the air blow by the fan, and only the stored products in the lower part of the column (only the stored products which are about to be sold) are mainly cooled. The temperature control during cooling under the partial region ventilation is performed based on the temperature Tl detected by the temperature detector 15 at the bottom of the column,
The compressor 11 is on / off controlled so that the detected temperature Tl is maintained at the target temperature (around 5 ° C.).

On the other hand, Th-Tl> 5 ° C. and 10 ° C. <To <
When both conditions of 25 ° C. are both satisfied, the compressor 11 of the refrigerator is operated, and the blower fan 10 rotates in the direction in which the entire area blown as shown by the solid arrow in FIG. 1 can be performed.

As a result, the cool air in the evaporator 8 is forcedly circulated from the upper part of the column toward the lower part of the column by the fan air blow, and the entire stored product is cooled. The temperature control during cooling under the whole-area blast is performed based on the temperature Tl detected by the temperature detector 15 at the lower part of the column, as in the case during the cooling under the partial-area blast, and the detected temperature Tl is the target temperature (around 5 ° C). The compressor 11 is on / off controlled so as to be maintained at (1).

That is, when the time tt is within the range of 16: 00 ≦ tt <13:00, which is out of the specific time zone of the day, T
Depending on both conditions of h-Tl> 5 ° C. and 10 ° C. <To <25 ° C., cooling under partial region air blowing and cooling under whole region air blowing are alternately repeated. Specifically, when the product S stored in the upper part of the column is not sufficiently cooled, and when the outside air temperature is relatively low in the summer, cooling is performed under the ventilation of the entire area, and the product S stored in the upper part of the column is sufficiently cooled. And, when the outside air temperature is high during the summer, cooling is carried out under partial area air flow.

When the present time tt reaches the specific time zone of the daytime (13: 00 ≦ tt <16:00) due to the passage of time, subsequently, it is determined whether or not the inside temperature Tl of the lower part of the column corresponds to Tl <Ts. Check. By the way, the conditional expression T
s is a second target temperature that is the same as or slightly higher than the above target temperature.

When the condition of Tl <Ts is satisfied, that is, when the stored goods S in the lower part of the column are sufficiently cooled, the compressor 11 of the refrigerator and the blower fan 10 are forcibly stopped.

On the other hand, the time tt is the daytime specific time zone (13
Time ≤ tt <16:00), but the condition of Tl <Ts is not satisfied, that is, the stored product S at the bottom of the column
When the temperature rises more than necessary, the compressor 11 of the refrigerator is operated, and the blower fan 10 rotates in the direction shown in FIG. As a result, the cool air of the evaporator 8 is forcibly circulated to the lower part of the column by fan blowing, and only the stored products in the lower part of the column (only the stored products that are about to be sold) are mainly cooled. By the way, the temperature control during the cooling under the partial region ventilation is the same as that during the cooling under the partial region ventilation described above.

That is, the time tt is the daytime specific time zone (1
When 3:00 tt <16:00), the compressor 11 of the refrigerator and the blower fan 10 are actively stopped except when the temperature of the stored product that is about to be sold rises more than necessary.

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the power demand is concentrated in a specific daytime period (13:00 ≤
Other than tt <16:00), Th-Tl> 5 ° C. and 10 ° C. <
Since the blower mode at the time of cooling (the whole-area blower and the partial-range blower) is switched depending on whether or not both conditions of To <25 ° C. are satisfied, the blower mode is set according to the heat load in the refrigerator and the outside air temperature. Can be appropriately switched to perform the energy saving operation during cooling more accurately.

Further, in a daytime specific time period (13: 00 ≦ tt <16:00) when the power demand is concentrated, the operation of the refrigerator and the blower fan 10 is actively stopped to minimize the power consumption in the same time period. It is possible to prevent the temperature of the sold product from deviating from the target temperature by using the energy stored in the stored product S before reaching the same time while being suppressed to the limit.

Further, when air is blown across the entire area, the main energy storage is performed in the column top that is preferentially cooled and the stored products S close to this by taking the air circulation direction from the stored product in the upper part of the column to the stored product in the lower part of the column. Since the product S that is about to be sold and stored in the lower part of the column can be maintained at the target temperature that is the same as when the partial area is blown, even if there is a sales request during or immediately after blowing the entire area, the cold product at the same temperature as usual will be used. Can be sold.

Furthermore, the forced circulation fan 10 is capable of bidirectional air flow by forward / reverse rotation, and it is arranged to switch between total area air blow and partial area air flow by changing the air blow direction. The device configuration can be simplified by eliminating the need for a switching damper or the like.

Further, since the shutter 7d which is opened and closed by the wind pressure is provided in the air blowing passage D, even when the air flows into the air blowing passage D from the first opening 7a at the time of partial area air blowing, the shutter 7d is used. It is possible to reliably form a circulation path for partial-area air flow by shutting off.

In the above embodiment, the daytime specific time period is set to the range of 16: 00 ≦ tt <13:00, but the same time period may be changed appropriately within the concentrated time period of power demand. You may In addition, the condition for switching the blower mode is T
An example is shown in which h-Tl> 5 ° C and 10 ° C <To <25 ° C are set, but the temperature difference between the upper part and the lower part of the column and the outside air temperature range, which are the reference values for switching the ventilation mode, are set by the vending machine You may change suitably according to an environment etc.

Further, the refrigerating machine and the blower fan are actively stopped in a specific time zone during the day when electric power demand is concentrated, but the operation stop is not always necessary, and when the same time zone is reached. It is possible to reduce power consumption simply by switching to partial area ventilation. In other words, since a large amount of energy is stored in the stored products when blowing in the entire area, even if this is switched to partial area blowing, the heat load during the blowing is considerably small, and the actual operating time of the refrigerator is suppressed. Power consumption can be reduced.

Further, a duct structure is shown in which a shutter for opening and closing the air pressure is provided in the air passage, but since the air blowing mode is switched by changing the air blowing direction,
Even in the duct structure excluding the shutter, it is possible to form the circulation paths for the entire-area air blowing and the partial-area air blowing.

[0041]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the invention, while the stored products are normally cooled by the partial area ventilation, the temperature difference obtained by subtracting the lower temperature inside the refrigerator from the upper inside temperature is When the outside air temperature is higher than the preset reference temperature difference and the outside air temperature is within the preset reference outside air temperature range, the partial area ventilation is switched to the entire area ventilation to perform cooling, so It is possible to more appropriately carry out the energy-saving operation during cooling by appropriately switching the blowing mode according to the outside air temperature and the like.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, during the daytime specific time period when the power demand is concentrated, the operation of the cooling source is actively stopped, and the power consumption during the same time period can be suppressed to the necessary minimum. It is possible to prevent the temperature of the sold product from deviating from the target temperature by using the energy stored in the stored product before reaching the same time zone. Other effects are the same as those of the first aspect.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, a blower fan for forced circulation, which is capable of bidirectional blown by forward and reverse rotation, is used, and switching between full blown blow and partial blown blow is performed by changing the blow blow direction. Therefore, it is possible to simplify the device configuration by eliminating the need for a damper or the like for switching the air flow path. Other effects are similar to those of the invention of claim 1 or 2.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a sectional configuration diagram of a vending machine to which the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a detailed view of the duct structure shown in FIG.

3 is a control system configuration diagram of the vending machine shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of cooling control.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Serpentine column, S ... Stored product, D ... Blower passage, 7 ... Duct plate, 7a ... First opening, 7b ... Second opening, 7c ... End opening, 8 ... Evaporator, 10 ... Blower fan,
11 ... Compressor, 14 ... First in-compartment temperature detector, 1
5 ... 2nd inside temperature detector, 16 ... Outside air temperature detector, 2
1 ... Control circuit, 22 ... Compressor drive circuit, 24 ... Fan drive circuit.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A vending machine that cools products such as canned beverages stored in a refrigerator to a target temperature and sells them as cold products. In a vending machine, cooling air from a cooling source is blown by a fan to a lower portion of the refrigerator. And a partial-area blower that cools the entire stored product by forcibly circulating it toward, and a partial-area blower that cools the cool air from the cooling source to the lower part of the inside by a fan blower to mainly cool only the product that is about to be sold. A first inside temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature inside the inside of the refrigerator, a second inside temperature detecting means for detecting the temperature inside the inside of the refrigerator, an outside air temperature detecting means for detecting outside air temperature, and usually a partial While the stored products are cooled by the area ventilation,
Ventilation that switches partial-area ventilation to full-area ventilation when the temperature difference between the internal upper temperature and the internal lower temperature is higher than the preset reference temperature difference and the outside air temperature is within the preset reference outside air temperature range An automatic vending machine, characterized by comprising a zone switching means. 2. When the lower temperature inside the refrigerator is lower than a preset reference temperature, an operation stopping means for stopping the operation of the cooling source is provided in a specific time zone during the day when electric power demand is concentrated. The vending machine according to claim 1. 3. The blower fan, which is capable of bidirectional blown by forward / reverse rotation, is used, and switching between full blown blow and partial blown blow is performed by changing the blow blow direction. vending machine.