JPH09245238A - Automatic vending machine - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an automatic vending machine which is capable of enforcing the storage cold for cold regenerator without requiring the switch of a circuit and by proper timing. SOLUTION: In a state that a compressor is operated under the environment in which outside air temperature T1 is lower than a reference temperature Tk (25 deg.C, for instance), the compressor is continuously operated till a cold regenerator temperature T3 reaches a storage cold lower limit temperature T31 (0 deg.C, for instance) which is lower than this temperature T3, even if a container temperature reaches a cooling lower limit temperature T21 (3 deg.C, for instance). Thus, a second evaporator is made to demonstrate its original function and the storage cold for cold regenerator is performed.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vending machine for selling products such as canned beverages.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art An automatic vending machine of this type is generally equipped with a refrigerator and a heater inside, and by operating these devices and a blower fan in accordance with the sales mode, canned drinks and the like stored in a refrigerator are stored. Products are cooled and heated and sold as cold or hot products.

By the way, when the sales mode is cold, the refrigerator is operated to forcibly circulate the cool air of the evaporator by blowing the fan, and at the same time, the compressor is maintained so that the internal temperature is maintained at the cooling target temperature (for example, 5 ° C.). Is controlled on and off. On the other hand, when the sales mode is hot, the heater is operated to forcibly circulate the hot air of the heater by fan blowing, and the heater is on / off controlled so that the internal temperature is maintained at the heating target temperature (for example, around 60 ° C.). are doing.

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 avoid the concentration of electric power demand in a specific time zone during the daytime, an attempt has been made to reduce the operating rate of the compressor during the same time zone.

For example, a refrigerator in which an evaporator for load cooling and an evaporator for cold storage are connected in parallel is used as a refrigerator, and the load cooling and the regenerator material for cooling the stored goods are cooled by switching the circuit by a valve or the like. By making it possible to separately perform the above-described cold storage, it is possible to reduce the operating rate of the compressor by utilizing the cold heat energy stored in the cold storage material during load cooling.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional vending machine, circuit switching by a valve or the like is required for carrying out load cooling and cold storage, and load cooling and cold storage are forced by a preset time. However, there is a problem in that the load cooling is forcibly transferred even in a state where the cold storage can be performed, that is, even when the heat load of the stored products is low and the load cooling is not required.

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 performing cold storage for a cold storage material without switching the circuit and at an appropriate timing. Especially.

[0009]

To achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a refrigerator provided with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, an evaporator, etc., and is stored in a refrigerator by operating a compressor and a blower fan. In a vending machine that cools canned drinks and other products to a cooling target temperature and sells them as cold products, the evaporator of the refrigerator is divided into load cooling and cold storage, and the load cooling evaporator is a refrigerant. These evaporators are connected in series so as to be located on the upstream side, and a regenerator material to be regenerated by the regenerator, a first temperature detecting means for detecting an outside air temperature, and a second temperature for detecting an inside temperature. When the inside temperature reaches the cooling lower limit temperature in the state where the compressor is operating under the environment in which the detecting means, the third temperature detecting means for detecting the cold storage material temperature, and the outside air temperature are equal to or higher than the preset reference temperature. When the load is stopped under high load and the compressor is operating in an environment where the outside air temperature is lower than the preset reference temperature, the cool storage material temperature reaches the cool storage lower limit temperature that is lower than the cooling lower limit temperature. The main feature is that a low-load stop means for stopping the compressor when the above operation is performed is provided.

In the vending machine according to the present invention, when the outside air temperature is higher than the preset reference temperature and the compressor is operating, the compressor is stopped when the inside temperature reaches the cooling lower limit temperature. Also, in a state where the compressor is operating in an environment where the outside air temperature is lower than the preset reference temperature, the compressor is stopped when the cool storage material temperature reaches the cool storage lower limit temperature lower than the cooling lower limit temperature. . That is, the cold storage for the cold storage material is performed when the outside air temperature is lower than the reference temperature and the internal load is small and the load is low.

[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 4 front and rear serpentine columns arranged inside, S is a product such as a canned beverage stored in the column 4, 5 is a product carry-out device arranged at the lower part of the serpentine column 4, 6 is a carry-out product take-out port Numeral 7 is a duct for forming an L-shaped air passage D at the back of the column.

Reference numeral 8 is a first evaporator for cooling the load, which is arranged in the lower part of the air passage D, 9 is a second evaporator for storing heat which is arranged adjacent to the first evaporator 8, and 10 is a second evaporator. Cooling material incorporated in the container 9, 11 is a blower fan for forcedly circulating cold air, 12 is a compressor arranged in the machine room at the bottom of the main body, 13 is a condenser arranged in the machine room, and 14 is a condenser cooling Is a blower fan. In the illustrated example, the second evaporator 9 and the cool storage material 10 are shown as separate bodies for convenience.
The regenerator material 10 is integrally arranged between the refrigerant tubes of the second evaporator 9 so as not to obstruct ventilation, and is mainly cooled by radiation cooling from the refrigerant tubes.

As shown in the circuit diagram of FIG. 2, the refrigerator comprises the above-mentioned first evaporator 8, second evaporator 9, compressor 12 and condenser 13, dryer 15 and capillary tube 16. Therefore, the cold air is generated in each of the first evaporator 8 and the second evaporator 9 when the compressor 11 is operated. The first evaporator 8 for load cooling is located on the refrigerant upstream side of the second evaporator 9 for cold storage, and the evaporators 8 and 9 are connected in series with each other.

Reference numeral 17 denotes a first temperature detector such as a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the condenser 13 (hereinafter simply referred to as outside air temperature T1), and 18 denotes the temperature of the first evaporator 8 (hereinafter simply referred to as the inside temperature T2). A second temperature detector such as a thermistor that detects the temperature of the second evaporator, and a third temperature detector 19 such as a thermistor that detects the temperature of the second evaporator 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as the cool storage material temperature T3).

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.
22 is a compressor drive circuit for supplying a predetermined electric power to the compressor 12; 23 is the motor 1 of the forced circulation fan 11;
A fan drive circuit for supplying a predetermined electric power to 1a;
Reference numerals 8 and 19 are the first temperature detector, the second temperature detector, and the third temperature detector described above.

The control circuit 21 stores a control program for performing temperature management, cold storage, etc. in the memory, and controls the drive circuits 22, 23 based on the detection signals of the temperature detectors 17, 18, 19, respectively. Send a control signal.

The control method during cooling will be described below with reference to the time chart of FIG. 4 and the flowchart of FIG.

The outside air temperature T1 is the reference temperature Tk (for example, 25
In a state where the compressor 12 is operating in an environment of (° C.) Or higher, the inside temperature T2 is the cooling lower limit temperature T2l (for example, 3
(C) is reached, the compressor 12 is stopped. When the internal temperature T2 reaches the cooling upper limit temperature T2h (for example, 7 ° C.) when the compressor is stopped, the compressor 1
2. Restart the operation.

That is, when the outside air temperature is high and the internal load is large, the compressor 12 is intermittently operated according to the temperature (internal temperature) T2 detected by the second temperature detector 18, whereby the internal temperature is increased. T2 is maintained at the cooling target temperature (for example, 5 ° C.). In the compressor operation at this time, the first evaporator 8 exhibits the original function of the evaporator, the second evaporator 9 functions as an accumulator, and the cool air of the first evaporator 8 is forcibly circulated by the fan blow to store the stored products. The entire body is cooled, and the regenerator material 10 is also cooled in the same manner, causing the same temperature fluctuation as the internal temperature T2.

On the other hand, when the compressor 12 is operating in an environment in which the outside air temperature T1 is lower than the reference temperature Tk (for example, 25 ° C.), the inside temperature T2 is the cooling lower limit temperature T2l.
Even when the temperature reaches (for example, 3 ° C.), the compressor 12 is continuously operated until the cold storage material temperature T3 reaches the cold storage lower limit temperature T3l (for example, 0 ° C.) lower than this. Further, when the compressor is stopped, the internal temperature T2 is the cooling upper limit temperature T2h.
When the temperature reaches (for example, 7 ° C.), the operation of the compressor 12 is restarted.

That is, when the outside air temperature is low and the load in the refrigerator is small, the temperature detected by the second temperature detector 18 (internal temperature) T2 and the temperature detected by the third temperature detector 19 (temperature of the cold storage material). The compressor 12 is intermittently operated according to each of T3. In the compressor operation (E1 section in FIG. 4) until the internal temperature T2 reaches the cooling lower limit temperature T21, the first evaporator 8 performs the original function of the evaporator and the second evaporation as in the case of high load. The container 9 functions as an accumulator, and the cold air of the first evaporator 8 is forcibly circulated by fan blowing to cool the entire stored products, and the regenerator material 10 is also cooled similarly to a temperature fluctuation similar to the internal temperature T2. Cause Further, in the compressor operation (E2 section in FIG. 4) after the internal temperature T2 reaches the cooling lower limit temperature T21, the first
The evaporator 9 does not have a particular evaporation action, the second evaporator 9 exhibits the original function of the evaporator, and the cold air of the second evaporator 9 causes the cold storage material 10 to cool. By this cold storage, the cold storage material temperature T3 further decreases, but no particular temperature fluctuation occurs in the internal cold storage temperature T2.

Further, during the operation of the compressor under the above-mentioned high load and low load, the blower fan 11 for forced circulation is used.
The cold energy stored in the cold storage material 10 is released by the operation of. This energy release is particularly effective when the load is high, and the released energy reduces the internal load and reduces the operating rate of the compressor 12.

Further, at the time of high load and low load described above,
The blower fan 11 for forced circulation is operated even when the compressor is stopped. As a result, the cold energy stored in the cold storage material 10 is released, and the released energy suppresses the temperature rise of the stored commodities S when the compressor is stopped, and improves the cold insulation effect.

As described above, according to the vending machine of the present embodiment, the cold storage for the cold storage material 10 can be carried out without requiring the conventional circuit switching, and the timing of the cold storage is appropriate within the low load time. Set to to achieve effective heat storage.

The blower fan 1 when the compressor is stopped
When 1 is operated, the cold energy stored in the cold storage material 10 can be effectively utilized to improve the cold insulation effect of the stored product S when the compressor is stopped.

The reference temperature of the outside air temperature, which is a criterion for determining whether or not to store the cold, may be appropriately changed according to the installation environment of the vending machine and the like. Although the blower fan is continuously operated regardless of whether the compressor is operated or stopped, the blower fan may be stopped in synchronization with the compressor.

[0027]

As described above in detail, according to the first aspect of the present invention, the cold storage for the cold storage material can be carried out without requiring the circuit switching as in the conventional case, and the timing of the cold storage can be set within the low load time. Can be set appropriately to achieve effective heat storage.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the cold energy stored in the regenerator material can be effectively used to improve the cold insulation effect of the stored goods when the compressor is stopped. Other effects are the same as those of the first aspect.

[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 refrigeration circuit diagram of the vending machine shown in FIG.

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

[Fig. 4] Time chart of cooling control

FIG. 5 is a flowchart of cooling control.

[Explanation of symbols]

4 ... Serpentine column, S ... Stored goods, 8 ... 1st evaporator for load cooling, 9 ... 2nd evaporator for cold storage, 10 ... Regenerator material, 11 ... Blower fan, 12 ... Compressor, 13 ...
Condenser, 16 ... Capillary tube, 17 ... First temperature detector, 18 ... Second temperature detector, 19 ... Third temperature detector,
21 ... Control circuit, 22 ... Compressor drive circuit, 23 ...
Fan drive circuit.

Claims (2)

[Claims] 1. A refrigerator provided with a compressor, a condenser, an expansion means, an evaporator, etc. is provided, and products such as canned beverages stored in the refrigerator are cooled to a cooling target temperature by the operation of the compressor and the blower fan. In an automatic vending machine that sells this as a cold product, the evaporator of the refrigerator is divided into one for load cooling and one for cold storage, and these evaporators are connected in series so that the load cooling evaporator is located on the refrigerant upstream side. At the same time, the cold storage material that is stored in the cold storage evaporator, the first temperature detection means that detects the outside air temperature, the second temperature detection means that detects the internal temperature, and the third temperature detection means that detects the cold storage material temperature. And, in a state where the compressor is operating in an environment in which the outside air temperature is equal to or higher than a preset reference temperature, high-load stop means for stopping the compressor when the inside temperature reaches the cooling lower limit temperature, When the compressor is operating in an environment where the outside air temperature is lower than the preset reference temperature, the compressor is stopped when the cool storage material temperature reaches the cool storage lower limit temperature lower than the cooling lower limit temperature. A vending machine provided with means. 2. The vending machine according to claim 1, further comprising a blower control means for operating a blower fan when the compressor is stopped.