KR20240048803A - Showcase capable of supplying cooling air by section - Google Patents

Abstract

According to the present embodiments, by supplying cold air for each section, the temperature distribution inside the showcase can be made uniform, the loss of cold air to the outside of the showcase can be minimized, and implantation in the evaporator can be reduced.

Description

Showcase capable of supplying cold air to each section {SHOWCASE CAPABLE OF SUPPLYING COOLING AIR BY SECTION}

These embodiments relate to a showcase, and more specifically, to a showcase capable of supplying cold air to each section.

A showcase is a device used in convenience stores, supermarkets, and department stores to store products that require refrigeration, such as fresh food, at low temperatures and display them for customers to view and purchase.

Generally, there are two types of cold air supply methods for conventional showcases. One is to supply cold air from the back to the front of the display shelf, and the other is to supply cold air downward from the ceiling.

The method of supplying cold air from the rear to the front described above has the inertia of cold air flowing out to the front of the showcase, so the outflow of cold air must be blocked by installing a door or providing an air curtain. In particular, since products are displayed along the path through which cold air moves, the flow rate of cold air increases in certain areas depending on the location of the product, and outflow to the front increases, making it difficult to supply cold air uniformly.

In addition, the method of supplying cold air from the ceiling downward, which will be described later, has the problem that the temperature deviation between the top and bottom is inevitable because the cold air supplied from the top of the showcase must move to the bottom.

Additionally, conventional showcases generally supplied cold air using a single fan and an evaporator, regardless of the cold air supply method. In this method, it is inevitable that the size of the fan and evaporator will be enlarged, so there is a problem that a large installation space is required. In addition, there is a problem of frost forming on the outside of the evaporator, reducing heat exchange efficiency and increasing the burden on the compressor, and there is the inconvenience of having to periodically defrost.

These embodiments were developed from the above-described background, and more specifically, by supplying cold air for each section, the temperature distribution inside the showcase can be made uniform, the loss of cold air to the outside of the showcase can be minimized, and the idea of \u200b\u200bthe evaporator can be achieved. A showcase can be provided that can reduce it.

According to the present embodiments, the main body is provided with a plurality of plates spaced apart in the vertical direction inside the main body, each of which has an empty space formed inside, and a plurality of plates on the lower surface of which are distributed a plurality of holes communicating with the empty space, and a plurality of plates. It includes a plurality of cold air supply units corresponding to each plate, and each cold air supply unit has a cold air supply function for each section including a cooling module including a fan for supplying air to the empty space of the plate and an evaporator for cooling the air. A showcase having can be provided.

According to the present embodiments, by supplying cold air for each section, the temperature distribution inside the showcase can be made uniform, cold air loss to the outside of the showcase can be minimized, and implantation in the evaporator can be reduced.

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of the showcase according to the present embodiments.
Figure 2 is a perspective view of a portion of the showcase according to the present embodiments.
Figure 3 is a perspective view of a portion of the showcase according to the present embodiments.
Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the showcase according to the present embodiments.
Figure 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of a showcase (indoor unit) and a portion of the exterior of the outdoor unit according to the present embodiments.

Hereinafter, some embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to illustrative drawings. In adding reference numerals to components in each drawing, identical components may have the same reference numerals as much as possible even if they are shown in different drawings. Additionally, in describing the present embodiments, if it is determined that a detailed description of a related known configuration or function may obscure the gist of the present technical idea, the detailed description may be omitted. When “comprises,” “has,” “consists of,” etc. mentioned in the specification are used, other parts may be added unless “only” is used. When a component is expressed in the singular, it can also include the plural, unless specifically stated otherwise.

Additionally, in describing the components of the present disclosure, terms such as first, second, A, B, (a), and (b) may be used. These terms are only used to distinguish the component from other components, and the nature, sequence, order, or number of the components are not limited by the term.

In the description of the positional relationship of components, when two or more components are described as being “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected,” the two or more components are directly “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected.” ", but it should be understood that two or more components and other components may be further "interposed" and "connected," "combined," or "connected." Here, other components may be included in one or more of two or more components that are “connected,” “coupled,” or “connected” to each other.

In the explanation of temporal flow relationships related to components, operation methods, production methods, etc., for example, temporal precedence relationships such as “after”, “after”, “after”, “before”, etc. Or, when a sequential relationship is described, non-continuous cases may be included unless “immediately” or “directly” is used.

On the other hand, when a numerical value or corresponding information (e.g. level, etc.) for a component is mentioned, even if there is no separate explicit description, the numerical value or corresponding information is related to various factors (e.g. process factors, internal or external shocks, It can be interpreted as including the error range that may occur due to noise, etc.).

Figure 1 is an exploded perspective view of a showcase according to the present embodiments, Figure 2 is a perspective view of a part of the showcase according to the present embodiments, Figure 3 is a perspective view of a part of the showcase according to the present embodiments, and Figure 4 is a drawing. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the showcase according to the present embodiments, and Figure 5 is a diagram showing the configuration of the showcase (indoor unit) and a portion of the exterior of the outdoor unit according to the present embodiments.

The showcase 100, which has a cold air supply function for each section according to the present embodiments, is provided with a main body 110 and a plurality of them spaced apart in the vertical direction inside the main body 110, each of which has an empty space 121 inside. A plate 120 is formed on the lower surface 122 with a plurality of holes 210 communicating with the empty space 121, and a cold air supply unit 131 provided in plurality corresponding to each of the plurality of plates 120. Includes, and each of the cold air supply units 131 includes a fan 132 for supplying air to the empty space 121 of the plate 120 and an evaporator 133 for cooling the air.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a plurality of plates 120 are provided inside the main body 110 and spaced apart in the vertical direction. An empty space 121 is formed inside each plate 120 and a plurality of holes 210 are formed on the lower surface 122. The empty space 121 and the hole 210 of the plate 120 communicate with each other. A plurality of cold air supply units 131 are provided, and one plate 120 and one cold air supply unit 131 correspond to each other. Each cold air supply unit 131 supplies cold air to the empty space 121 of the corresponding plate 120, and the cold air supplied to the empty space 121 passes through a plurality of holes 210 formed in the lower surface 122. It is supplied downward.

2 and 3, the plurality of holes 210 are shown for convenience of understanding, and may actually be larger or smaller than those shown in the drawings. In addition, although the drawing shows an embodiment in which the hole 210 is formed in a circular shape, it is not necessarily limited thereto. The shape of the hole 210 is not particularly limited and, for example, may have the shape of a long hole or slit.

Products displayed in the showcase 100 according to these embodiments may be located on the upper surface of the plate 120. Alternatively, the main body 110 may be provided with a separate shelf (not shown) where products are placed. Products displayed on the plate 120 or on a shelf receive cold air from the hole 210 of the plate 120 located above it.

That is, the interior of the main body 110 is divided into a plurality of sections by the plate 120, and products displayed in each section receive cold air from the plate 120 located above it. The drawing shows an embodiment in which the main body 110 is divided into four sections by four plates 120, and the uppermost plate 120 may form the ceiling of the inner space of the main body 110.

Each section divided by the plate 120 inside the main body 110 receives cold air from the corresponding cold air supply unit 131. Therefore, the temperature deviation for each section within the main body 110 can be minimized and the temperature distribution inside the showcase can be made uniform. In addition, as will be described in detail later, the cold air supplied by the cold air supply unit 131 flows into the empty space 121 of the plate 120 in the horizontal direction, but the cold air supplied to the product is on the lower surface 122 of the plate 120. Since it is supplied downward through the plurality of holes 210 formed, loss of cold air to the outside of the showcase can be minimized.

The cooling module 130 includes a plurality of cold air supply units 131. Each of the plurality of cold air supply units 131 corresponds to each of the plurality of plates 120 and supplies cold air to the empty space 121 of the corresponding plate 120. Each of the cold air supply units 131 includes a fan 132 for supplying air to the empty space 121 of the plate 120 and an evaporator 133 for cooling the air. The evaporator 133 is located between the fan 132 and the plate 120 and cools the air supplied from the fan 132 to the plate 120.

Unlike a conventional showcase that supplies cold air from a single fan and an evaporator, the showcase 100 according to the present embodiments is provided with a plurality of fans 132 and an evaporator 133 to supply cold air. In the conventional showcase, as the evaporator becomes larger, a separate installation space for the evaporator must be provided at the bottom of the showcase, and there is a problem in that evaporation easily occurs on the surface of the evaporator, requiring periodic defrosting work. However, since the showcase 100 according to the present embodiments is provided with a plurality of fans 132 and the evaporator 133, the size of the evaporator 133 is miniaturized, so the space for installing each evaporator 133 is small. It has the advantage of shrinking and preventing implantation from occurring easily.

Meanwhile, in FIGS. 1 and 4, only a portion of the plurality of cold air supply units 131 and the refrigerant circulation passage 134 of the cooling module 130 are shown. Referring to FIG. 5 , the cooling module 130 may further include a compressor 510, an intercooler 520, a gas cooler 530, and a heat exchanger 540. A detailed description of the components of the cooling module 130 will be omitted. Each component is connected to a refrigerant circulation passage 134 through which the refrigerant circulates.

Next, referring again to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a plurality of cold air supply units 131 for supplying cold air to the plate 120 may be provided on one side of the main body 110. That is, a fan 132, an evaporator 133, and a refrigerant circulation passage 134 connected to the evaporator 133 are provided at positions corresponding to each plate 120 on one side of the main body 110, and a cover 140 ) accommodates this and can be coupled to the side of the main body 110. According to one embodiment, the cold air supply unit 131 may be located on the side and/or rear of the main body 110. That is, based on the front of the main body 110, the cold air supply unit 131 may be located on the side and/or rear of the main body 110. The drawing shows an embodiment in which the cold air supply unit 131 is located on the side of the main body 110. When cold air supply units 131 are provided on the side and rear of the main body 110, the cold air supply unit 131 located on the side and the cold air supply unit 131 located on the rear may be included in one cooling module 130, Alternatively, it may be included in a separate cooling module 130. That is, the showcase 100 according to the present embodiments may include a cooling module for supplying cold air from the side of the main body 110 and/or a cooling module for supplying cold air from the rear of the main body 110. The showcase 100 according to the present embodiments may include one or more cooling modules.

According to one embodiment, the empty space 121 of the plate 120 may be formed to be horizontally open so that air can be supplied from the cold air supply unit 131. The opening of the empty space 121 of the plate 120 faces the corresponding cold air supply unit 131, and cold air from the cold air supply unit 131 flows into the empty space 121 of the plate 120 in the horizontal direction. The drawing shows an embodiment in which an empty space 121 is opened to the left (x-direction) based on the front of the main body 110. According to one embodiment, the cold air supply unit 131 may be provided on the back of the main body 110 with respect to the front, and the empty space 121 of the plate 120 is located in a direction toward the rear of the main body 110 (- It can be opened in the y direction). According to one embodiment, the cold air supply unit 131 may be provided on the side and rear of the main body 110, and the empty space 121 of the plate 120 is located on the side and rear of the main body 110. It can be opened in the facing direction.

Cold air flowing into the open empty space 121 from the cold air supply unit 131 is supplied downward to the plate 120 through the plurality of holes 210. According to one embodiment, the plate 120 may be made of a material with high thermal conductivity. According to one embodiment, the plate 120 may be made of aluminum. Cooling of the inside of the main body 110 by the cold air supply unit 131 may be performed by convection of cold air and heat conduction in the plate 120. Since the plate 120 is made of a material with high thermal conductivity, for example, aluminum, thermal balance can be quickly achieved in the direction in which cold air is supplied from the area adjacent to the cold air supply unit 131 of the plate 120 to the area on the opposite side. . Therefore, temperature deviation is minimized.

In addition, the temperature of the cold air flowing into the empty space 121 of the plate 120 may differ at the end position opposite to the position where it flows into the empty space 121. In order to minimize the temperature deviation inside the main body 110, To achieve this, it is necessary to reduce the influence of such temperature differences. According to one embodiment, as shown in (A) of FIG. 3, the size of the hole 210 may be formed to increase in the direction in which air is supplied from the fan 132. Additionally, according to one embodiment, as shown in (B) of FIG. 3, the number of holes 210 per unit area in the plate 120 may increase in the direction in which air is supplied from the fan 132. That is, the size of the holes 210 may increase along the direction in which cold air moves in the empty space 121 of the plate 120, or the density of the holes 210 distributed on the lower surface 122 may increase.

As the size and/or density of the hole 210 increases along the direction in which cold air moves in the empty space 121, a relatively small amount of cold air flows downward at a location adjacent to the cold air supply unit 131 in the empty space 121. is supplied by And, toward the opposite end, a relatively large amount of cold air is supplied downward. By forming the size and/or density of the holes 210 in this way, the temperature deviation due to the temperature difference between the locations of the cold air supplied to the lower part of the plate 120 can be minimized.

According to one embodiment, each of the plurality of fans 132 may be independently controllable. That is, each fan 132 supplies air to the empty space 121 of the corresponding plate 120, and by independently controlling each fan 132, the flow rate of air supplied to each plate 120 can be adjusted independently. It can be controlled with .

A plurality of motors connected to and driven with each fan 132 are provided, and each motor (not shown) can be controlled independently. By independently controlling the flow rate of cold air supplied to each plate 120, the temperature difference in each section within the main body 110 that receives cold air from each plate 120 can be minimized. Alternatively, the temperature may be managed according to the different cooling demands of each section within the main body 110 according to the displayed products.

According to one embodiment, the cooling module 130 includes a refrigerant circulation passage 134 through which the refrigerant circulates, and one end and the other end of each evaporator 133 may be connected to the refrigerant circulation passage 134. That is, the inlet and outlet flow paths of each of the plurality of evaporators 133 are connected to the refrigerant circulation path 134.

According to one embodiment, the refrigerant of the cooling module 130 is carbon dioxide, and the refrigerant circulation passage 134 may be made of copper. Carbon dioxide is an environmentally friendly natural refrigerant and is emerging as a replacement for existing Freon gas and hydrofluorocarbon, the use of which has been agreed upon globally. When carbon dioxide is used as a refrigerant, the amount of refrigerant required is greatly reduced, which has the advantage of miniaturizing the size of heat exchangers, piping, etc. However, the carbon dioxide refrigerant has the disadvantage that its pressure becomes excessively high at high temperatures, and the high pressure of the carbon dioxide refrigerant can be counteracted by forming the refrigerant circulation passage 134 of copper.

Referring to FIG. 4, according to one embodiment, each cold air supply unit 131 includes a valve 410 for controlling the amount of refrigerant flowing into the evaporator 133 from the refrigerant circulation passage 134, and the valve (410) may be independently controllable. A plurality of valves 410 are provided and are provided on the inlet side connected to the refrigerant circulation passage 134 of each evaporator 133. By adjusting the opening and closing amount of the valve 410, the amount of refrigerant flowing into each evaporator 133 from the refrigerant circulation passage 134 can be adjusted. By independently controlling the plurality of valves 410, the temperature of cold air supplied to each plate 120 can be independently controlled. Accordingly, the temperature difference in each section within the main body 110 that receives cold air from each plate 120 can be minimized. Alternatively, the temperature may be managed according to the different cooling demands of each section within the main body 110 according to the displayed products.

According to one embodiment, the flow rate of cold air supplied to each plate 120 can be independently controlled by independently controlling the plurality of fans 132, and also independently controlling the plurality of valves 410 to control the flow rate of cold air supplied to each plate 120. The temperature of the cold air supplied to (120) can be controlled independently.

According to the showcase having the cold air supply function for each section with this shape, the temperature distribution inside the showcase can be made uniform by supplying cold air for each section, the loss of cold air to the outside of the showcase can be minimized, and the idea of \u200b\u200bthe evaporator can be achieved. can be reduced.

The above description is merely an illustrative explanation of the technical idea of the present disclosure, and those skilled in the art will be able to make various modifications and variations without departing from the essential characteristics of the present disclosure. In addition, the present embodiments are not intended to limit the technical idea of the present disclosure, but rather to explain it, so the scope of the present technical idea is not limited by these embodiments. The scope of protection of this disclosure should be interpreted in accordance with the claims below, and all technical ideas within the equivalent scope should be interpreted as being included in the scope of rights of this disclosure.

100: Showcase 110: Body
120: plate 121: empty space
122: Bottom 130: Cooling module
131: cold air supply unit 132: fan
133: Evaporator 140: Cover
210: hole 410: valve
510: Compressor 520: Intercooler
530: Gas cooler 540: Heat exchanger

Claims (10)

main body;
A plurality of plates are provided inside the main body to be spaced apart in the vertical direction, each plate having an empty space formed therein, and a plurality of holes communicating with the empty space are distributed on the lower surface;
A cooling module comprising a plurality of cold air supply units corresponding to each of the plurality of plates, each of the cold air supply units including a fan for supplying air to an empty space of the plate and an evaporator for cooling the air;
A showcase with a cold air supply function for each section including. According to claim 1,
A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section, characterized in that the empty space of the plate is formed to be horizontally opened to receive air from the cold air supply unit. According to claim 1,
A showcase with a cold air supply function for each section, characterized in that the plate is made of aluminum. According to claim 1,
A showcase with a cold air supply function for each section, wherein the size of the hole increases in the direction in which air is supplied from the fan. According to claim 1,
A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section, wherein the number of holes per unit area in the plate increases in the direction in which air is supplied from the fan. According to claim 1,
A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section, wherein the cold air supply unit is located on the side and/or rear of the main body. According to claim 1,
A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section, wherein each of the plurality of fans is independently controllable. According to claim 1,
The cooling module includes a refrigerant circulation passage in which the refrigerant circulates, and each of the evaporators has one end and the other end connected to the refrigerant circulation passage. A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section. According to claim 8,
A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section, wherein the refrigerant is carbon dioxide, and the refrigerant circulation passage is made of copper. According to claim 8,
A showcase having a cold air supply function for each section, wherein each of the cold air supply units includes a valve for controlling the amount of refrigerant flowing into the evaporator from the refrigerant circulation passage, and the valves are each independently controllable.

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