WO2014010771A1

WO2014010771A1 - Supercooling freezer

Info

Publication number: WO2014010771A1
Application number: PCT/KR2012/005606
Authority: WO
Inventors: 김태호; 안병선
Original assignee: 수퍼쿨러 주식회사; 수퍼쿨러 유에스에이 인코포레이티드
Priority date: 2012-07-13
Filing date: 2012-07-13
Publication date: 2014-01-16

Abstract

In order to keep stably and uniformly the temperature inside a freezer according to the supercooling temperature of beverages and liquors is provided a supercooling freezer comprising: a main body provided with a cooling chamber for storing containers filled with beverages in a supercooled state; a door for opening and closing the front part of the main body; a plurality of shelves arranged in multiple stages in the cooling chamber to hold the containers; a cooling unit for cooling the air inside the cooling chamber; a cold air supplying unit for circulating the air cooled by the cooling unit through the inside of the cooling chamber; and a cold air control unit for controlling the temperature of the cold air supplied by the cold air supplying unit according to the supercooling temperature of the beverages, wherein the cold air control unit includes a mixing part for sending the internal air of the cooling chamber to the cold air supplying unit to mix the internal air with the cold air as necessary, a temperature sensor installed in the cold air supplying unit to detect the temperature of the cooling chamber, and a controller for controlling the cooling unit, the cold air supplying unit and the mixing part by calculating the detected value from the temperature sensor so as to keep the internal temperature of the cooling chamber within a predetermined temperature.

Description

Subcooling freezer

The present invention relates to a subcooled freezer for supercooling liquid beverages such as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages.

BACKGROUND ART In general, a technique is known in which a liquid beverage is supercooled to a freezing point or lower in a liquid state, an impact is applied to the liquid beverage, and is temporarily frozen in a sherbet state.

Supercooling refers to a phenomenon in which the melt or solid does not cause a change even when the phase transition at equilibrium is cooled below the temperature. For example, if water is gradually cooled, it will not temporarily solidify even if it reaches a temperature of 0 ° C or lower. However, when the object is in the supercooled state, it becomes a kind of quasi-stable state, and even the slightest stimulus breaks the unstable equilibrium state and is likely to move to a more stable state. That is, when a small piece of material is added to the supercooled liquid or the liquid is suddenly shaken, the liquid starts to solidify immediately and the temperature of the liquid rises to the freezing point, thereby maintaining a stable equilibrium at that temperature.

There is a limit to a temperature range in which a liquid beverage can be supercooled as a liquid (for example, -10 ° C to -18 ° C for an alcoholic drink). When the temperature of the liquid beverage is lower than the aforementioned limit temperature, it is frozen in the freezer. Therefore, in order to appropriately supercool all the liquid drinks accommodated in the some container, it is necessary to make the temperature in a freezer uniform within the said limit temperature. In addition, the supercooled liquid beverage is susceptible to changes in temperature, and even if the temperature rises only a few degrees, it becomes difficult to freeze the sherbet state when the cup or the like is poured. Therefore, there is a need to stabilize the temperature by suppressing the temperature change in the freezer.

Accordingly, many techniques for supercooling liquid beverages have been developed.

However, the conventional technology has a problem that the temperature uniformity and temperature stabilization of the freezer is not properly achieved when the actual product is commercialized, it is difficult to substantially overcool the liquid beverage to maintain its state for a long time, and a solution for this is urgently required.

Accordingly, the present invention provides a subcooled freezer configured to stably and uniformly maintain a freezer internal temperature according to a subcooled temperature of a liquid beverage.

To this end, the apparatus includes a main body having a cooling chamber for accommodating a container containing a liquid beverage and storing it in a supercooled state, a door for opening and closing an open front surface of the main body, and arranged in multiple stages at intervals in the cooling chamber. A plurality of shelves to be placed, a cooling unit for cooling the air in the cooling chamber, a cold air supply unit for circulating the air cooled by the cooling unit into the cooling chamber, the temperature of the cold air supplied from the cold air supply unit to the liquid beverage Includes a cold air control unit for controlling in the supercooling temperature range,

The cold air controller calculates a detection value of the temperature sensor and a temperature sensor installed at the cold air supply unit to detect the temperature of the cooling chamber, the mixing unit for supplying the air inside the cooling chamber to the cold air supply unit and mixed with cold if necessary. The control unit may include a controller for controlling the cooling unit, the cold air supply unit, and the mixing unit so that the internal temperature of the cooling chamber is within a preset temperature range.

The cooling unit is installed in the upper body of the heat exchanger to cool the air through heat exchange, the heat exchanger is installed inside the cooling duct to connect the inside of the cooling chamber and the cold air supply, the cooling duct is installed on one side of the cooling chamber air A suction blower for sucking may include a compressor and a condenser for circulating the refrigerant to the heat exchanger.

The cold air supply unit is provided on the upper side of the supply duct extending up and down along the inner surface of the cooling chamber, a supply blower for blowing cold air into the supply duct, the blower is formed on the front of the supply duct It may include a plurality of vent holes for discharging the cold air to the cooling chamber.

The mixing unit may include a mixing blower installed between the upper end of the supply duct and the cooling chamber to blow air inside the cooling chamber into the supply duct.

The mixing unit is installed so that the upper end of the supply duct faces the cooling chamber and the cooling duct at the same time, the supply blower is installed to face the cooling chamber and the cooling duct at the same time and blows the cooling duct of the cooling duct and the air inside the cooling chamber to the supply duct. Can be.

The vent hole may be formed to be dispersed in the front surface of the supply duct in a position corresponding to the upper space of each shelf.

The vent may be formed to increase the number or size of holes formed from the lower portion of the cooling chamber toward the upper portion.

The frame may be installed in at least four corners of the main body in a vertical direction, and a support member supporting the shelf on the frame may be installed, and a vibration preventing material may be installed between the support member and the shelf for shock buffer. .

The apparatus may further include a curtain which is disposed at least one or more continuously in a vertical direction to the front of the cooling chamber to block the front of the cooling chamber.

The apparatus may further include an inner door disposed at a position corresponding to each shelf on a front surface of the cooling chamber and rotatably installed with respect to the cooling chamber to open and close the cooling chamber.

The apparatus may further include an air curtain unit installed on the shelf to inject air in a vertical direction to the front of the cooling chamber to block the front of the cooling chamber.

The air curtain unit may include an air blower installed at the front end of the shelf and disposed at the front of the cooling chamber to suck the cold air inside the cooling chamber and discharge the cold air in the vertical direction, and a power supply unit for supplying power to the air blower.

The air blower may be extended along the front end of the shelf, and a suction inlet for suctioning air may be installed at a lower portion thereof, and a discharge hole for discharging suctioned air may be installed in a vertical direction.

The power supply unit may include a connection connector installed on the shelf to receive power, and a supply connector installed in the cooling chamber to receive power and coupled with the connection connector according to the movement of the shelf.

The cold air control unit may further include a door sensor for detecting opening and closing of the door, and the controller may be configured to stop driving of the cooling unit, the cold air supply unit, and the mixing unit when the door is opened according to the output value of the door sensor.

The cold air control unit may be configured to operate the air curtain unit when the door or the inner door is opened.

The cold air controller may further include a heater installed in the heat exchanger or the supply duct to heat the cold air, and the controller may control the heater so that the temperature inside the cooling chamber is within a preset temperature range.

The cold air controller may further include at least one heat pipe extending in the vertical direction in the supply duct and spaced apart from each other.

The device may be a structure in which the internal temperature of the cooling chamber is adjusted to a range of 0 ~ -20 ℃.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the temperature in the cooling chamber can be kept more uniform and stable in accordance with the supercooling temperature of the liquid beverage, so that it can be stored for a long time.

In addition, it is possible to stably maintain the subcooling temperature by minimizing the change of the cold air inside the cooling chamber during opening and closing of the cooling chamber.

1 is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing a subcooled freezer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a schematic front view illustrating some components of a subcooled freezer according to the embodiment of FIG. 1.

Figure 3 is a schematic side view showing the structure of the air curtain portion of the subcooled freezer according to the first embodiment.

4 is a schematic plan view showing the air curtain part structure of the subcooling freezer according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 5 is a schematic block diagram showing a control structure of a supercooled freezer according to the first embodiment.

6 is a schematic side view illustrating a subcooling freezer according to a second embodiment.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art may easily implement the present invention. As those skilled in the art can easily understand, the embodiments described below may be modified in various forms without departing from the concept and scope of the present invention. Where possible, the same or similar parts are represented using the same reference numerals in the drawings.

The terminology used below is merely to refer to specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural forms as well, unless the phrases clearly indicate the opposite. As used herein, the term "comprising" embodies a particular characteristic, region, integer, step, operation, element, and / or component, and other specific characteristics, region, integer, step, operation, element, component, and / or group. It does not exclude the presence or addition of.

All terms including technical terms and scientific terms used below have the same meaning as those commonly understood by those skilled in the art. Terms defined in advance are additionally interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the related technical literature and the presently disclosed contents, and are not interpreted in an ideal or very formal sense unless defined.

1 shows a subcooled freezer according to the present embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 1, the freezer 100 of the exemplary embodiment includes a main body 10 having a cooling chamber 12 for receiving a container P containing a liquid beverage and storing the same in a supercooled state, and the main body 10. Door 14 for opening and closing the open front of the plurality, a plurality of shelves 16 are arranged in multiple stages at intervals in the cooling chamber 12, the cooling to cool the air inside the cooling chamber 12, The unit 20, the cold air supply unit 30 for circulating the air cooled by the cooling unit 20 into the cooling chamber 12, and a portion of the air in the cooling chamber 12 when the cold air supply unit ( And a cold air controller 40 for controlling the temperature of the cold air supplied from the cold air supply unit 30 to a subcool temperature range of the liquid beverage.

The main body 10 is formed of a rectangular insulation structure in which the front surface is opened and the other side is blocked. The front surface of the main body 10 is rotatably provided with a door 14 for opening and closing the opened front surface. The door 14 has a heat insulating structure, and a window made of a transparent material may be added to the front side to check the inside thereof.

The interior of the main body 10 forms a cooling chamber 12 which is a space in which a container is accommodated. In the cooling chamber 12 inside the main body 10, a plurality of shelves 16 are arranged at intervals along the vertical direction so that the container can be placed. Here, the vertical direction means a vertical direction with respect to the ground when the freezer 100 is placed on the ground.

Each shelf 16 includes, for example, plastic bottles, cans, cartons and bottles containing liquid beverages such as juice, coffee, black tea, tea, oolong tea, milk, yogurt drinks, mineral water, carbonated drinks and alcoholic beverages, and the like. A plurality of various containers P are stacked. That is, when accommodating each container P in the cooling chamber 12, the said container P is arrange | positioned back, front, left, and right with respect to each shelf 16. As shown in FIG. In the cooling chamber 12, each container P is stored at a temperature below the freezing point of the liquid beverage and in a supercooled state in which the liquid beverage remains unfrozen. In this case, the container P is taken out from the freezer and subjected to vibration, or according to a cup or the like, the liquid beverage is instantly frozen in a sherbet state. And the solidification point of alcoholic beverages is about -10 degreeC--18 degreeC, and the solidification point of liquid drinks, such as juice, other than alcoholic beverage, is about -8 degreeC-0 degreeC. In addition, the temperature in the cooling chamber 12 is maintained at predetermined temperature within the range of the solidification point according to the kind of liquid drink in this way.

The shelf 16 is composed of a plate structure in the form of a plane.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of guide rails 13 may be arranged on the surface of the shelf 16 so that cold air flows. The guide rail 13 protrudes upward at intervals, and the groove between the guide rail and the guide rail serves as a passage through which cold air flows. When the container is placed on the shelf, the container is loaded on the guide rail 13 protruding from the shelf 16 and the groove between the guide rail and the guide rail maintains a passage. As a result, the cold air from the cold air supply part flows more smoothly through the passage between the guide rail and the guide rail, and thus it is possible to cool each container placed on the shelf more quickly and uniformly.

As shown in FIG. 2, a pair of shelf pillars 18 are provided on the front and rear sides facing the inside of the cooling chamber 12 at intervals in front and rear. On the inner side surface of each shelf pillar 18 facing the cooling chamber, a plurality of mounting holes 15 for mounting the shelf support member 17 are arranged in the vertical direction. Each shelf support member 17 is supported by the inner surface of the cooling chamber 12 via the shelf pillar 18. Each shelf 16 is supported by the shelf support member 17 provided in the shelf pillar 18.

Here, the container (P) is present in the supercooled state on the shelf, the liquid drink is frozen when an external impact is applied. In the present embodiment, the shelf receiving member 17 is installed on the pillar 18 provided in the main body so as to secure a certain bearing force on the shelf. The pillars 18 are installed at corners of the main body forming a square structure. The shelf support member 17 which supports a shelf is installed in each pillar 18, and can support a shelf more stably. Thus, shaking of the shelf can be minimized. The upper end of the shelf receiving member 17 is further provided with a vibration preventing material 19 for cushioning the impact between the shelf. The anti-vibration material 19 may be made of, for example, an impact resistant material such as rubber, silicone, or gel.

The edge portion of the shelf 16 is placed on the vibration preventing material 19. As a result, each shelf 16 is seated on the shelf receiving member 17 with the vibration preventing member 19 therebetween, and vibrations of the freezer main body 10 may cause the shelf receiving member 17 and the shelf 16 to fall apart. Transmission to the container P is suppressed through.

In addition, the shelf receiving member 17 can be detachably installed on the pillar 18 of the cooling chamber 12, so that its position can be adjusted along the vertical direction of the cooling chamber 12 if necessary. This makes it possible to appropriately adjust the spacing or position of each shelf 16 according to the size of the container (P). To this end, the mounting hole 15 is formed at intervals so that the shelf receiving member 17 is fitted in the column 18 along the vertical direction. Accordingly, by inserting the shelf support member 17 in the mounting hole 15 on one side along the vertical direction of the pillar 18, the shelf support member 17 can be moved to fix the shelf at a desired position.

The container P containing the liquid beverage is stored in the cooling chamber 12 in a supercooled state that maintains freezing at a temperature below the freezing point of the liquid beverage. The internal temperature of the cooling chamber 12 is maintained in a controlled range of approximately 0 to -20 ° C in accordance with the subcooling conditions of the liquid beverage.

The cooling unit 20 is to reduce the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12, the heat exchanger 21 is installed at the lower end of the main body 10 to cool the air, and the heat exchanger 21 is installed inside And a cooling duct 22 connecting the inside of the cooling chamber 12 and the cold air supply unit 30, and a suction blower 23 installed at one side of the cooling duct 22 to suck air in the cooling chamber 12. do.

In this embodiment, the cooling duct 22 is disposed on the ceiling side of the cooling chamber 12. The cooling duct 22 has an inlet for sucking air in the cooling chamber 12 and an outlet for discharging cold air to the outside. The heat exchanger 21 for cooling the air inside the cooling chamber 12 is installed in the cooling duct 22. The air introduced into the cooling duct 22 through the inlet is cooled while passing through the heat exchanger 21 and discharged to the cold through the outlet. The inlet of the cooling duct 22 is disposed obliquely downward in front of the cooling chamber 12 in which the door 14 is located. The outlet of the cooling duct 22 is disposed downward in the cooling chamber 12 opposite to the inlet.

Suction blowers 23 (blowers) are installed at the inlet of the cooling duct 22. The suction blower 23 has a cylindrical fan that extends long, one side is formed with a suction port for sucking air, the other side is formed with a discharge port for discharging the air.

The suction blower 23 is disposed such that the suction port faces the inside of the cooling chamber 12 and the discharge port faces the inside of the cooling duct 22. The suction blower 23 sucks air in the cooling chamber 12 into the cooling duct 22. In this embodiment, as the suction blower 23 is used as a component that sucks air through the inlet of the cooling duct, the mixing of the incoming and outgoing air is prevented and the cold air flows in one direction so that it can be accurately and consistently controlled and maintained. Will be. In addition, it is possible to increase the blowing area, and to control the speed of the blower to easily adjust the air volume to precisely control, it is possible to reduce the noise due to air intake.

The heat exchanger 21 cools the surrounding air by a cooling action of absorbing the latent heat of the surroundings while evaporating the refrigerant in the cooling duct 22.

The heat exchanger 21 is connected to the cooling apparatus 28 arrange | positioned above the freezer main body 10. As shown in FIG. The cooling apparatus 28 has the compressor 24, the condenser 25, an expansion valve, etc., and is accommodated in the machine room 27 arrange | positioned above the cooling chamber 12. As shown in FIG. Air in the cooling chamber 12 is sucked in from the inlet of the cooling duct 22 and cooled in the heat exchanger 21, and then blown out to the outlet of the cooling duct 22. In this way, the heat exchanger 21 may be referred to as an endothermic portion of the cooling device 28. In the heat exchanger 21, a defrost heater 26 for removing frost attached to the heat exchanger 21 is disposed.

The cold air supply unit 30 is connected to the outlet of the cooling duct 22 to supply the cooled cold air through the heat exchanger 21 into the cooling chamber 12. To this end, the cold air supply unit 30 is installed at an upper end of the cold air supply duct 31 installed in the cooling chamber 12 and the cold air supply duct 31 connected to the cooling duct 22 to supply cold air. It includes a supply blower 32 for blowing air to the duct 31, a plurality of vent holes 33 formed on the front surface of the cold air supply duct 31 for discharging the cold air.

In the present embodiment, the cold air supply duct 31 is installed in the up and down direction on the inner surface of the cooling chamber 12. The cold air supply duct 31 is not limited to the inner side of the cooling chamber 12 and may be installed on opposite side surfaces thereof.

The cold air supply duct 31 has a plurality of vent holes 33 for blowing cold air into the cooling chamber 12 on the front surface, that is, the surface facing the cooling chamber 12 along the longitudinal direction of the cold air supply duct 31. Array is formed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the vent hole 33 is formed at a position corresponding to the space above the shelf 16 with respect to each shelf 16 arranged up and down. That is, when the container is placed on the shelf 16, the vent 33 is biased upwardly to face the upper side of the container.

The vent 33 may be uniformly distributed between both side surfaces of the cooling chamber 12 in the width direction. Moreover, the ventilation hole 33 arrange | positioned corresponding to the shelf 16 of each upper and lower stage is set so that the number of single tracks and hole diameter of an upper side may reduce. Thus, the cold air transferred through the cold air supply duct 31 may be discharged in a substantially uniform amount through the air vents 33 formed corresponding to the shelves 16 along the vertical direction of the cooling chamber 12. And the ventilation hole 33 may be set so that the number which faces the space of the upper side of the lower single recording shelf 16 may be small, for example, when the passage cross-sectional area of the cold air supply duct 31 is small.

In addition, in the structure shown in FIG. 2, cold air is blown off from each vent hole 33 in a substantially horizontal direction. Thereby, subcooling can be reliably performed with respect to the liquid beverage in each container P. As shown in FIG.

Cold air is blown into the cooling chamber 12 through the vent hole 33 to supercool the liquid beverage in the container loaded on each shelf 16 of the cooling chamber 12. The cold air blown into the cooling chamber 12 is sucked into the cooling duct through the inlet of the cooling duct 22 as described above after passing through the container. As described above, the cold air supply duct 31 faces the door 14, that is, is located relatively far from the door 14. The mixed cold air supplied to the cooling chamber 12 from each vent hole 33 of the cold air supply duct 31 arranged in this way abuts the inner surface of the door 14 and is operated by the suction blower 23. The inside of the cooling chamber 12 is lifted up and sucked into the inlet of the cooling duct 22. The sucked mixed cold air (air) passes through the cooling duct 22 and the cold air supply duct 31 in order, and is supplied to the cooling chamber 12 from each of the vent holes 33 of the cold air supply duct 31. The mixed cold air supplied to the cooling chamber 12 is provided for cooling the liquid beverage. In a freezer, such circulation of air is carried out constantly in one direction.

The supply blower 32 is installed between the outlet of the cooling duct 22 and the lower end of the cold air supply duct 31 to pass through the cooling duct 22 to eject the cooled cold air toward the cold air supply duct 31. The supply blower 32 has a cylindrical fan extending long, one side is formed with a suction port for sucking air, the other side is formed with a discharge port for discharging the air. The supply blower 32 is disposed such that the suction port faces the cooling duct 22 and the discharge port faces the cold air supply duct 31. The supply blower 32 transfers cold air from the cooling duct to the cold air supply duct 31. As the supply blower 32 is used as a component for supplying cold air to the cold air supply duct 31 in the present embodiment, the phenomenon of preventing the inflow of cold air or air inside the cooling chamber in the reverse direction and adjusting the speed of the blower supplies the supply amount. Can be controlled and maintained accurately and consistently. In addition, it is possible to increase the blowing area and to reduce the noise during the discharge of cold air.

In the freezer configured as described above, the cooling duct 22, the heat exchanger 21, and the suction blower 23 function as cooling means for cooling a part of the air in the cooling chamber 12.

Here, the apparatus mixes the air inside the cooling chamber 12 with cold air through the cold air control unit 40 in the process of supplying the cold air of the cooling duct 22 to the cold air supply duct 31 to adjust the temperature of the cold air to the liquid beverage. Control over the subcooling temperature range.

The cold air control unit 40 is a mixing unit for supplying the air inside the cooling chamber 12 to the cold air supply unit 30 and mixed with cold if necessary, and installed in the cold air supply duct 31, the cooling chamber 12 The cooling unit 20 and the cold air supply unit 30 and the temperature sensor 41 for detecting a temperature, the calculated value of the temperature sensor 41 is calculated so that the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 is within a preset temperature range. A controller for controlling the mixing section (see 42 in FIG. 5).

In the present embodiment, the mixing unit is installed between the upper end of the cold air supply duct 31 and the cooling chamber 12 to blow the air in the cooling chamber 12 to the cold air supply duct 31 It includes.

As shown in FIG. 1, the size of the upper end of the cold air supply duct 31 is sufficiently larger than the outlet of the cooling duct 22 and extends toward the cooling chamber through the outlet of the cooling duct 22. Thus, the upper end portion of the cold air supply duct 31 communicates with the outlet of the cooling duct 22 and the remaining portion communicates with the cooling chamber 12 outside the cooling duct. The mixing blower 43 is installed between the cooling chamber 12 and the cold air supply duct 31 to introduce the air in the cooling chamber 12 into the cold air supply duct 31.

The mixing blower 43 has a cylindrical fan extending long, one side is formed with a suction port for intake air, the other side is formed with a discharge port for discharging the air. The suction port of the mixing blower 43 faces the inside of the cooling chamber 12, and the discharge port faces the inside of the cold air supply duct 31.

Thus, the cold air cooled through the cooling duct 22 is blown into the cold air supply duct 31 through the supply blower 32, and some of the air in the cooling chamber 12 is not directly passed through the cooling duct 22. It is sucked into the cold air supply duct 31 through the mixing blower 43. Therefore, the cold air passing through the heat exchanger 21 and the air inside the cooling chamber 12 are mixed in the cold air supply duct 31, and the mixed cold air is supplied into the cooling chamber 12 through the cold air supply duct 31. do.

The ratio between the amount of cold air sucked through the suction blower 23 and introduced into the supply duct through the supply blower 32 and the amount of air introduced into the feed duct through the mixing blower 43 is not particularly limited. For example, it is preferable that it is 1: 1.1-1: 2, and it is more preferable that it is 1: 1.1-1: 1.5. When the above-mentioned ratio is in such a numerical range, supercooling can be performed more reliably about the liquid beverage in each container P. As shown in FIG.

Through the mixing blower and the supply blower, the cooler and the air inside the storage compartment may be mixed at a more accurate flow rate, thereby controlling the temperature control more precisely and precisely to prevent sudden changes in temperature.

In this embodiment, the cold air control unit 40 controls the mixing blower 43 according to the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 to adjust the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12.

The temperature sensor 41 is installed at one side of the cold air supply duct 31 to detect the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12. The temperature sensor 41 may be installed at a position corresponding to each shelf 16. The controller 42 drives the compressor 24 according to the detection result of the temperature sensor 41 to form cold air in the heat exchanger 21 or to blow air from the mixing blower 43 or the supply blower 32. By controlling the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 is adjusted.

In addition, a door sensor 44 for detecting opening and closing of the door 14 is installed at one side of the door 14 or the main body 10. The controller 42 may stop driving of the cooling unit 20, the cold air supply unit 30, and the mixing unit when the door 14 is opened according to the output value of the door sensor 44. That is, when the door 14 is opened, the controller 42 forcibly stops driving of each blower and the compressor 24 according to the output signal of the door sensor 44 to suppress the rise of the temperature in the freezer.

When the door 14 is closed, the controller 42 resumes driving of the cooling unit, the cold air supply unit, and the mixing unit.

In addition, the cold air controller 40 may further include a heater 45 installed in the cold air supply duct 31 to control the temperature of cold air. The heater 45 is made of a hot wire for converting electrical energy into thermal energy, it is installed in the lower end of the cold air supply duct (31).

When the heater 45 is operated, the temperature of the mixed cold air is increased to prevent the internal temperature of the cooling chamber 12 from being lowered drastically and to lower the temperature gently. Thus, it is possible to appropriately control the cold air in accordance with the supercooling temperature range of the liquid beverage. In addition, it is possible to remove the frost generated in the heat exchanger in addition to the cold air temperature control. For defrosting, a heater 26 is installed in the heat exchanger 21 as mentioned. In addition, the heater 11 is also installed on the front side of the door side of the main body 10 to prevent the occurrence of frost on the front side due to the temperature difference between the inside and the outside when the door is opened.

In addition, the cold air control unit 40 further includes at least one heat pipe 47 extending vertically in the cold air supply duct 31 and spaced along the width direction of the cooling chamber 12. Can be.

The heat pipe 47 is filled with a working fluid which is phase-changed between the gas and liquid inside the sealed container, and quickly transfers heat between both ends of the container through the phase change process of the working fluid. The heat pipe 47 is installed on the inner side of the cold air supply duct 31 to minimize the temperature drop of the mixed cold air and reduce temperature fluctuations during the movement of the mixed cold air along the vertical direction of the cold air supply duct 31. The temperature of the mixed cold air is kept uniform. The mixed cold air in the cold air supply duct 31 is minimized the temperature fluctuation. Therefore, the temperature of the cold air discharged to each shelf 16 through each vent hole 33 along the longitudinal direction of the cold air supply duct 31 becomes uniform throughout, and the temperature fluctuation of the entire cooling chamber 12 is also minimized.

In particular, even if the heater 26 is operated to remove the frost of the heat exchanger 21, the heat pipe 47 minimizes the temperature rise in the cooling chamber 12.

In addition, in order to minimize the temperature change of the cooling chamber 12, the apparatus includes a blocking member 48 that is disposed continuously at least one along the vertical direction in front of the cooling chamber 12 to block the cooling chamber 12. It includes more.

In the present embodiment, the blocking member 48 may be made of a curtain. The curtains are respectively disposed at positions corresponding to each shelf in the front of the cooling chamber to block the open front surface of the cooling chamber 12 in front of each shelf. The curtain minimizes outside air entering the cooling chamber 12 when the door 14 is opened. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress the temperature rise of the cooling chamber 12 due to the opening and closing of the door 14.

The curtain may be made of, for example, a transparent vinyl resin having flexibility at low temperatures. The curtain has a structure in which the upper end is installed on a rod supported on both sides of the cooling chamber 12 and lowered down. The curtain is cut in the longitudinal direction at intervals. It is possible to easily take out the container or put it in the cooling chamber 12 to beat the cut curtain.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the blocking member 48 may be formed of an inner door provided inside the door. The inner door is disposed at a position corresponding to each shelf on the front surface of the cooling chamber, and is rotatably installed with respect to the cooling chamber to open and close the cooling chamber.

Accordingly, the inner door prevents outside air from entering the cooling chamber 12 when the door 14 is opened. And, by opening only the inner door disposed on the shelf to take out or put the container, it is possible to minimize the temperature change of the container placed on another shelf.

On the other hand, the apparatus may further include an air curtain unit installed on the shelf to inject air in the vertical direction to the front of the cooling chamber to block the loss of cold air on the front of the cooling chamber.

3 and 4 illustrate the structure of the air curtain portion according to this embodiment.

As shown, the air curtain unit is installed at the front end of the shelf 16 is disposed on the front of the cooling chamber 12, the air blower 50 to suck the cold air inside the cooling chamber and discharge in the vertical direction, and the air blower ( It may include a power supply unit 52 for supplying power to 50.

The air blower 50 extends along the front end of the shelf 16. The air blower 50 is provided with a cylindrical fan, one side is formed with a suction port for suctioning cold air and the other side is formed with a discharge port for discharging the cold air. In the present embodiment, the air inlet of the air blower 50 is installed toward the bottom, and the discharge port for discharging cold air is installed in the vertical direction toward the top.

Accordingly, the air blower 50 sucks cold air inside the cooling chamber 12 from the lower part and injects cold air toward the upper part in the vertical direction. Therefore, the cold air flows in the vertical direction on the front of the shelf, and this flow of cold air acts as if the curtain is draped on the front side of the cooling chamber.

The air blower 50 is installed on each shelf 16 to generate a flow of cold air in front of the shelf even when the position of the shelf is moved in the cooling chamber.

The power supply unit 52 is capable of applying power to the air blower 50 regardless of movement even when each shelf 16 is moved up and down along the column 18.

To this end, the power supply unit 52 is installed at the rear end of the shelf 16 to be connected to the power supply 54, and installed in the cooling chamber 12 is supplied with power and the connection connector 54 And a supply connector 56 that is coupled to and electrically connected thereto.

The supply connector 56 is connected to the power applied to the main body 10 to receive power. The supply connector 56 is installed at a position corresponding to the connection connector 54 inside the cooling chamber 12. In addition, the supply connector 56 is provided with a plurality of intervals along the vertical direction of the cooling chamber so as to correspond to each moving position of the shelf (16). When the shelf support member 17 is moved to a desired position and fixed to the column 18, and then the shelf 16 is pushed back and forth across the shelf support member 17, the connection connector 54 installed on the shelf is supplied with a supply connector ( And electrical connection with 56).

Therefore, power is applied to the air blower 50 which is electrically connected to the connection connector through the supply connector 56 and the connection connector 54. Regardless of the position of the shelf, the air blower 50 is driven to form an air curtain by cold air in front of the shelf.

The air blower 50 controls the supply of power applied to the supply connector, and operates only when the door 14 or the blocking member 48 is opened at the position of the shelf to be used, and the door or the blocking member is closed. You can stop the drive.

FIG. 5 shows a control structure for maintaining supercooling of the liquid beverage stored in the apparatus via the controller 42.

In the present embodiment, the controller 42 of the cold air control unit 40 receives the signal of the temperature sensor 41 and the door sensor 44 and the operation unit for setting the temperature and the data recorded in the storage unit 46 Comparative operation

The controller 42 controls and operates the supply blower 32, the suction blower 23, the mixing blower 43, the compressor 24, or the heater 45 based on the comparison operation result as described above. Adjust the internal temperature within the preset temperature range to match the subcooling temperature of the liquid beverage.

When the temperature of the cooling chamber 12 is within the subcooling temperature range of the liquid beverage, the controller 42 controls the mixing blower 43 or the heater 45 to keep the temperature from being drastically changed. The blowing amount of the mixing blower 43 and the supply blower 32 is closely related to the temperature control of the cooling chamber 12, which will be described later in detail.

As such, the mixed cold air is supplied to the cooling chamber 12 through the air vent 33 of the cold air supply duct 31 to supercool the liquid beverage in the container loaded on each shelf 16 of the cooling chamber 12. . As the suction blower 23 installed in the cooling duct 22 is driven, the lower portion of the cooling chamber 12 is lowered and sucked into the cooling duct 22. The air sucked into the cooling duct 22 is cooled while passing through the heat exchanger 21, and the cold air is again sucked into the cold air supply duct 31 by the mixing blower 43. Mixed with The mixed cold air is again supplied to the cooling chamber 12 for cooling the container through the air vent 33 of the cold air supply duct 31. The apparatus cools the container through the circulation of air, and in this process, by controlling the temperature of the cold air through the cold air control unit 40, it is possible to more easily and reliably maintain the liquid beverage in the container in the supercooled state. .

6 shows yet another embodiment of the apparatus.

In the following embodiment, the apparatus is the same as the structure described above except for the structure of the mixing portion of the cold air control unit 40. The same reference numerals are used for the same components, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the mixing unit is installed such that the upper end of the cold air supply duct 31 faces the cooling chamber 12 and the cooling duct 22 at the same time, and the cooling duct 22 exits. The supply blower 60 is installed in the supply blower 60, and the supply blower 60 is installed to face the cooling chamber 12 and the cooling duct 22 at the same time to cool the air in the cooling duct 22 and the air in the cooling chamber 12. In the same manner, the air is supplied to the cold air supply duct 31. The simultaneous face here means that the suction port provided in the supply blower 32 is connected to both the cooling duct 22 and the cooling chamber 12. The discharge port of the supply blower 60 is connected to the cold air supply duct 31.

In the present embodiment, the air in the cooling chamber 12 may be mixed with the cold air of the cooling duct 22 only by the supply blower 60.

Accordingly, the cold air cooled after the cooling duct 22 is blown into the cold air supply duct 31 through the supply blower 60, and some of the air in the cooling chamber 12 is also cooled by the supply blower 60. It is sucked into the supply duct 31. Therefore, the cold air passing through the heat exchanger 21 and the air inside the cooling chamber 12 are mixed in the cold air supply duct 31, and the mixed cold air is supplied into the cooling chamber 12 through the cold air supply duct 31. do.

Hereinafter, the control process of the supercooled freezer according to the present embodiment will be described. Hereinafter, the freezer control process will be described using the freezer according to the embodiment of FIG. 1 as an example.

When the freezer 100 is operated, the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 is detected by the temperature sensor 41. The temperature value detected by the temperature sensor 41 is applied to the controller 42. The controller 42 compares the detected temperature value of the actual cooling chamber 12 with the set temperature value recorded in the storage 46.

The storage section 46 records the temperature range for the supercooling temperature control of the liquid beverage, which is changed as necessary in accordance with the liquid beverage via the control unit 49 connected to the controller 42.

In the present embodiment, the temperature range stored in the storage unit 46 is divided into a first temperature range for determining whether to supply cold air and a second temperature range for temperature control of the cold air. The controller 42 supplies or stops the cold air itself when it is out of the first temperature range. Within the second temperature range, the controller 42 controls the temperature of the cold air supplied to the cooling chamber 12 such that the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 is not lowered abruptly as the cold air is supplied.

The first temperature range is set to a temperature range for maintaining the liquid beverage in the container in a supercooled state. In the present embodiment, the first temperature range is set according to the beverage at 0 to -20 ° C, which is a subcool temperature range for various beverages and alcoholic beverages. The second temperature range is set to be within the first temperature range. For example, the second temperature range may be set to 80% of the first temperature range. That is, when the first temperature range is between 0 ° C and -20 ° C, the second temperature range is set between -2 ° C and -18 ° C.

The controller 42 compares the detected temperature value with the preset first temperature range and supplies cold air to the cooling chamber 12 when the detected temperature is equal to or greater than the upper limit of the first temperature range. When the suction blower 23 is driven according to the control signal of the controller 42, the air in the cooling chamber 12 is sucked into the cooling duct 22. When the compressor 24 is driven, heat is exchanged through the heat exchanger 21 to form cold air. The cold air is ejected to the cold air supply duct 31 in accordance with the driving of the supply blower 32 installed on the cooling duct 22 exit side. The cold air supplied to the cold air supply duct 31 is ejected into the cooling chamber 12 through the air vent 33 formed in the cold air supply duct 31 while moving along the cold air supply duct 31 to cool the chamber 12. Lower the internal temperature of the liquid beverage to the supercooling temperature range. Thus, the container placed on the shelf 16 is in a supercooled state in the cooling chamber 12.

The controller 42 continuously detects the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12, and compares whether the detected temperature is lower than an upper limit of the second temperature range. When the detected temperature is greater than or equal to the upper limit of the second temperature range, the process is repeated continuously. When the temperature is lower than the upper limit of the second temperature range, the temperature of the cold air is controlled.

The process of controlling the temperature of the cold air is performed by controlling the airflow amount or driving of the heater 45 according to the driving of the supply blower 32 and the mixing blower 43.

When the controller 42 drives the heater 45, the cold air blown into the cold air supply duct 31 increases in temperature while passing through the heater 45 installed in the cold air supply duct 31. Accordingly, the cool air whose temperature is increased by the heater 45 is supplied into the cooling chamber 12. As such, as the temperature of the cold air is increased and supplied to the cooling chamber 12 through the control of the heater 45, the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 does not suddenly drop, but shows a gentle falling state. Therefore, the supercooling temperature for the container can be maintained more continuously and stably. In addition, the time interval between the driving and stopping of the compressor 24 for supplying the cold air is increased, thereby minimizing a failure due to frequent on / off driving of the compressor 24, and preventing the formation of the heat exchanger.

The controller 42 controls the temperature of the cold air by driving the mixing blower 43 in addition to the driving of the heater 45. When the mixing blower is driven, some of the air in the cooling chamber 12 is directly sucked into the cold air supply duct 31 through the mixing blower 43 without passing through the cooling duct 22. In the state where the cold air passing through the cooling duct 22 is supplied to the cold air supply duct 31, the air inside the cooling chamber 12 having a higher temperature than the cold air is supplied to the cold air supply duct 31 because the air is not cooled as described above. Cold and air are mixed in the cold air supply duct 31. The cold air is mixed with the high temperature air to increase the temperature. Therefore, the mixed air whose temperature rises compared with cold is supplied to the cooling chamber 12 inside. As such, by supplying the temperature of the cold air to the cooling chamber 12 by driving the mixing blower 43, it is possible to continuously and stably maintain a sudden change in the supercooling temperature of the container without a sudden change in temperature.

Here, the controller 42 may control the temperature of the mixed cold air more precisely by controlling the air blowing amount of the mixing blower 43 and the air blowing amount of the supply blower 32. For example, when the temperature of the cold air is to be changed more gently, the amount of air mixed in the cold air can be increased by making the blowing amount of the mixing blower 43 higher than the blowing amount of the supply blower 32. Accordingly, the amount of air is greater than that of the cold air blown into the cold air supply duct 31, thereby increasing the temperature of the mixed cold air. As such, by precisely controlling the temperature of the mixed cold air by controlling the air flow rate of the cold and air, the temperature change inside the cooling chamber 12 may be more gently and continuously maintained.

On the other hand, the controller 42 checks whether the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 detected through the temperature control process of the cold air deviates from the lower limit of the second temperature range. The controller 42 stops the cold air temperature control when the detected temperature is out of the lower limit of the second temperature range. As the cold air temperature control is stopped, low temperature cold air is supplied to the cooling chamber 12 as it is. Accordingly, the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 is rapidly lowered, and the controller 42 checks whether the detected temperature is out of the lower limit of the first temperature range, and stops supply of cold air when the temperature is out of the lower limit of the first temperature range. .

The controller 42 stops the drive of the compressor 24 and each blower, and the supply of cold air to the cooling chamber 12 is cut off. As the cold air supply is stopped, the internal temperature of the cooling chamber 12 is gradually raised. The controller 42 continuously detects the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 through the temperature sensor 41. The controller 42 compares the detected internal temperature of the cooling chamber 12 with the first temperature range, and resumes supply of cold air when the temperature value rises above the upper limit of the first temperature range.

Through the temperature control of the cold air as described above it is possible to stably maintain the temperature inside the cooling chamber 12 in accordance with the supercooling temperature conditions of the liquid beverage in the container.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the claims and the detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings. Naturally, it belongs to the range of.

Claims

A main body having a cooling chamber for storing a container containing a liquid beverage and storing it in a supercooled state, a door for opening and closing an open front surface of the main body, and a plurality of shelves in which the containers are placed in multiple stages at intervals in the cooling chamber. A cooling unit for cooling the air in the cooling chamber, a cold air supply unit for circulating the air cooled by the cooling unit into the cooling chamber, and controlling the temperature of the cold air supplied from the cold air supply unit to a supercooling temperature range of the liquid beverage To include a cold air control unit,

The cold air controller calculates a detection value of the temperature sensor and a temperature sensor installed at the cold air supply unit to detect the temperature of the cooling chamber, the mixing unit for supplying the air inside the cooling chamber to the cold air supply unit and mixed with cold if necessary. And a controller for controlling the cooling unit, the cold air supply unit, and the mixing unit such that the temperature inside the cooling chamber is within a preset temperature range.
The method of claim 1,

The cooling unit is installed in the upper body of the heat exchanger to cool the air through heat exchange, the heat exchanger is installed inside the cooling duct to connect the inside of the cooling chamber and the cold air supply, the cooling duct is installed on one side of the cooling chamber air A suction blower for sucking, and a supercooled freezer including a compressor and a condenser for circulating the refrigerant to the heat exchanger.
The method of claim 2,

The cold air supply unit is provided on the upper side of the supply duct extending up and down along the inner surface of the cooling chamber, a supply blower for blowing cold air into the supply duct, the blower is formed on the front of the supply duct And a plurality of vents for venting cold air into the cooling chamber.
The method of claim 3, wherein

The mixing unit is provided between the upper end of the supply duct and the cooling chamber subcooling freezer comprising a mixing blower for blowing the air in the cooling chamber to the supply duct.
The method of claim 3, wherein

The mixing unit is installed so that the upper end of the supply duct faces the cooling chamber and the cooling duct at the same time, the supply blower is installed to face the cooling chamber and the cooling duct at the same time and blows the cooling duct of the cooling duct and the air inside the cooling chamber to the supply duct. Supercooled freezer.
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5,

And an air curtain unit installed on the shelf and blocking the front surface of the cooling chamber by injecting air in a vertical direction to the front surface of the cooling chamber.
The method of claim 6,

Subcooling freezer further comprises a curtain for continuously blocking at least one or more consecutively in the vertical direction on the front of the cooling chamber to block the cooling chamber.
The method of claim 6,

And at least one inner door disposed at a position corresponding to each shelf on a front surface of the cooling chamber and rotatably installed to the cooling chamber to open and close the cooling chamber.
The method of claim 6,

The air curtain unit is installed at the front end of the shelf is disposed on the front of the cooling chamber, and includes an air blower to suck the cold air inside the cooling chamber and discharge in the vertical direction, and a supercooling freezer including a power supply for supplying power to the air blower.
The method of claim 9,

The power supply unit may include a connection connector installed on the shelf to receive power, and at least one supply connector installed in the cooling chamber to receive power from the main body, and coupled to the connection connector according to movement of the shelf. Subcooling freezer.
The method of claim 6,

A frame is installed in at least four corners of the main body in a vertical direction, and a support member supporting the shelf on the frame is installed, and a vibration preventing material is installed between the support member and the shelf to prevent shock shock. .
The method of claim 6,

The cold air control unit further comprises a door sensor for detecting the opening and closing of the door, the controller according to the output value of the door sensor, the subcooling freezer having a structure to stop the driving of the cooling unit, the cold air supply unit and the mixing unit.
The method of claim 8,

And the cold air control unit operates the air curtain unit when the door or the inner door is opened.
The method of claim 13,

The cold air control unit further includes a heater installed in the cold air supply duct for heating the cold air, the controller controls the heater so that the temperature inside the cooling chamber within a preset temperature range.
The method of claim 14,

The cold air control unit further comprises at least one heat pipe extending in the vertical direction in the cold air supply duct spaced apart at least one freezer.