JP2005061697A - Refrigerating plant for transport - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a refrigerating plant for transport for properly controlling the temperature of the whole cargo storage, without increasing fuel consumption of an engine. <P>SOLUTION: This refrigerating plant has a generator 12 for generating electric power for driving a refrigerator, and the engine 11 for driving the generator 12, and uses an electrically-driven compressor 1 for the refrigerator, and is provided with a battery 15 charged with the electric power generated by the generator 12, a charging and discharging device 17 for controlling charge of the electric power to the battery 15, and supply of the electric power from the battery 15, and electric power converters 18 and 19 for converting the electric power supplied from the generator 12 or the electric power supplied from the battery 15. The refrigerator is driven by using the electric power converted by the electric power converters 18 and 19. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a transport refrigeration apparatus using an engine.

  In order to transport luggage while keeping it warm (refrigerated, refrigerated, etc.), trucks for land transportation, containers for rail transportation, etc. are equipped with refrigeration equipment. The temperature is controlled by directly driving the compressor of the refrigeration system using an engine. Further, a generator for generating electric power is connected to the engine, and electric devices such as a fan and a solenoid valve of the refrigeration apparatus are driven using the electric power supplied from the generator.

  The operation modes of the transport refrigeration apparatus mainly include an engine automatic start / stop mode and an engine continuous operation mode. When the automatic engine start / stop mode is selected, the engine is automatically started when the temperature inside the luggage compartment exceeds the set temperature, and the temperature inside the luggage compartment is controlled. It stops automatically to reduce engine fuel consumption. When the engine continuous operation mode is selected, the engine is always operated to control the temperature.

JP-A-5-39968

  In the conventional transport refrigeration system, when the engine automatic start / stop mode is selected, when the engine stops, the power generation of the generator is also stopped, and therefore the operation of the evaporator fan driven by the power of the generator is also stopped. As a result, there was a problem that the temperature distribution in the luggage storage area deteriorated.

  In addition, when the engine continuous operation mode is selected, even when a large refrigeration capacity is not required, the engine must always be driven for temperature control in the luggage storage, which increases the fuel consumption of the engine. There was a problem.

  In addition, when transporting refrigeration equipment for rail transport containers, it may be necessary to stop the engine of the refrigeration equipment from the viewpoint of security such as fire prevention when passing through the tunnel. Control itself was not possible.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a transport refrigeration apparatus that appropriately controls the temperature of the entire luggage compartment without increasing fuel consumption of the engine.

The transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.
A generator for generating electric power for driving the refrigerator;
An engine that drives the generator;
A battery for charging the power generated by the generator;
A charging / discharging device that controls charging of power to the battery and supply of power from the battery;
A power conversion device that converts power supplied from a generator or power supplied from a battery,
An electric drive compressor is used for the refrigerator, and the refrigerator is driven using the electric power converted by the power converter.

The transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.
In the transport refrigeration apparatus,
The refrigerator is driven by switching electric power supplied from a generator or electric power supplied from a battery according to a predetermined operating condition.

The transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.
In the transport refrigeration apparatus,
The predetermined operating state is determined based on a load state of the refrigerator or position information from the outside.
For example, when the refrigerator is high load, switch to the power supplied from the generator to drive the refrigerator, and when the refrigerator is low load, switch to the power supplied from the battery to drive the refrigerator Let
In addition, as position information from the outside, whether to drive the refrigerator by switching to electric power supplied from the battery by GPS (Global Positioning System) position information signal, wireless ON / OFF signal, remote control signal, etc. Determine the driving situation.

The transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.
In the transport refrigeration apparatus,
When driving the refrigerator using the power supplied from the battery, the engine is automatically stopped,
When the remaining charge capacity of the battery becomes less than a predetermined specified value, the engine is automatically started to charge the battery.

The transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention that solves the above problems is as follows.
In the transport refrigeration apparatus,
The refrigerator is characterized in that the operation and non-operation of each device constituting the refrigerator is selected and controlled according to the load state of the refrigerator.
For example, when the refrigerator is under a low load, only the fan that is the component equipment of the refrigerator is selected and controlled for operation, and when the refrigerator is under a high load, all the devices constituting the refrigerator, specifically The operation of the compressor motor, fan, etc. is selected and controlled.

  According to the present invention, since the refrigeration apparatus can be driven only by electric power from the battery, even when the engine of the refrigeration apparatus is stopped, at least the evaporator fan can be driven by the battery, and the temperature distribution in the luggage storage Can be maintained appropriately. Further, since the air in the luggage storage can be properly convected, the temperature in the luggage storage can be detected without any bias, and the temperature control in the luggage storage can be accurately performed.

  In addition, for safety reasons, the entire refrigeration system, such as a compressor and evaporator fan, can be driven by a battery even when passing through a tunnel that stops the engine. Can be done.

  Further, since the battery operation of the refrigeration apparatus is possible, it is not necessary to continuously operate the engine for controlling the temperature in the luggage compartment at the time of low load, and fuel consumption can be reduced. In addition, the operation of the refrigeration apparatus can be efficiently performed by using both engine driving and battery driving.

  A transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention includes a generator that generates electric power for driving a refrigerator and an engine that drives the generator, and uses an electrically driven compressor for the refrigerator and is generated by the generator. A battery for charging the generated power, a charge / discharge device for controlling the charging of the power to the battery and the supply of the power from the battery, and a power conversion device for converting the power supplied from the generator or the power supplied from the battery And the refrigerator is driven using the electric power converted by the power conversion device.

  Further, in the transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, the power supplied from the generator or the power supplied from the battery according to a predetermined operating state determined by the load state of the refrigerator, position information from the outside, or the like. And switch the refrigerator to drive the refrigerator.

  Further, in the transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, when the refrigerator is driven using the power supplied from the battery, the engine is automatically stopped and the remaining charge capacity of the battery is less than a predetermined specified value. If this happens, the engine is automatically started to charge the battery.

  In the transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, the operation and non-operation of each device constituting the refrigerator is selected and controlled according to the load state of the refrigerator.

  In the transport refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, the part of the refrigerator constituting the refrigeration mechanism of the refrigeration apparatus may have the same configuration as that of the conventional one. Therefore, a refrigerator of the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. The refrigerator has a compression section, a condensation section, an expansion section, and an evaporation section, and the gas-phase refrigerant compressed to a high pressure by the compressor 1 serving as the compression section is condensed into a liquid phase refrigerant by the condenser 2 serving as the condensation section. In the process of passing through the expansion valve 3 serving as the expansion portion, the liquid phase refrigerant becomes a low-temperature and low-pressure due to adiabatic expansion. The low-temperature and low-pressure liquid-phase refrigerant is cooled by flowing into the evaporator 4 serving as an evaporation section, taking away the surrounding heat, and becoming a gas-phase refrigerant. And the flow volume of the gaseous-phase refrigerant | coolant suck | inhaled by the compressor 1 is adjusted with the proportional control valve 5, and the refrigerating capacity of a freezing apparatus is controlled. The capacitor 2 is provided with a capacitor fan 6 driven by a capacitor fan motor 6a in order to cool the capacitor 2. The evaporator 4 is provided with an evaporator fan 7 driven by an evaporator fan motor 7a to recirculate the cooled air, and is operated so that the temperature distribution in the luggage storage is appropriate.

  In the conventional refrigeration apparatus, the compressor itself is driven using the driving force of the engine. However, in the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, the compressor 1 is electrically driven and is supplied from a generator or a battery described later. It is driven by electric power using an electrically driven compressor motor 1a. Therefore, as the compressor 1, for example, an electric hermetic type can be adopted. The compressor motor 1a, the condenser fan motor 6a, the evaporator fan motor 7a, and the like can be driven by a normal commercial power source.

  FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a power supply line of the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, in the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, the generator 12 that generates electric power is driven by the engine 11 via the belt 13, and the rotational speed of the engine 11 and the excitation current of the generator 12 are The control device 14 is appropriately controlled. In FIG. 2, the generator 12 is belt-driven by the engine 11 as an example. However, the engine 11 and the generator 12 may be directly connected and directly connected. The generator 12 can generate a sufficient amount of electric power that can drive all devices including the compressor motor 1a.

  The electric power supplied by the generator 2 is partially converted into AC / DC conversion, DC / DC conversion, and appropriate voltage and frequency by the power converters 18 and 19, and then the compressor motor 1a, The capacitor 15 is supplied to the condenser fan motor 6a and the evaporator fan motor 7a, and the remaining power is charged to the battery 15. The charging / discharging state of the electric power charged to the battery 15 is constantly monitored by the charge / discharge amount detection device 16, and the battery 15 is charged by the charge / discharge device 17 when the engine 11 is in operation. When stopping, power is supplied from the battery 15 to the power converters 18 and 19 instead of the generator 12. These charge / discharge devices 17 and power conversion devices 18 and 19 are also appropriately controlled by the control device 4 in accordance with the operation status of the refrigeration apparatus.

  That is, when the engine 11 is operating, the refrigerator is driven using the electric power from the generator 12 driven by the engine 11, and when the engine 11 is stopped, the refrigerator is used using the electric power charged in the battery 15. It is controlled to be driven. For example, when the operating load on the refrigerator is large, power from the generator 12 driven by the engine 11 is supplied to the refrigerator, and when the operating load on the refrigerator is small, the power from the battery 15 is supplied. To supply to the refrigerator. In addition, when the operating load on the refrigerator is not large but not enough to stop the engine 11, the ratio between the power supplied to the refrigerator and the power supplied to the battery 15 for charging is charged / discharged. You may control to allocate appropriately using the apparatus 17 grade | etc.,.

  The battery 15 is preferably one that can supply an amount of power that can drive at least the compressor motor 1a for a predetermined time or more. Further, the output voltage is configured to output a drive voltage DC12V of the evaporator fan motor 7a or higher (DC24V, DC48V ~). Further, depending on the device that requires power, the power converters 18 and 19 may appropriately convert the voltage or the like for use.

  As a material for the battery itself, a lithium ion battery, a nickel metal hydride battery, an inexpensive lead-sealed battery, or the like is appropriately selected according to the difference in performance and cost. The battery 15 may be shared as a battery for starting the engine 11. In such a configuration, a dedicated battery for starting the engine 11 that has been conventionally required is not necessary.

  As the power converters 18 and 19, for example, a DC / DC converter or an AC / DC inverter is used, and the power converters 18 and 19 are appropriately selected according to the specifications of the output power of the generator 12 and the specifications of the battery 15. By using the power converters 18 and 19, appropriate power converted according to each device is supplied to each device constituting the refrigerator, and the entire refrigerator is appropriately driven. Also, by controlling the power supplied to each device independently according to the operating state of the refrigeration system, for example, at high load, control to supply as much power as possible to all devices, At low load, control is performed so that power is supplied only to the minimum required equipment, and control is performed so that the power supplied to each equipment is appropriately distributed so that operation can be performed as efficiently as possible. .

  The charging / discharging device 17 has functions of charging control and discharging control for the battery 15 and appropriately switches between charging control and discharging control according to the operation state of the refrigeration apparatus. The charge / discharge device 17 has a function of detecting the remaining charge capacity of the battery 15 and calculates the remaining charge capacity using the voltage, current, and the like detected by the charge / discharge amount detection device 16.

  As the charge / discharge amount detection device 16, for example, a voltage detector connected to the terminal of the battery 15 is used, the voltage of the battery 15 is detected by this voltage detector, and the remaining charge capacity of the battery 15 is determined from the detected voltage. calculate. In addition to the above, a current detector may be attached to the power line from the battery 15 to detect the discharge current, count the amount of discharge current, and calculate the remaining charge capacity of the battery 15. Further, the remaining charge capacity of the battery 15 may be calculated by calculating the discharge current amount from the voltage detector and the current detector described above. In addition, when the remaining charge capacity of the battery 15 is insufficient, the engine 11 is started or the rotational speed of the engine 11 is increased for charging, and the generator 12 starts power generation or increases the power generation amount.

  The battery 15, the charge / discharge detection device 16, the charge / discharge device 17, and the power conversion devices 18, 19 are configured as an integrated battery pack, and are installed in the refrigeration apparatus separately from the refrigerator unit shown in FIG. 1. Like that. Further, the battery pack may be mounted inside the refrigerator by designing so that it can be mounted inside the refrigerator.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example of a control device that controls the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention.
The control device 4 controls the entire refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 3 will be described with reference to a block diagram, particularly focusing on the portion related to power control.

  In the control device 4, there is a refrigerator controller 21 that controls the refrigeration device, and the information input from various sensors, switches, and the like is calculated and determined to appropriately control the entire refrigeration device.

  As input information, as shown in FIG. 3, in order to determine whether the operation is battery operation or charging operation, a position information signal by GPS (Global Positioning System), a wireless ON / OFF signal, a remote control signal, etc. (operation determination signal) 22) is input to the refrigerator controller 21. The input information from the sensor includes the internal temperature from the internal temperature sensor 23, the rotational speed from the engine / generator rotation sensor 24, the current value and voltage value from the battery current / voltage sensor 25, the power generation There are a current value and a voltage value from the current / voltage sensor 26 of the machine, and these sensor detection values are also input to the refrigerator controller 21. Further, as input information for operation, the ON / OFF state of the battery operation ON / OFF switch 27, the set temperature 28 in the refrigerator, and the like are also input to the refrigerator controller 21.

  In the refrigerator controller 21, based on the input information from the operation determination signal 22, the battery operation / charge operation detection means 29 detects whether it is battery operation or charge operation, and the battery operation / charge operation comparison determination means 30 detects the other. The determination is comprehensively including the determination condition, and either the battery operation or the charge operation is selected. Other determination conditions include a thermo ON / OFF determination means 32, a charge operation necessity determination means 35, a charge operation availability determination 37, an ON / OFF state of the battery operation ON / OFF switch 27, and the like.

  The thermo ON / OFF determining means 32 determines the thermo ON / OFF by comparing the internal temperature calculated by the temperature calculating means 31 from the internal temperature sensor 23 with the set temperature 28, and operates / charges the battery. A determination result is input to the operation comparison determination means 30.

  In the charge operation necessity determination means 35, the charge / discharge power calculation means 33 calculates charge / discharge power based on the current value and voltage value from the battery current / voltage sensor 25, and the remaining battery charge is calculated from the calculated charge / discharge power. The amount grasping means 34 grasps the remaining amount of the battery, confirms the ON / OFF state of the battery operation ON / OFF switch 27, and determines whether or not the charge operation is necessary. Input to the operation comparison determination means 30.

  In the charging operation propriety determination means 37, the power generation calculated by the generated power calculation means 36 based on the rotation speed from the engine / generator rotation sensor 24 and the current value and voltage value from the current / voltage sensor 26 of the generator. Based on the electric power, a determination result indicating whether or not the charging operation may be performed is input to the battery operation / charging operation comparison determination unit 30.

  Based on each determination result described above, either the battery operation or the charge operation is selected by the battery operation / charge operation comparison determination unit 30, and a control signal is input to the control device 38. The control device 38 includes an engine control device that controls the engine, a generator control device that controls the generator, a charger control device that controls a battery, a charge / discharge device, and the like, and a power source switch that switches power from the generator or the battery. In addition, there are unit control devices that control control devices such as compressor inverters, evaporator fans, condenser fans, and electromagnetic valves.

  FIG. 4 is a control flowchart of the control device of the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention.

  When operating the refrigeration apparatus according to the present invention, first, whether or not the engine-battery combined operation is set. If not combined operation, the engine is driven and the compressor motor or the motor is driven by the power of the generator driven by the engine. The evaporator fan is operated (steps S1 and S2). This selection can be switched by a manual switch, but it may be switched by an external signal (remote monitoring signal, GPS position information signal, radio signal, etc.).

  In the case of the engine-battery combined operation, the battery remaining charge capacity, the external signal for starting charging, and the like are checked to determine whether the remaining battery charge is greater than a specified value (steps S3 and S4). As an external signal, the start of battery charging is determined using a remote monitoring signal, a position information signal by GPS, a radio signal, or the like. In particular, for safety reasons, before passing through a tunnel that requires the engine to stop, it is necessary to have a sufficient amount of charge in the battery in preparation for battery operation in the tunnel. By using an external signal such as the above, charging is started before passing through the tunnel, and a sufficient amount of battery is charged in advance.

  If the remaining battery capacity is not more than the specified value, start the engine when the engine is stopped, increase the engine speed when the engine is running, or field current of the generator Is increased to increase the amount of power generated by the generator, the battery charging device is turned on, and charging is performed until the remaining charge capacity of the battery exceeds a specified level (step S5).

  If the remaining battery capacity is more than specified, determine whether battery operation is required by external signals from remote operation, pre / post tunnel signals from GPS location information signals, refrigeration unit thermo signals, etc. If it is determined that driving is necessary, the engine is stopped (steps S6, S7, S8).

  After stopping the engine, select the specifications for battery operation according to the operating condition of the refrigeration system. For example, if the operation is not high load, only the evaporator fan is operated by the battery, and the temperature distribution in the warehouse will not be uneven As described above, the air in the cabinet is recirculated (steps S9 and S10). Selection of such battery operation specifications may be selected by an external signal, a manual switch, etc., when it can be determined that the load will be low, such as a small load, a small temperature difference between inside and outside the warehouse, In this case, when the remaining capacity of the battery decreases, the engine is driven to perform the cooling operation and the charging operation. When the charging is completed, the engine is stopped and the battery operation is performed. Therefore, the engine operating time can be shortened and the fuel consumption of the engine can be reduced.

  When high-load operation is required, not only the evaporator fan but also the compressor motor is operated to maintain the normal operating state of the refrigeration system, ensuring not only the temperature distribution in the refrigerator but also temperature control. This is performed (steps S9 and S11).

  For safety reasons, when passing through a tunnel where the engine must be stopped, a pre-tunnel signal is detected by a position information signal from GPS, etc., and the engine is automatically stopped to switch to battery operation. Unlike the conventional case, an evaporator fan, a compressor motor, and the like are driven by the battery even while passing through the tunnel, so that appropriate temperature control can be performed. Then, after passing through the tunnel, a post-tunnel signal is detected by a position information signal from GPS, etc., and if the remaining charge capacity of the battery is reduced, the engine is restarted.

  By making the transport refrigeration system battery-driven, it is possible to save fuel for the engine and to control the temperature appropriately even when the engine is stopped.

It is the schematic which shows an example of the refrigerator part of the freezing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the electric power supply line of the freezing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the control apparatus which controls the freezing apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a control flowchart of the control apparatus of the freezing apparatus which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Compressor 1a Compressor motor 2 Capacitor 3 Expansion valve 4 Evaporator 5 Proportional control valve 6 Capacitor fan 6a Capacitor fan motor 7 Evaporator fan 7a Evaporator fan motor 11 Engine 12 Generator 13 Belt 14 Control device 15 Battery 16 Charge / discharge amount detection device 17 Charging Discharge device 18 Power conversion device 19 Power conversion device

Claims (5)

A generator for generating electric power for driving the refrigerator;
An engine that drives the generator;
A battery for charging electric power generated by the generator;
A charging / discharging device for controlling charging of power to the battery and supply of power from the battery;
A power converter for converting the power supplied from the generator or the power supplied from the battery,
A transport refrigeration apparatus, wherein an electric drive compressor is used for the refrigerator and the refrigerator is driven using electric power converted into the power converter. The transport refrigeration apparatus according to claim 1,
A transport refrigeration apparatus, wherein the refrigerator is driven by switching electric power supplied from the generator or electric power supplied from the battery according to a predetermined operating condition. The transport refrigeration apparatus according to claim 2,
The transport refrigeration apparatus, wherein the predetermined operation status is determined based on a load state of the refrigerator or position information from outside. In the transport refrigeration apparatus according to claim 2 or claim 3,
When driving the refrigerator using the power supplied from the battery, the engine is automatically stopped,
The transport refrigeration apparatus, wherein when the remaining charge capacity of the battery becomes less than a predetermined specified value, the engine is automatically started to charge the battery. The transport refrigeration apparatus according to claim 4,
The transport refrigeration apparatus, wherein the refrigerator is controlled by selecting operation or non-operation of each device constituting the refrigerator according to a load state of the refrigerator.

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