JP2017223406A - Controller of showcase - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller of a showcase capable of improving deterioration of commodities and increase of a call number with excessive frosting of an evaporator.SOLUTION: A controller 40 is configured to circulate cold air, subjected to heat exchange with an evaporator, in a box by an air blower. The controller includes: an excessive frosting determination unit 52 configured to determine whether excessive frosting occurs in the evaporator; a notification unit 53 configured to, when the excessive frosting determination unit determines that excessive frosting occurs in the evaporator, notify an operator of occurrence of excessive frosting; and a temperature increase suppression unit 54 configured to, when the excessive frosting determination unit determines that excessive frosting occurs in the evaporator, execute temperature increase suppression mode of suppressing temperature increase in the box.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for a showcase that displays products while cooling them in a warehouse.

  Conventionally, multiple showcases (furniture) have been installed in stores (stores) such as convenience stores, and products such as beverages (refrigerated products) and ice cream (frozen products) are displayed and sold in the store. ing. In such a showcase, if the evaporator forms frost, cooling of the inside of the warehouse will be hindered, so the evaporator is defrosted regularly. A larger amount of frost may grow than expected in the vessel (evaporation of the evaporator).

  When such excessive frost formation of the evaporator occurs, the cold air circulation is remarkably hindered and the internal temperature rises. Therefore, conventionally, it has been possible to call an external maintenance center or the like by determining and notifying over-frosting on the evaporator (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent No. 5912848

  However, the cause of the excessive frost formation of the evaporator is not limited to the failure of the equipment, but also the influence of the air-conditioning wind in the store and the intrusion of outside air due to the state of the product display. For example, in an open-type showcase that sells frozen products such as ice cream, the air curtain may be disturbed by air-conditioning winds or protruding products, and intrusion of outside air may increase, resulting in excessive frost formation in the evaporator.

  The excessive frost caused by such factors can be temporary or can be easily improved by store employees, etc. (store clerk). Since measures such as notifying and stopping the operation were only taken, there was a problem that product deterioration further progressed and calls to unnecessary maintenance centers increased.

  The present invention has been made to solve the conventional technical problem, and provides a showcase control device capable of improving the deterioration of goods and the increase in the number of calls due to excessive frosting of an evaporator. The purpose is to provide.

  In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the control device of the present invention is configured to overcool frost on the evaporator in a showcase that displays the product while cooling it by circulating the cool air exchanged with the evaporator through the blower. An over-frost determination unit that determines whether or not an over-frost has occurred, and a notification unit that notifies the occurrence of over-frost when the over-frost determination unit determines that over-frost has occurred in the evaporator And a temperature increase suppression unit that executes a temperature increase suppression mode that suppresses a temperature increase in the refrigerator when the excessive frost determination unit determines that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator. And

  In the showcase control device according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the above invention, the excessive frost determination unit is configured such that the temperature in the storage is equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit, and the temperature in the storage and the temperature of the evaporator are It is characterized in that it is determined that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator based on the establishment of a predetermined overfrost determination condition including that the difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value.

  In the showcase control device according to the third aspect of the present invention, the excessive frost determination condition in the above invention is such that the amount of frost formation on the evaporator has increased to a predetermined upper limit value that can be removed by one defrosting. It is a criterion capable of determining whether or not.

  A control device for a showcase according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in each of the above-mentioned inventions, the temperature rise suppression unit suppresses the temperature rise in the cabinet by increasing the rotational speed of the blower.

  The control device for a showcase of the invention of claim 5 is characterized in that, in each of the above inventions, the notification unit notifies the terminal device provided in the store and / or an external maintenance center of the occurrence of excessive frost formation. .

  The control device for a showcase according to a sixth aspect of the invention is characterized in that in the above invention, the temperature rise suppression unit ends the temperature rise suppression mode based on an instruction from the terminal device and / or the maintenance center.

  A control device for a showcase according to a seventh aspect of the invention includes a defrosting control unit that performs periodic defrosting for defrosting the evaporator in a predetermined cycle in each of the above-described inventions. When the determination unit determines that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator, the forced defrosting forcibly defrosting the evaporator is performed once or a plurality of times.

  The control device for a showcase according to an eighth aspect of the invention is characterized in that, in the above invention, the defrosting control unit resets the cycle of the regular defrosting when the forced defrosting of the evaporator is performed.

  According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the control device for the showcase according to the seventh or eighth aspect, wherein the over-frost determination unit generates over-frost on the evaporator at a shortest defrost interval of the evaporator. In the case where the forced defrosting is performed a plurality of times, the forced defrosting of the evaporator is performed at the shortest defrosting interval.

  According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, there is provided the showcase control device according to any of the seventh to ninth aspects, wherein the defrosting control unit is based on an instruction from a terminal device provided in the store and / or an external maintenance center. The cycle of the regular defrosting is changed and / or the defrosting end temperature of the evaporator is changed.

  The control device according to the present invention determines whether or not excessive frost is generated in the evaporator in a showcase that is displayed while cooling the product by circulating the cold air exchanged with the evaporator through the blower. An over frost determination unit for determining, a notification unit for notifying the occurrence of over frost when the over frost determination unit determines that over frost is generated in the evaporator, and an over frost determination unit When it is determined that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator, it is equipped with a temperature increase suppression unit that executes a temperature increase suppression mode that suppresses the temperature increase in the cabinet. Even when frost occurs, the temperature rise suppression unit can execute the temperature rise mode in which the temperature rise in the cabinet is suppressed, and the temperature rise in the cabinet can be suppressed.

  Thereby, for example, when the factor of excessive frost is temporary, it is possible to prevent or suppress the deterioration of the product until the natural return. Even in the case of other factors, the notification unit notifies the occurrence of excessive frost formation on the evaporator, so that, for example, it may be excessively transmitted to a terminal device provided in a store or an external maintenance center as in the invention of claim 5. By notifying the occurrence of frost formation, it is possible to encourage employees and service personnel to respond.

  In this case, if the factor of over-frosting is something that can be handled by the store employees, it is possible to prevent or suppress the deterioration of the product until the factor of over-frosting is eliminated at the store. In addition, unnecessary calls to the maintenance center can be eliminated. In addition, even if it is a factor that requires a response by a service person, it can be done with regular maintenance, not urgent response, while preventing deterioration of the product during that time, It is possible to reduce the burden on the service person.

  In this case, as in the invention of claim 2, the over-frost determination unit determines that the internal temperature is equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit value, and the difference between the internal temperature and the evaporator temperature is equal to or higher than the predetermined value. If it is determined that excessive frost formation has occurred in the evaporator based on the establishment of a predetermined overfrost determination condition including a certain condition, it is possible to accurately detect the excessive frost formation in the evaporator. Will be able to.

  In particular, it is possible to determine whether the excessive frost determination condition has increased to a predetermined upper limit that can be removed by a single defrosting as in the invention of claim 3. With this standard, it becomes possible to determine that excessive frost is generated while the amount of frost on the evaporator is an amount that can be removed by a single defrost. It is possible to avoid inconvenience that the amount increases abnormally and cannot be dealt with by defrosting, resulting in frost blockage.

  Moreover, if the temperature rise suppression part suppresses the temperature rise in a store | warehouse | chamber by raising the rotation speed of a fan like invention of Claim 4, it will complement the cold air circulation which deteriorates by the excessive frost formation of an evaporator. Thus, the deterioration of the product can be effectively prevented or suppressed.

  In addition, if the temperature rise suppression unit ends the temperature rise suppression mode based on an instruction from the terminal device or the maintenance center as in the invention of claim 6, it is based on the fact that the cause of excessive frost has been eliminated. Employees and service personnel can quickly return to normal operation.

  According to the invention of claim 7, the defrosting control unit that performs the regular defrosting for defrosting the evaporator in a predetermined cycle is provided, and the overfrost determination unit generates overfrost on the evaporator. If the defrosting control unit forcibly defrosts the evaporator once or a plurality of times, if excessive frost occurs in the evaporator In addition, the evaporator can be forcibly defrosted without waiting for periodic defrosting, and the excessive frost can be quickly eliminated. In particular, since the over-frost determination condition as in the invention of claim 3 is established, if the forced defrost is performed, the frost on the evaporator can be reliably removed.

  At that time, when the defrosting control unit performs forced defrosting of the evaporator as in the invention of claim 8, if the cycle of the regular defrosting is reset, the periodic defrosting is performed immediately after the forced defrosting. Therefore, the inconvenience that the temperature in the cabinet becomes high is also eliminated.

  Further, if the over-frost determination unit determines whether or not over-frost is generated in the evaporator at the shortest defrost interval of the evaporator as in the invention of claim 9, Thus, it is possible to prevent the inconvenience that the forced defrosting is performed and the internal temperature rises. The same applies to the case where the forced defrosting is performed a plurality of times in the invention of claim 7.

  Further, the defrost control unit as in the invention of claim 10 changes the cycle of periodic defrost based on an instruction from a terminal device provided in the store and / or an external maintenance center, and / or If the defrosting end temperature of the evaporator is changed, the periodic defrosting cycle and defrosting end temperature of the showcase evaporator can be changed from the terminal device or the maintenance center, which is convenient. .

It is a figure explaining the piping structure of the freezing apparatus etc. which apply the communication line of the store maintenance system of one Example to which this invention is applied, and a store maintenance system. It is a vertical side view of a showcase to which the present invention is applied. It is a functional block diagram of the control device of the showcase of FIG. It is a front view of the tablet terminal (terminal device) of FIG. It is a functional block diagram of the tablet terminal of FIG. It is a flowchart explaining operation | movement of the control apparatus of FIG. It is a figure explaining the temperature change in the store | warehouse | chamber of the showcase of FIG.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows a communication line of a store maintenance system 1 according to an embodiment to which the present invention is applied and a piping configuration of a refrigeration apparatus R to which the store maintenance system 1 is applied.

(1) Refrigeration equipment R
In FIG. 1, the refrigeration apparatus R according to the embodiment includes a plurality of showcases (separate type showcases) 2 installed on the inner wall of a store such as a convenience store, a compressor 3, and the like outside the store. It is comprised from the refrigerator 4 installed. Each showcase 2 includes an evaporator 6, an expansion valve (electronic expansion valve) 7, a cool air circulation blower (not shown), and the like. Etc. are provided. In addition, although shown with the single compressor 3 in an Example, you may comprise the compressor 3 of the refrigerator 4 of FIG. 1 with several compressors.

  The condenser described above is connected to the discharge side of the compressor 3 of the refrigerator 4, and a high-pressure pipe (refrigerant pipe) 8 is connected to the condenser. The inlet of the evaporator 6 of each showcase 2 is connected in parallel to the high-pressure pipe 8 via the expansion valve 7, and the outlet of the evaporator 6 is connected to the suction side of the compressor 3 via the low-pressure pipe (refrigerant pipe) 9. Connected. Thereby, the well-known refrigerant circuit of refrigeration equipment R is constituted.

  Then, the high-temperature and high-pressure refrigerant (for example, R404a) discharged from the compressor 3 is air-cooled by a condenser, and then exits from the refrigerator 4 and enters the high-pressure pipe 8. Each showcase passes through the high-pressure pipe 8. 2 is distributed and supplied. The refrigerant distributed and supplied from the common compressor 3 to each showcase 2 is throttled by each expansion valve 7 and then flows into the evaporator 6 to evaporate. The interior of each showcase 2 is cooled by cooling the air circulated by the cool air circulation blower by the endothermic action at this time and circulating the cooled cool air into the interior. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 6 then enters the refrigerator 4 through the low-pressure pipe 9 and repeats circulation sucked into the compressor 3.

  Each showcase 2 constituting the refrigeration apparatus R is provided with a control device 12 constituted by a microcomputer which is an example of a computer provided with a processor. The control device 12 controls the operation of the expansion valve 7 and the cool air circulation blower of the showcase 2 and is connected to the main controller 11 via the communication line 14 so that communication with the main controller 11 described later can be performed. Has been. Each showcase 2 of the embodiment is a fixture that sells and sells refrigerated goods such as lunch boxes, prepared dishes, beverages and desserts, and each control device 12 is transmitted from the main controller 11 to each showcase 2. Instruction information (operation instruction data) is received, and the opening degree of the expansion valve 7 and the operation of the cool air circulation blower are controlled based on the received instruction information (set temperature) and its own internal temperature.

  The refrigerator 4 is also provided with a control device 13 composed of a microcomputer which is an example of a computer provided with a processor. This control device 13 is also connected to the main controller 11 via the communication line 14, receives instruction information (operation instruction data) addressed to the control device 13 from the main controller 11, and receives this instruction information (low pressure setting value). Based on the low pressure of the refrigerant circuit from the low pressure pipe 9 to the suction side of the compressor 3, the operating frequency (the number of revolutions) of the compressor 3 is controlled. In this case, based on the low pressure setting value (instruction information) and the low pressure pressure (actual measurement value) transmitted from the main controller 11, the control device 13 operates the compressor 3 when the low pressure is higher than the low pressure setting value. When the low pressure pressure is controlled to the low pressure setting value by controlling the operation of the compressor 3 in the direction of increasing the pressure and decreasing when the pressure is low, the expansion valve 7 of all the showcases 2 is fully closed The compressor 3 is stopped.

(2) Main controller 11
The main controller 11 is a central control device called a store master installed in a store management room or the like, and includes a microcomputer as an example of a computer including a processor. The main controller 11 is connected to the control device 12 of each showcase 2 and the control device 13 of the refrigerator 4 via a communication line 14, and between the main controller 11 and each control device 12 via the communication line 14, Information (data) is transmitted and received between the main controller 11 and the control device 13. The main controller 11 and the control devices 12 and 13 constitute a centralized management system for existing stores connected by the communication line 14.

  In this case, the main controller 11 identifies each of the control devices 12 and 13 using an ID assigned in advance to each of the control devices 12 and 13. And the data regarding the driving | operation information transmitted with each ID from each control apparatus 12 and 13 is received, and those are stored and managed. The operation information transmitted from each control device 12 includes the internal temperature of the showcase 2, information on the status of the defrosting operation of the evaporator 6, and an alarm regarding an error (abnormality) occurring in the showcase 2. The operation information that is included in the information and transmitted from the refrigerator 4 includes alarm information regarding the operation status of the compressor 3, the status of the low pressure, and an error (abnormality) occurring in the refrigerator 4. .

  Further, the main controller 11 transmits the data related to the instruction information to the control devices 12 and 13 together with the ID described above. The instruction information includes the set temperature described above when addressing to the showcase 2 and the low-pressure pressure set value described above when addressing to the refrigerator 4. Each control device 12, 13 stores the received data and controls the operation of each device. Thus, the main controller 11 centrally manages the operations of the showcases 2 and the refrigerators 4 constituting the refrigeration apparatus R.

(3) Showcase 20 (showcase to which the present invention is applied)
Next, FIG. 2 shows a vertical side view of an embodiment of the unconnected showcase 20 that is not connected to the refrigeration apparatus R in FIG. The showcase 20 of the embodiment is a so-called built-in freezing showcase (ice case) that displays and sells ice cream while cooling, and is installed in an island shape in a store passage or the like. The showcase 20 includes a heat insulating box 21 whose upper surface is open and a partition plate 22 disposed inside the heat insulating box 21 with a space therebetween, and a product (ice cream) is provided inside the partition plate 22. A cool air duct 24 is formed between the partition plate 22 and the heat insulating box 21 so as to continue from both edges of the top opening to the bottom.

  At one end of the cool air duct 24, an air outlet 26 located at one side edge of the upper surface opening of the interior 23 is formed, and at the other end, an air inlet 27 located at the other side edge is formed. An evaporator 28 and a blower (cold air circulation blower) 29 are installed in the cold air duct 24 at the bottom. A defrosting heater (defrosting device) 31 is attached to the evaporator 28, and an evaporator temperature sensor 32 that detects the temperature TE of the evaporator 28 is also attached. Further, an internal temperature sensor 33 that detects the temperature TP of the internal space 23 is provided in the internal space 23.

  A machine room 34 is formed below the heat insulating box 21, and a compressor 36 (FIG. 1), a condenser 37, and a condenser blower 38 are installed in the machine room 34. The compressor 36, the condenser 37, the decompression device 39 (FIG. 1) composed of a capillary tube and an expansion valve, and the evaporator 28 are sequentially connected in an annular manner to form a known refrigerant circuit. The refrigerant discharged from the compressor 36 dissipates heat in the condenser 37, condenses, and then is throttled by the decompression device 39, flows into the evaporator 28 and evaporates.

  The air circulated by the blower 29 is cooled by the heat absorption action at this time, and the cooled cold air is blown out from the outlet 26 of the cold air duct 24 to the inside 23 and sucked from the inlet 27 so that the inside 23 is cooled to the freezing temperature. Then, an air curtain is formed in the opening of the interior 23. The refrigerant evaporated in the evaporator 28 is repeatedly circulated by being sucked into the compressor 36.

  The showcase 20 is also provided with a control device 40 (showcase control device of the present invention) constituted by a microcomputer which is an example of a computer having a processor. However, the control device 40 is not connected to the main controller 11 via the communication line 14.

  FIG. 3 shows a functional block diagram of the control device 40. The control device 40 controls the operation of the compressor 36, the blower 29, the condenser blower 38, etc. of the showcase 20, the defrosting control of the evaporator 28 by the defrosting heater (defrosting device) 31, a tablet terminal (to be described later) A control unit 43 that controls communication with the terminal device 41, a storage unit 44 that stores various types of information (data), and a signal input unit 46 to which the internal temperature sensor 33 and the evaporator temperature sensor 32 are connected. A display unit 47 that displays various data, an input unit 48 that performs setting switching, and a device driving unit 49 that drives each device such as the compressor 36, the blower 29, the condenser blower 38, and the defrosting heater 31. And a wireless communication unit 51 that performs wireless communication of information (data) with a tablet terminal 41, which will be described later, via a wireless LAN.

  The control unit 43 of the control device 40 receives instruction information (driving instruction data) transmitted from the tablet terminal 41 described later to the showcase 20 via the wireless communication unit 51, and receives the received instruction information (set temperature). ) And the output of the internal temperature sensor 33 that detects the temperature TP of the interior 23, the device driving unit 49 uses the device drive unit 49 to set a predetermined upper limit value (for example, −16 ° C.) and lower limit value (for example −20). The operation of the compressor 46, the blower 29, and the condenser blower 38 is controlled to a set value (for example, −18 ° C.) as an average of the temperature TP in the interior 23.

  The control part 43 has the excessive frost determination part 52, the notification part 53, the temperature rise suppression part 54, and the defrost control part 56 as the function. Although details will be described later, the overfrost determination unit 52 detects overfrost on the evaporator 28 based on the outputs of the temperature sensors 32 and 33. In addition, the notification unit 53 transmits predetermined notification information to the tablet terminal 41 via the wireless communication unit 51. Moreover, the temperature rise suppression part 54 controls the driving | operation of the air blower 29, performs the temperature rise suppression mode which suppresses the temperature rise of the inside 23, and the instruction information regarding mode reset is included in the instruction information from the tablet terminal 41 mentioned later. If it is, the temperature rise suppression mode is terminated. Furthermore, the defrost control part 56 controls the defrost of the evaporator 28 by the defrost heater 31, and when the instruction information regarding defrost control is included in the instruction information from the tablet terminal 41 mentioned later, the instruction The defrost control of the evaporator 46 is changed according to the information.

(4) Tablet terminal 41 (terminal device)
Next, reference numeral 41 shown in FIG. 1 denotes the tablet terminal described above. The tablet terminal 41 is a portable terminal device (portable terminal device), and includes a display unit 61 composed of a relatively large liquid crystal display as shown in FIG. 4 and an input unit 62 composed of a touch switch provided in the display unit 61. Etc.

  FIG. 5 shows a functional block diagram of the tablet terminal 41. The tablet terminal 41 is also composed of a microcomputer as an example of a computer including a processor, and includes a control unit 63 that controls various types of control including communication, a storage unit 64 that holds various types of information (data), the display unit 61 described above, The input unit 62 includes a wireless communication unit 66 that transmits and receives data by wireless communication via the wireless LAN between the main controller 11 and the control device 40 of the showcase 20 described above.

  Here, in FIG. 1, 71 is a POS terminal provided in a store and performs inventory management and sales management of the store, and 72 is a device such as the showcases 2 and 20 and the refrigerator 4 provided in the store. It is an external maintenance center that is contracted to perform maintenance management. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 67 denotes a wireless LAN router that establishes a wireless LAN in the store. The wireless LAN router 67 is connected to the Internet line via a broadband modem 68.

  The tablet terminal 41 and the main controller 11, the tablet terminal 41 and the control device 40 of the showcase 20, and the tablet terminal 41 and the POS terminal 71 transmit and receive information (data) via the wireless LAN router 67 in the embodiment. (Note that it may be possible to directly transmit and receive data without using such a wireless LAN router). The tablet terminal 41 transmits and receives information (data) to and from the external maintenance center 72 via the wireless LAN router 67 and the Internet line.

  Also in this case, the control unit 63 of the tablet terminal 41 identifies the control device 40 and the main controller 11 using IDs assigned in advance to the control device 40 and the main controller 11 of the showcase 20. And the tablet terminal 41 receives the data regarding the driving | operation information transmitted with ID from the main controller 11 by the wireless communication part 66, and stores and manages it in the memory | storage part 64. FIG. The operation information sent from the main controller 11 includes operation information of each showcase 2 and refrigerator 4 managed by the main controller 11 (information such as temperature / humidity inside and outside the store including alarm information: main Controller information).

  Further, the tablet terminal 41 receives the data related to the driving information transmitted together with the ID from the control device 40 of the showcase 20 by the wireless communication unit 66 and stores it in the storage unit 64 for management. The operation information sent from the control device 40 includes temperature information such as the temperature inside the showcase 20 (the temperature inside the showcase) and the temperature of the evaporator 28, information related to the operation status of the compressor 39, and the like. Alarm information regarding an error (abnormality) occurring in the case 20 is included.

  On the other hand, instruction information (driving instruction data) is transmitted from the tablet terminal 41 to the main controller 11 and the showcase 20 by the wireless communication unit 66. Since the collected information can be appropriately displayed on the display unit 61 in the tablet terminal 41, the operation status of each showcase 2 and the refrigerator 4 that is managed centrally by the main controller 11 in addition to the showcase 20 in the tablet terminal 41. It is also configured so that it can be centrally managed.

(5) Excess frost determination by the control device 40 of the showcase 20 and control at the time of excessive frost Next, with reference to FIG. 6 and FIG. A control operation during frost formation will be described. The control unit 43 of the control device 40 has two operation modes of a normal mode and a temperature rise suppression mode, and the defrost control unit 56 is in the normal mode, and the evaporator 28 is set at an interval of 12 hours in the embodiment. Perform regular defrosting to defrost in the cycle.

(5-1) Normal Mode That is, in the regular defrosting in the normal mode, the defrost control unit 56 stops the compressor 39 and the condenser blower 38 at 8 am and 8 pm, for example, and the defrost heater 31 generates heat Then, defrosting of the evaporator 28 is started. When the defrosting by the defrosting heater 31 proceeds and the temperature TE of the evaporator 28 detected by the evaporator temperature sensor 32 rises to a predetermined defrosting end temperature TE1, the heat generation of the defrosting heater 31 is stopped. Then, the defrosting is finished, the compressor 39 and the condenser blower 38 are activated, and the cooling operation of the inside 23 is resumed. In addition, the control unit 43 operates the blower 29 during the defrosting. In this normal mode, the control unit 43 operates at a rotation speed of 1200 rpm (normal rotation speed) in the embodiment.

(5-2) Temperature rise suppression mode In temperature rise suppression mode, the temperature rise suppression part 54 raises the rotation speed of the air blower 29 to 1800 rpm (high-speed rotation speed) in an Example. As the rotational speed of the blower 29 is increased, a decrease in the amount of air blown into the interior 23 is prevented, or the amount of air is increased, and weakening of the air curtain is prevented or strengthened. An increase in the temperature TP in the interior 23 is also suppressed during excessive frost formation.

(5-3) Overfrosting determination and switching of operation mode First, the control unit 43 clears the suppression control in-progress flag ("0") in step S1 of FIG. "1") is determined. At this time, since the flag during suppression control is cleared, the process proceeds to step S3. In step S <b> 3, the excessive frost determination unit 52 determines whether excessive frost is generated in the evaporator 28.

In the embodiment, the condition for determining whether or not excessive frost has occurred in the evaporator 28 is as follows.
(I) The shortest defrosting interval (for example, 8 hours) has elapsed since the previous defrosting.
(Ii) There is a history that the temperature TP in the refrigerator 23 has become equal to or lower than the lower limit (−20 ° C.) described above after the previous defrosting.
(Iii) The state where the temperature TP in the chamber 23 is equal to or higher than the above-described upper limit (−16 ° C.) has continued for a predetermined time.
(Iv) The difference (TE-TP) between the temperature TP of the interior 23 detected by the interior temperature sensor 33 and the temperature TE of the evaporator 28 detected by the evaporator temperature sensor 32 is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (for example, 20 deg). A state has continued for a predetermined time.

  When all of the above conditions (i) to (iv) are satisfied, the overfrost determination unit 52 determines that the overfrost formation has occurred in the evaporator 28 because the overfrost determination condition is satisfied. The condition (i) may not be included in the overfrost determination condition, but may be a precondition for determining overfrost formation. However, the presence of this condition (i) results in the determination of overfrost formation in the evaporator 28 as a result. It will be performed at the shortest defrost interval. The shortest defrosting interval is the shortest interval that can prevent the temperature TP in the interior 23 from rising to the extent that the stored product deteriorates by defrosting the evaporator 28. .

  The condition (ii) is a condition for eliminating the pull-down after the previous defrosting. The above condition (iii) is a condition for determining that the temperature TP in the interior 23 is continuously increased due to poor cooling due to excessive frosting of the evaporator 28, and the condition (iv) is an excessive condition of the evaporator 28. This is a condition for determining an increase in the temperature TP of the interior 23 caused by frost formation and a decrease in the temperature TE of the evaporator 28. All of the numerical values in these conditions are experimentally determined in advance as a reference for determining whether or not the frosting amount of the evaporator 28 has increased to a predetermined upper limit value that can be removed by one defrosting. It is what was sought.

  If any of the above conditions (i) to (iv) is not satisfied in step S3, the over-frost determination condition is not satisfied (no problem), and the control unit 43 shifts to another control. On the other hand, when all the above conditions (i) to (iv) are satisfied in step S3 and it is determined that the over-frost determination condition is satisfied, the over-frost determination unit 54 generates over-frost on the evaporator 28. (Over-frost detection), the process proceeds to step S4, and the occurrence of over-frost is written into the over-frost sign file in the storage unit 44. In addition, the notification unit 53 notifies the tablet terminal 41 that the excessive frost of the evaporator 28 has occurred in the showcase 20 through the wireless communication unit 51.

  When the control unit 63 of the tablet terminal 41 receives the notification from the control device 40 of the showcase 20 via the wireless communication unit 66, the display unit 61 displays an overfrost notification (ice case overloading) as indicated by 73 in FIG. Frost) is displayed. Further, the tablet terminal 41 transmits an overfrost notice of the evaporator 28 of the showcase 20 to the maintenance center 72 via the wireless LAN router 67 and the Internet line (directly from the control device 40 of the showcase 20 to the maintenance center 72. You may be notified). As a result, it is possible to encourage the store employees and service personnel to respond.

  Next, the control unit 43 proceeds to step S5 and sets the suppression control in-progress flag ("1}"), thereby switching the operation mode to the above-described temperature rise suppression mode and proceeds to step S6. As described above, the temperature rise suppression unit 54 increases the rotational speed at which the blower 29 is operated to 1800 rpm (high speed rotational speed), whereby the rise in the temperature TP in the interior 23 is suppressed.

  In addition, the defrosting control unit 56 performs forced defrosting that causes the defrosting heater 31 to generate heat and forcibly defrost the evaporator 28 even if the above-described periodic defrosting cycle is not performed. Reset the periodic defrost cycle (12 hour clock). Also in this forced defrosting, the compressor 39 and the condenser blower 38 are stopped similarly to the regular defrosting (the blower 29 continues to operate at 1800 rpm). When the defrosting by the defrosting heater 31 proceeds and the temperature TE of the evaporator 28 rises to the above-described defrosting end temperature TE1, the defrosting control unit 56 stops the heat generation of the defrosting heater 31 and defrosts. , The compressor 39 and the condenser blower 38 are activated to restart the cooling operation of the interior 23. The temperature rise suppression unit 54 is operated at a rotation speed of the blower 29 of 1800 rpm (high speed rotation speed) during the temperature rise suppression mode.

  After that, since the suppression control flag is set in step S2, the process proceeds from step S2 to step S7. In step S7, the defrost control unit 56 determines whether or not the shortest defrost interval (8 hours) described above has elapsed since the previous defrost, and if not, the control unit 43 shifts to another control. .

  When the shortest defrosting interval has elapsed from the previous defrosting in step S7, the process proceeds to step S8, and the defrosting control unit 56 performs forced defrosting of the evaporator 28 (the periodic defrosting cycle is also reset). This forced defrosting is the same as described above. Next, the defrost control unit 56 determines whether or not the forced defrosting in step S9 has been performed a predetermined number of times (three times in the embodiment) in the embodiment, and since this is still the second time, Transition to control.

  Then, step S2, step S7, and step S8 are repeated thereafter, and in the embodiment, forced defrosting is performed three times during the temperature rise suppression mode. When the forced defrosting is performed three times, the process proceeds to step S10, and the control unit 43 clears the suppression control flag ("0"), returns the operation mode to the normal mode, and sets the rotation speed of the blower 29 to normal. The number of rotations is changed to 1200 rpm. In addition, the notification unit 53 transmits information to the tablet terminal 41 to cancel the notification. The tablet terminal 41 (and the maintenance center 72) receives this and deletes the display 73 of the excessive frost notification.

  FIG. 7 shows the change in the temperature TE of the inside 23 and the switching of the rotational speed of the blower 29 by the regular defrosting and forced defrosting (three times) described above. Since the cycle of periodic defrosting is reset every forced defrosting, periodic defrosting is performed when 12 hours have elapsed after the start of the third forced defrosting. In the embodiment, after the occurrence of excessive frost formation is determined, the mode is shifted to the temperature rise suppression mode, the forced defrosting is performed three times (a plurality of times), and then the normal mode is restored. It may be only once.

(6) Response of employees and service personnel When excessive frosting of the evaporator 28 occurs in the showcase 20 as described above, the temperature increase suppression mode for suppressing the temperature increase in the interior 23 is performed, and the evaporator 28 Is forcibly defrosted, but as described above, since the occurrence of excessive frost on the tablet terminal 41 and the maintenance center 72 is notified, the store employee displays the display 73 of the excessive frost notification on the tablet terminal 41. For example, it is possible to take measures such as changing the air direction of the air conditioning in the store. Thereby, if excessive frost does not occur thereafter, the control device 40 can continue the operation in the normal mode. In addition, the notification of excessive frost is also transmitted to the maintenance center 72, and the history of occurrence of excessive frost in the evaporator 28 is written in the excessive frost prediction file in the storage unit 44. For example, a man can take measures in the case of regular maintenance.

  Here, when the occurrence of excessive frost is notified from the control device 40 of the showcase 20, the control unit 63 of the tablet terminal 41 performs the temperature rise suppression mode as shown in FIG. 4 together with the display 73 of the excessive frost notification. A reset button 74 to be reset is displayed. For example, when a store employee takes measures such as changing the air-conditioning wind direction, when the reset button 74 of the tablet terminal 41 is touched, the controller 63 causes the wireless communication unit 66 to increase the temperature of the controller 40 of the showcase 20. Information indicating that the suppression mode is reset is transmitted.

  When receiving the reset information from the tablet terminal 41 by the wireless communication unit 51, the control unit 43 of the control device 40 forcibly resets the above-described suppression control flag (“0”) and the rotation speed of the blower 29. Is returned to the normal rotational speed (1200 rpm), the temperature rise suppression mode is terminated, and the operation mode is returned to the normal mode. Moreover, even if forced defrost is the first time at that time, the forced defrost after the 2nd time is not implemented.

  Moreover, the control part 63 of the tablet terminal 41 displays the cycle change button 76 which changes a periodic defrost cycle as shown in FIG. Then, when this cycle change button 76 is touched by an employee, the screen changes to a predetermined cycle change screen, and the cycle of the regular defrosting of the evaporator 28 of the showcase 20 can be changed. When the periodic defrosting cycle changing operation is performed, the control unit 63 transmits information indicating that the periodic defrosting cycle is changed to the control device 40 of the showcase 20 by the wireless communication unit 66. When the control unit 43 of the control device 40 receives the cycle change information from the tablet terminal 41 by the wireless communication unit 51, the defrost control unit 56 changes the cycle of periodic defrosting to the cycle transmitted from the tablet terminal 41. .

  Further, the control unit 63 of the tablet terminal 41 displays a defrosting end temperature change button 77 for changing the defrosting end temperature TE1 as shown in FIG. And if this defrost end temperature change button 77 is touched by the employee, it will change to a predetermined defrost end temperature change screen, and it will become possible to change the defrost end temperature TE1 of the evaporator 28 of the showcase 20. When the defrosting end temperature changing operation is performed, the control unit 63 transmits information indicating that the defrosting end temperature TE1 is changed to the control device 40 of the showcase 20 through the wireless communication unit 66. When the control unit 43 of the control device 40 receives the defrosting end temperature change information from the tablet terminal 41 by the wireless communication unit 51, the defrosting control unit 56 sets the defrosting end temperature TE1 for periodic defrosting or forced defrosting. The temperature is changed to the temperature transmitted from the tablet terminal 41.

  In the embodiment, the resetting of the temperature rise suppression mode, the cycle change of the regular defrosting, and the change of the defrosting end temperature TE1 can be operated from the maintenance center 72, and the control device 40 of the showcase 20 is According to each information transmitted from the maintenance center 72, the temperature rise suppression mode is reset in the same manner as described above, and the periodic defrost cycle and the defrost end temperature are changed.

  As described above in detail, according to the present invention, the control device 40 of the showcase 20 determines whether or not excessive frost is generated in the evaporator 28, and this excessive frost determination unit 52. When the determination unit 52 determines that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator 28, the notification unit 53 that notifies the occurrence of excessive frost and the overfrost determination unit 52 generates excessive frost on the evaporator 28. If it is determined that a temperature rise suppression unit 54 that executes a temperature rise suppression mode that suppresses the temperature rise in the interior 23 is provided, when excessive frost occurs in the evaporator 28 due to some factor. Moreover, the temperature rise suppression part 54 can perform the temperature rise mode which suppresses the temperature rise of the interior 23, and can suppress the temperature rise of the interior 23.

  Thereby, when the factor of excessive frost is a temporary thing, it becomes possible to prevent or suppress degradation of goods until it returns naturally. Even in the case of other factors, the notification unit 53 notifies the tablet terminal 41 provided in the store and the occurrence of excessive frost formation on the evaporator 28 related to the maintenance center 72. Can be encouraged to respond.

  In this case, if the cause of excessive frost is something that can be handled by the store employees (such as the direction of the air conditioning in the store), the product until the factor of excessive frost is resolved at the store. Can be prevented or suppressed, and unnecessary calls to the maintenance center 71 can be eliminated. In addition, even if it is a factor that requires a response by a service person, it can be done with regular maintenance, not urgent response, while preventing deterioration of the product during that time, It is possible to reduce the burden on the service person.

  Further, in the overfrost determination section 52, the temperature TP in the chamber 23 is not less than a predetermined upper limit value, and the difference between the temperature TP in the chamber 23 and the temperature TE of the evaporator 28 is not less than a predetermined value. Since it is determined that the excessive frost is generated in the evaporator 28 based on the establishment of the excessive frost determination condition including this, the excessive frost in the evaporator 28 can be accurately detected. .

  In particular, as in the embodiment, the over-frost determination condition is a standard that can determine whether or not the frost amount of the evaporator 28 has increased to a predetermined upper limit value that can be removed by one defrost. By doing so, it becomes possible to determine that excessive frost is generated while the amount of frost on the evaporator 28 can be removed by one defrost, and the amount of frost on the evaporator 28 However, it is possible to avoid the inconvenience of abnormally increasing and frost blockage that cannot be dealt with by defrosting.

  Moreover, if the temperature rise suppression part 54 raises the rotation speed of the air blower 29 like Example, if the temperature rise of the inside 23 of a store | warehouse | chamber is suppressed, the cold air circulation worsened by the excessive frost of the evaporator 28 will be prevented. Complementation can effectively prevent or suppress deterioration of the product.

  In addition, in the embodiment, the temperature rise suppression unit 54 ends the temperature rise suppression mode based on an instruction from the tablet terminal 41 or the maintenance center 72, so that the cause of excessive frost is eliminated. Employees and service personnel can quickly return to normal operation.

  Moreover, the control part 43 is provided with the defrost control part 56 which performs the regular defrost which defrosts the evaporator 28 by a predetermined | prescribed cycle, and the excessive frost determination part 52 generate | occur | produces in the evaporator 28. Since it is determined that the defrosting control unit 56 performs forced defrosting forcibly defrosting the evaporator 28 a plurality of times (three times in the embodiment, this may be one time). When overfrosting occurs in the evaporator 28, the evaporator 28 is forcibly defrosted without waiting for periodic defrosting, and the overfrosting can be quickly eliminated. In particular, as described above, since the over-frost determination condition that can determine the amount of frost that can be removed by one defrost is satisfied, if the forced defrost is performed, the frost on the evaporator 28 is surely removed. Will be able to.

  At that time, when the defrosting control unit 56 performs forced defrosting of the evaporator 28, the periodic defrosting cycle is reset. Therefore, the periodic defrosting is performed immediately after the forced defrosting, and the temperature of the inside 23 is stored. The inconvenience that TP becomes high is also eliminated. In addition, the over-frost determination unit 52 determines whether or not over-frost is generated in the evaporator 28 at the shortest defrost interval of the evaporator 28. As a result, the inconvenience that the temperature TP of the interior 23 rises can be prevented. This is the same when the forced defrosting is carried out a plurality of times as in the embodiment, and the forced defrosting is also carried out at the shortest defrosting interval so that the temperature rise in the interior 23 can be similarly prevented. become able to.

  Furthermore, the defrost control part 56 of the control apparatus 40 changes the cycle of a regular defrost and the defrost end temperature TE1 of the evaporator 28 based on the instruction | indication from the tablet terminal 41 provided in the shop, or the maintenance center 72. Therefore, the cycle of the regular defrosting of the evaporator 28 of the showcase 20 and the defrosting end temperature TE1 can be changed from the tablet terminal 41 or the maintenance center 72, which is highly convenient.

  In the present invention, it is determined that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator 28 based on the above-described excessive frost determination condition, and is notified to the outside while suppressing the temperature rise in the interior 23. However, if the temperature TP in the cabinet 23 has risen to a predetermined high temperature alarm temperature (a temperature higher than the upper limit value of the temperature TP in the cabinet 23 described above) even after performing the forced defrost as described above. The control device 40 of the showcase 20 issues a high temperature alarm to the tablet terminal 41 and the maintenance center 72.

  Further, in the embodiment, the present invention has been described by taking the ice case constituting the store maintenance system as an example, but the type of the showcase and the numerical value of the temperature shown in the embodiment are not limited thereto, It goes without saying that various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Store maintenance system 20 Showcase 23 Inside the chamber 28 Evaporator 29 Blower 31 Defrost heater 32 Evaporator temperature sensor 33 Inside temperature sensor 36 Compressor 40 Control device 41 Tablet terminal (terminal device)
43 Control Unit 51 Wireless Communication Unit 52 Overfrost Determination Unit 53 Notification Unit 54 Temperature Rise Suppression Unit 56 Defrost Control Unit 67 Wireless LAN Router 72 Maintenance Center

Claims (10)

In the showcase that displays the product while cooling the product by circulating the cold air exchanged with the evaporator through the blower,
An over-frost determination unit that determines whether or not over-frost is generated in the evaporator;
A notification unit for notifying the occurrence of excessive frost when the excessive frost determination unit determines that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator;
A temperature increase suppression unit that executes a temperature increase suppression mode that suppresses a temperature increase in the cabinet when the overfrost determination unit determines that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator; A showcase control device.   The over-frost determination unit includes a predetermined excess including that the temperature in the storage is equal to or higher than a predetermined upper limit value, and that the difference between the temperature in the storage and the temperature of the evaporator is equal to or higher than a predetermined value. The showcase control device according to claim 1, wherein it is determined that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator based on the establishment of the frost formation determination condition.   The over-frost determination condition is a criterion capable of determining whether or not the frost amount of the evaporator has increased to a predetermined upper limit value that can be removed by one defrost. The showcase control device according to claim 2.   The showcase control according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the temperature rise suppression unit suppresses a temperature rise in the warehouse by increasing a rotation speed of the blower. apparatus.   The show according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the notification unit notifies the terminal device provided in the store and / or an external maintenance center of the occurrence of excessive frost formation. Case control device.   The showcase control device according to claim 5, wherein the temperature increase suppression unit ends the temperature increase suppression mode based on an instruction from the terminal device and / or the maintenance center. A defrost control unit that performs periodic defrosting to defrost the evaporator in a predetermined cycle;
The defrost control unit, when the overfrost determination unit determines that excessive frost is generated in the evaporator, forced defrost to forcibly defrost the evaporator once, or 7. The showcase control device according to claim 1, wherein the showcase control device is implemented a plurality of times.   The showcase control device according to claim 7, wherein the defrosting control unit resets the cycle of the regular defrosting when the forced defrosting of the evaporator is performed.   The over-frost determination unit determines whether or not over-frost is generated in the evaporator at the shortest defrost interval of the evaporator and performs the forced defrost a plurality of times. The forcible defrosting of the evaporator is performed at the shortest defrosting interval, and the showcase control device according to claim 7 or 8,   The defrost control unit changes a cycle of the regular defrost based on an instruction from a terminal device provided in a store and / or an external maintenance center, and / or completes defrosting of the evaporator. 10. The showcase control device according to claim 7, wherein the temperature is changed.

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