JPH0651768U - Cold aisle elimination device for frozen / refrigerated showcases - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] [Purpose] Cold that can reliably eliminate cold air pools (cold aisles) that can be found in the aisles of stores equipped with open showcases, as well as eliminate condensation in the showcase base and ducts. Provide a device for eliminating an aisle. [Structure] The open showcases 11, 11 are used as back-to-back arrangements in a store, and the space between the backs of the two cases is used as a duct 13. The air in the upper part of the store is sucked into this duct, and the inside of the duct and the base A blower 14 is provided to blow the air from the bottom of the showcase 11 through the inside of the air duct 16. Also, this duct 1
A plate-shaped heater 1 for heating the sucked air is provided in the inside 3.
5 is suspended by a suspending tool 17 and is detachably arranged. Then, the air in the upper part of the store introduced by the blower 14 is warmed in the duct by the heater 15 and then blown out to the case front floor portion 18 to perform heat exchange with the cold aisle, and to cool the periphery of the floor portion (passage). Remove the Isle.

Description

[Detailed description of the device]

[0001]

[Industrial applications]

 The present invention uses an open-type freezer / refrigerator showcase whose front opening is separated from the outside air by an air curtain, and uses the space between the backs of both cases as a duct, which can be created when they are arranged back to back inside a store. The present invention relates to a device for eliminating cold aisle, which introduces the air in the upper part of the store, warms the air, and then blows it out to the floor of the front surface of the case to eliminate cold air pools (cold aisle) in the passage.

[0002]

[Prior art]

 In food stores such as supermarkets, open showcases are used to display refrigerated foods and fresh foods. In this open showcase, the front of the display shelf is opened, the opening is covered with an air curtain formed of air cooled by a cooler, and the air curtain separates the food display portion from the outside air. In addition to arranging along the wall surface of the store, in places other than along the wall surface, they are arranged back-to-back with each other in several rows in the store.

By the way, in this open showcase, since there is no door on the front side, there is an advantage that shopping is easy, but cold air accumulation (cold aisle) on the front floor of the case becomes a passage more or less due to the influence of the air curtain. ) Occurs, which may cause chills and cause discomfort to shoppers.

Therefore, in order to eliminate the cold aisle generated around the front floor part (passage) of the open showcase, conventionally, as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, for example, as shown in FIGS. The space between the case backs 52, 52, which is formed when 51 are arranged back to back in the store, is used as the duct 53, and the blower 54 provided in the duct 53 causes the floor 55 (passage) 55 in front of the showcase. As shown by the arrow, the accumulated cold aisle is sucked from the base air ducts 56, 56 and blown out to the ceiling of the store through the duct 53 so that the cold aisle is eliminated as much as possible.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the device]

 However, with the above means, since the cold aisle in front of the showcase is simply sucked and discharged toward the ceiling of the store through the duct, the air in the store can be circulated, but it is not sufficient to eliminate the cold aisle. There wasn't. Also, if dew condensation occurs on the case base or the back of the case, this means is not effective in eliminating the dew condensation because it allows cold, humid air to pass through the duct.

The present invention has been made in view of the above situation, and uses a space between the backs of both cases as a duct when the open showcases are arranged back to back in a store, and the air in the upper part of the store is used here. Introduces the air to warm the air and then blow it out to the front floor of the case to reliably eliminate cold air accumulation in the passage (cold aisle) and to prevent condensation in the showcase base and ducts. It is an object of the present invention to provide a device for eliminating cold aisle that eliminates the above problems and further narrows the space between the backs of both cases to ensure a wide in-store aisle.

[0007]

[Means for Solving the Problems]

 In order to achieve the above object, the cold aisle elimination device of the present invention uses a space between the backs of both cases as a duct when the open showcases are arranged back to back in the store, and the air in the upper part of the store is placed in the duct. A blower is provided for sucking air and blowing it out through the duct and the air duct of the base part to the front of the bottom of the showcase, and a heater for heating the sucked air is provided in the duct. There is.

The heater installed in the duct controls the amount of heat generated by a signal from a temperature sensor installed in the store to maintain a constant indoor environment. The case was detachably hung from the top plate of the case, a plate-shaped heater was used as the heater, and the heat-generating surface of the plate-shaped heater was on the upstream side at an angle that did not resist the flow of wind. It is also characterized by being inclined to.

[0009]

[Work]

 For cold aisles around the front floor of the case (cold aisle), the air at a relatively high temperature in the upper part of the store is sucked into the duct with a blower and heated by a heater before it passes through the duct and the case base air duct. Since the air is blown out onto the floor in front of the showcase, the heated air can eliminate the condensation formed on the back of the case and the floor of the case, and the cold aisle accumulated on the floor (passage) in the store The heat exchange with the heated air can surely eliminate the heat.

Further, by controlling the heat generation amount of the heater by a signal from a temperature sensor installed in the store and maintaining a constant indoor environment, a comfortable store environment can be secured. Furthermore, the heater can be attached and detached easily by suspending the heater detachably from the top plate of the showcase. In addition, since the plate-shaped heater does not take up much space, it can be installed without widening the duct width, and a wide passage in the store can be secured. In addition, since the heating surface of the heater is a flat plate-shaped surface, dust is hard to collect.

Then, by inclining the heat generating surface of the plate-shaped heater to the upstream side at an angle that does not become a resistance to the flow of wind, the sucked air can be uniformly applied to the heat generating surface, and the heat exchange efficiency can be improved. Can be good.

[0012]

【Example】

 Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 is a side view showing an example of the cold aisle eliminating device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view thereof, FIG. 3 is a side view showing another example of the cold aisle eliminating device of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a front view thereof. is there.

First, as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the cold aisle elimination device of the present invention has a space between both case rear surfaces 12, 12 which can be formed when the open showcases 11, 11 are arranged back to back in a store. The air gap is effectively used as the duct 13. The blower 14 installed above the duct 13, the heater 15 arranged in the duct 13, and the base portion of the showcase 11 communicating with the duct 13. It is composed of an air duct 16.

The blower 14 is attached to the upper part of the duct 13 so as to take in relatively warm air in the upper part of the shop into the duct 13, and the taken-in air is heaters 15 and 15 arranged in the duct 13. The heated air is blown from the lower part of the duct 13 through the base air ducts 16, 16 to the floor 18 in front of the showcases 11, 11. As a result, heat is exchanged with the cold aisle (cold air) accumulated in the front floor of the showcase (passage) 18, the cold aisle in the passage can be eliminated, and while warmed air passes through the ducts 13 and 16. , Condensation on the back of the case or the base can be eliminated.

The heaters 15 and 15 are thin plate-like heaters that are not bulky in shape so that the duct 13 can be made as narrow as possible and the passage side can be widened accordingly, although the shape of the heaters 15 and 15 is not particularly limited. Is preferred. With a thin plate heater, since the heater heating surface is also flat, dust is unlikely to accumulate and it is possible to prevent accidents such as low temperature fires caused by dust.

Further, the heaters 15 and 15 may be fixed to the back surfaces 12 and 12 of the showcases 11 and 11, respectively, but as shown in FIG. It is preferable to hang it from the section and attach it detachably. By mounting in this way, the heater can be easily mounted and maintenance is easy. Further, when installed in an existing facility, such a heater 15 can be relatively easily handled by simply connecting electrical wiring, and a complicated refrigerant such as when using a refrigerator discharge pipe as a heat source. No plumbing is required.

By controlling the heaters 15 and 15 by a signal from a temperature sensor in the store (not shown), a constant store environment can be maintained.

According to the cold aisle eliminating apparatus of the present embodiment as described above, as shown in the flow of air in FIGS. 1 and 2, the relatively warm air recovered from the vicinity of the upper part of the showcase by the blower 14 is ducted. It is possible to eliminate the cold aisle by blowing it out in front of the open showcase 11 through the air duct 13 and the base air duct 16 and exchanging heat with the cold aisle accumulated in the floor 18. Moreover, the dew condensation on the back of the showcase or the base can be eliminated with warm air. In addition, it is relatively easy to install in existing equipment, which is practically meaningful.

Next, FIGS. 3 and 4 show another embodiment of the present invention, in which the arrangement of the heaters provided in the duct is changed, and the other structures are almost the same as those of the previous embodiment. The same is true. That is, the open showcases 21, 21 are used as back-to-back arrangements in the store, and the space between the case backs 22, 22 is used as the duct 23, and the blower 24 installed above the duct 23 and the duct 24. The cold aisle elimination device is constituted by the heaters 25 and 26 disposed inside the air conditioner 23 and the base air duct 27 of the showcase 21 communicating with the duct 23.

The blower 24 is attached to the upper part of the duct 23 so as to take in relatively warm air in the upper part of the store into the duct 23. The taken-in air is the heaters 25, 26 arranged in the duct 23. The heated air is blown from the lower part of the duct 23 through the base air ducts 27, 27 to the floor 28 in front of the showcases 21, 21. As a result, heat is exchanged with the cold aisle (cold air) accumulated in the front floor of the showcase (passage) 28, the cold aisle in the passage can be eliminated, and while warmed air passes through the ducts 23 and 27. , Condensation on the back of the case or the base can be eliminated.

The heaters 25 and 26 are plate-shaped heaters, which are alternately suspended in the duct 23 by suspension members 29 and 30 having different lengths, and their heat generating surfaces are opposed to the flow of wind. However, it is inclined to the upstream side at an angle that does not cause resistance. Then, in order to keep the inclination of the heaters 25 and 26 constant, spacers 31 and 32 that project into the duct 23 and hold the rear surface of the heater are attached to the rear surfaces 22 and 22, respectively. By alternately mounting the heaters 25 and 26 and inclining the heat-generating surface in the wind flow direction, the wind easily hits the heat-generating surface, and more efficient heat exchange can be performed.

It is to be noted that, by controlling the heaters 25 and 26 by a signal from an in-store temperature sensor (not shown), a constant in-store environment can be maintained at all times, as in the above-described embodiment.

According to the cold aisle eliminating apparatus of the embodiment as described above, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the relatively warm air recovered from the vicinity of the upper part of the showcase by the blower 24 is supplied to the duct 23. After being heated by the heaters 25 and 26 inside, the air is blown out to the front of the open showcase 11 through the duct 23 and the base air duct 27, and heat is exchanged with the cold aisle accumulated on the floor 18 to eliminate the cold aisle. can do. Moreover, the dew condensation on the back of the showcase or the base can be eliminated with warm air.

[0024]

[Effect of device]

 Since the present invention is configured as described above, it has the following special effects.

First, in the invention according to claim 1, the space between the backs of both cases, which is formed when the open showcases are arranged back to back in the store, is used as a duct, and the air in the upper part of the store is placed in the duct. A blower for sucking air into the duct and blowing it out through the duct and the air duct of the base part to the front of the bottom of the showcase is provided, and a heater for heating the sucked air is provided in the duct. The dew condensation on the back of the case and the floor of the case can be eliminated by circulating heated air, and by blowing the heated air to the front of the bottom of the case, the cold aisle accumulated on the floor of the store can be secured. Can be resolved. In addition, since the heater is only installed in the duct, even if it is installed in an existing facility, it can be easily installed by a simple work of connecting electrical wiring. Moreover, complicated refrigerant piping work such as when using the refrigerator discharge pipe as a heat source is not required.

Further, according to the second aspect of the present invention, the amount of heat generated by the heater is controlled by a signal from a temperature sensor installed in the store to maintain a constant indoor environment. The environment can be secured.

Further, according to the third aspect of the invention, the heater is detachably suspended from the top plate portion of the showcase, so that the heater can be easily attached and detached.

Further, according to the invention of claim 4, since the plate-shaped heater is used as the heater, the heater can be installed without widening the duct width, and the passage in the store can be widened accordingly, and Since the heating surface of the heater is a plate-shaped flat surface, dust is hard to collect and there is no fear of an accident such as a low temperature fire caused by the dust.

Further, according to the invention of claim 5, the heat generating surface of the plate-shaped heater is inclined to the upstream side at an angle that does not become a resistance to the flow of the wind, so that the heat generating surface is easily hit by the wind and the efficiency is improved. Good heat exchange.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of the cold aisle elimination device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 3 is a side view showing another embodiment of the cold aisle eliminating apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the same.

FIG. 5 is a side view showing an example of a conventional cold aisle eliminating apparatus.

FIG. 6 is also a conventional front view.

[Explanation of symbols]

11,21 Open showcase 12,22 Rear surface 13,23 Duct 14,24 Blower 15,25,26 Heater 16,27 Open showcase base air duct 17,29,30 Lifting tool 18,28 Floor 31,32 Spacer

Claims (5)

[Scope of utility model registration request] 1. An air gap in the upper part of the store is sucked into the duct by utilizing a space between the back faces of both cases, which is formed when the open showcases are arranged back to back in the store, and the air in the upper part of the store is sucked into the duct. A cold aisle elimination apparatus for a frozen / refrigerated showcase, characterized in that a blower for blowing the air into the front of the bottom of the showcase through the air duct is provided, and a heater for heating the sucked air is provided in the duct. . 2. The freezing / refrigerating showcase according to claim 1, wherein the heater controls the amount of heat generated by a signal from a temperature sensor installed in the store to maintain a constant indoor environment. Cold aisle elimination device. 3. The heater is detachably suspended from a top plate portion of a showcase.
Alternatively, the cold aisle elimination device for the frozen / refrigerated showcase described in 2. 4. The cold aisle elimination device for a frozen / refrigerated showcase according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the heater is a plate-shaped heater. 5. The freezer / refrigerator showcase according to claim 4, wherein the plate-shaped heater has a heating surface inclined to an upstream side at an angle that does not resist the flow of wind. Cold aisle elimination device.