Showcase and control device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10548415-B2
Application number	US-201615354324-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 17, 2016
Priority date	Feb 4, 2016
Publication date	Feb 4, 2020
Grant date	Feb 4, 2020

Abstract

A showcase includes a casing having a front opening through which a product is picked up, a product storage located in the casing, a cold air outlet in a front upper portion of the product storage, and a cold air inlet in a front lower portion of the product storage. Cold air is forced to flow out of the cold air outlet in a downward direction and sucked into the cold air inlet. The showcase further includes an inlet port in the front lower portion of the casing at a position below the cold air inlet, a duct, a discharge port in a side wall of the casing, and an airflow generator that forces air in the duct to flow from the inlet port toward the discharge port. The air is sucked through the inlet port and the air in the duct is discharged through the discharge port.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A showcase comprising:
a casing having a front opening through which a product is picked up;
a product storage located in the casing and including a shelf on which the product is displayed;
a cold air outlet in a front upper portion of the product storage, cold air being forced to flow out of the cold air outlet in a downward direction;
a cold air inlet in a front lower portion of the product storage, the cold air being sucked into the cold air inlet;
an inlet port in the front lower portion of the casing at a position below the cold air inlet, the cold air being sucked through the inlet port;
a duct through which the cold air sucked through the inlet port flows;
a discharge port in a side wall of the casing including a fin with an inclined portion; and
an airflow generator that forces the cold air in the duct to flow from the inlet port toward the discharge port,
wherein the side wall defines one of a left-side and right-side of the casing when viewed from a front of the casing,
wherein the airflow generator controlled by a controller and the inclined portion of the fin allow the cold air flow to the side wall thereby reducing or preventing the condensation on the side wall of the casing, and
wherein, based on a humidity of an external air and a temperature difference between the external air and the cold air inside the casing, the controller decreases an amount of work of the airflow generator to allow that the cold air flowing through the duct is less cooled and the amount of cold air flowing downward is small to prevent the condensation.

2. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge port is located in a lower portion of the side wall of the casing.

3. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge port includes the inclined portion allowing the air flowing along the fin to flow in an upward direction.

4. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein a filter is provided in at least one of the inlet port and the discharge port.

5. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the controller increases an amount of work of the airflow generator when a humidity environment in the showcase is in a second state, the humidity environment in the showcase being higher in the second state than in a first state.

6. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the controller decreases an amount of work of the airflow generator when the showcase is in a defrosting operation.

7. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the controller decreases an amount of work of the airflow generator at night compared to that during daytime.

8. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the controller increases an amount of work of the airflow generator at night compared to that during daytime.

9. The showcase according to claim 1 , wherein the discharge port is located in a lower portion of the side wall of the casing at a position below the cold air inlet.

10. A control device for a showcase, comprising:
a transmitter that transmits a control signal to the showcase to control an airflow generator of the showcase; and
a controller that controls the transmitter, wherein
the showcase includes:
a casing having a front opening through which a product is picked up;
a product storage located in the casing and including a shelf on which the product is displayed;
a cold air outlet in a front upper portion of the product storage, cold air being forced to flow out of the cold air outlet in a downward direction;
a cold air inlet in a front lower portion of the product storage, the cold air being sucked into the cold air inlet;
an inlet port in the front lower portion of the casing at a position below the cold air inlet, the cold air being sucked through the inlet port;
a duct through which the cold air sucked through the inlet port flows;
a discharge port in a side wall of the casing including a fin with an inclined portion; and
the airflow generator that forces the cold air in the duct to flow from the inlet port toward the discharge port,

wherein the side wall defines one of a left-side and right-side of the casing when viewed from a front of the casing,
wherein the airflow generator controlled by a controller and the inclined portion of the fin allow the cold air flow to the side wall thereby reducing or preventing the condensation on the side wall of the casing, and
wherein, based on a humidity of an external air and a temperature difference between the external air and the cold air inside the casing, the controller decreases an amount of work of the airflow generator to allow that the cold air flowing through the duct is less cooled and the amount of cold air flowing downward is small to prevent the condensation.

11. The control device according to claim 10 , wherein the controller causes the transmitter to transmit a control signal for increasing an amount of work of the airflow generator when a humidity environment in the showcase is in a second state, the humidity environment in the showcase being higher in the second state than in a first state.

12. The control device according to claim 10 , wherein the controller causes the transmitter to transmit a control signal for decreasing an amount of work of the airflow generator when the showcase is in a defrosting operation.

13. The control device according to claim 10 , wherein the controller causes the transmitter to transmit a control signal for decreasing an amount of work of the airflow generator at night compared to that during daytime.

14. The control device according to claim 10 , wherein the controller causes the transmitter to transmit a control signal for increasing an amount of work of the airflow generator at night compared to that during daytime.

Assignees

• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Hirano Jun

Classifications

• A47F3/0447 Primary

  with air curtains · CPC title

• A47F3/0478

  Control or safety arrangements · CPC title