Cooling system control apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9535432-B2
Application number	US-201114007249-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 15, 2011
Priority date	Mar 24, 2011
Publication date	Jan 3, 2017
Grant date	Jan 3, 2017

Abstract

A control apparatus is configured for adjusting a control value for a refrigerating machine of a cooling system and performing control of the cooling system in conformity with an environmental condition. A controller has a data base having environmental condition cells in which control values for the refrigerating machine are respectively registered in association with respective environmental conditions. The control apparatus outputs a control value suitable for the present cooling state to the refrigerating machine, registers the control value in an environmental condition cell conformed with the present environmental condition and changes the control value to construct the data base when the environmental condition varies, the controller refers to an environmental condition cell conformed with the environmental condition, corrects a control value registered at the environmental condition cell in accordance with a tendency that the control value has been changed, and outputs the corrected control value to the refrigerating machine.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A control apparatus for a cooling system having a low-temperature showcase and a refrigerating machine for supplying refrigerant to the low-temperature showcase, the control apparatus comprising a data base having environmental condition cells at which control values for the refrigerating machine are respectively registered in association with respective environmental conditions, wherein according to a present cooling state of the low-temperature showcase, the control apparatus outputs a control value suitable for the present cooling state to the refrigerating machine, registers the control value in an environmental condition cell conformed with the present environmental condition and changes the control value to thereby construct the data base, and when the environmental condition varies, the controller refers to an environmental condition cell conformed with the environmental condition, corrects a control value registered at the environmental condition cell in accordance with a tendency that the control value has been hitherto changed, and outputs the corrected control value to the refrigerating machine,
wherein a control value at a new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to is corrected in accordance with the relationship between a control value at a previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to and the control value at the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to and a tendency of change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell.

2. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the environmental condition is an in-store temperature, an out-of-store temperature and a time zone.

3. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the control value for the refrigerating machine is a low-pressure side pressure set value for controlling an operation of the refrigerating machine.

4. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the control value is changed in accordance with the cooling state of the low-temperature showcase so as to reduce power consumption of the refrigerating machine while the low-temperature showcase is kept to be cooled.

5. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell stays substantially flat or has not changed, the control value is used even after variation of the environmental condition.

6. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to is moderate in a direction of non-cooling the low-temperature showcase, and the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more greatly cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to, a control value that has been hitherto referred to is used even after variation of the environmental condition.

7. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to is moderate in a direction of non-cooling the low-temperature showcase, and the control value at the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more greatly non-cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to, an average value or weighted average efficiency between the control value that has been hitherto used and the control value of the new environmental condition cell is used after variation of the environmental condition.

8. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to is moderate in a direction of more greatly cooling the low-temperature showcase and the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more greatly cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to, an average value or weighted average efficiency between the a control value that has been hitherto used and the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred is used after variation of the environmental condition.

9. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell that has be hitherto referred to is moderate in a direction of cooling the low-temperature showcase sand the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more greatly non-cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to, the control value that has been hitherto used is used even after variation of the environmental condition.

10. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to is rapid in a direction of non-cooling the low-temperature showcase and the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to, the control value that has been hitherto used is used even after variation of the environmental condition.

11. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value at the previous environmental condition that has been hitherto referred to is rapid in a direction of non-cooling the low-temperature showcase and the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more greatly non-cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition that has been hitherto referred to, the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to is used after variation of the environmental condition.

12. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to is rapid in a direction of cooling the low-temperature show case and the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to has a tendency of more greatly cooling the low-temperature showcase than the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to, the control value of the new environmental condition cell to be newly referred to is used after variation of the environmental condition.

13. The control apparatus for the cooling system according to claim 1 , wherein when the tendency of the change of the control value of the previous environmental condition cell that has been hitherto referred to is rapid in a direction of cooling the low-temperature showcase and the control value of the new environmental

Assignees

• Kanbara Osamu
• Panasonic Ip Man Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kanbara Osamu

Classifications

• G05D23/19 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means {(G05D23/1393 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• F25D2500/04

  Calculation of parameters · CPC title

• F25B2500/19

  Calculation of parameters · CPC title

• F25D2700/12

  Sensors measuring the inside temperature · CPC title

• A47F3/0478

  Control or safety arrangements · CPC title