Cooling equipment, temperature control system, air conditioning system, and hot water supply system for the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9964351-B2
Application number	US-201214131074-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 6, 2012
Priority date	Jul 12, 2011
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

The present invention aims to provide cooling equipment which can reduce power consumption. Cooling equipment 1 includes a storage chamber 30 that stores storage goods; latent heat storage materials 101 to 106 disposed inside the storage chamber 30 ; a compressor 40 that configures a refrigerating cycle for cooling the inside of the storage chamber 30 ; a temperature sensor 60 that detects a temperature of the latent heat storage materials 101 to 106 ; and a control unit 100 that controls the compressor 40 , based on a state of the latent heat storage materials 101 to 106.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. Cooling equipment comprising:
a storage chamber that stores storage goods;
a first latent heat storage member that is inside the storage chamber and includes at least a first latent heat storage material that is reversibly phase-transited between a solid phase and a liquid phase;
a second latent heat storage member that is inside the storage chamber and includes at least a second latent heat storage material that is reversibly phase-transited between the solid phase and the liquid phase;
a sensor that is in contact with or included inside the second latent heat storage member and detects a state of the second latent heat storage member;
a cooling mechanism that cools the inside of the storage chamber; and
control circuitry that controls the cooling mechanism, based on a state of the second latent heat storage member, wherein
the second latent heat storage member is phase-transited earlier than the first latent heat storage member, and
a thickness of the second latent heat storage member is thinner than a thickness of the first latent heat storage member.

2. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein
during cooling of the storage chamber, at least a portion of the second latent heat storage member completes phase-transition and freezes earlier than the first latent heat storage member, and
while cold is radiating from the storage chamber, at least a portion of the second latent heat storage member completes the phase-transition and melts earlier than the first latent heat storage member.

3. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the state includes any one of a temperature, a volumetric change, a mechanical strength, and optical characteristics.

4. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the cooling mechanism includes any one of a compressor, an opening of a cold air port or a vent hole, and a cooling fan.

5. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein a latent heat amount in a thickness direction of at least a portion of the second latent heat storage member is smaller than a latent heat amount in a thickness direction of at least a portion of the first latent heat storage member.

6. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor is disposed in a section where the latent heat amount in the thickness direction of the second latent heat storage member is smaller than the maximum value of the latent heat amount in the thickness direction of the first latent heat storage member.

7. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein
the second latent heat storage member includes a recess, and
the sensor detects a state of the recess.

8. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a plate-shaped member that is included in the second latent heat storage member and has a thermal conductivity higher than a thermal conductivity of the second latent heat storage member, wherein the sensor is arranged in contact with the plate-shaped member.

9. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the second latent heat storage member has heat conductive filler or particulates having no latent heat in a control temperature range.

10. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the first latent heat storage member includes a container body that seals the first latent heat storage material, and
the second latent heat storage member includes a container body that seals the second latent heat storage material.

11. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein a material included in the first latent heat storage material is a same material included in the second latent heat storage material.

12. The cooling equipment according to claim 1 , wherein the second latent heat storage material is arranged at a position where cold air blowing into the storage chamber is likely to hit relatively and near a corner inside the storage chamber.

Assignees

• Yamashita Takashi
• Ide Tetsuya
• Umenaka Yasuyuki
• Utsumi Yuka
• Deguchi Kazuhiro
• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Yamashita Takashi
• Ide Tetsuya
• Umenaka Yasuyuki
• Utsumi Yuka
• Deguchi Kazuhiro

Classifications

• F25D31/00 Primary

  Other cooling or freezing apparatus · CPC title

• F25D2700/12

  Sensors measuring the inside temperature · CPC title

• F25B2600/0251

  with on-off operation · CPC title

• F25D11/006 Primary

  with cold storage accumulators · CPC title

• F28D20/02

  using latent heat · CPC title