The disclosure relates to a refrigerating cabinet, and relates to a combination-type refrigerating cabinet.
A conventional refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet obtains required cold energy from a refrigeration-cycle device, so as to cool or freeze foods or vegetables and fruits stored or displayed therein. The refrigeration-cycle device for the refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator, through which a coolant sequentially passes to circulate in the refrigeration-cycle device. The condenser releases heat energy while the evaporator produces cold energy, and the produced cold energy is supplied to the refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet for keeping an interior thereof at required low temperatures. The conventional refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet obtains the cold energy completely from the evaporator, and the cold energy is delivered to the interior of the refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet via air passages provided inside the refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet.
The conventional refrigerating cabinet or freezing cabinet may be a refrigerator or a refrigerated showcase. The refrigerated showcase may be an open refrigerated showcase or a closed refrigerated showcase, and the latter is openably closed by, for example, glass doors. The refrigerated showcases have been widely used in supermarkets and hypermarkets to hold and display foods to be sold. The refrigerated showcases not only function to keep the foods displayed therein in a fresh and hydrated state, but also effectively display the foods to be sold in an eye-catching manner to attract more consumers to buy them.
The combination-type refrigerating cabinet according to a first embodiment of the disclosure includes a cabinet body, a refrigeration-cycle unit, and a pipe system. The cabinet body internally defines at least one cold accumulation chamber and a refrigerated cabinet internally having at least one refrigeration chamber. At least one first air passage is provided between the cold accumulation chamber and the refrigerated cabinet. The cold accumulation chamber is internally provided with at least one cold accumulator, and the cold accumulator includes a case filled with a liquid cold accumulating material. The refrigeration-cycle unit separately supplies cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber and the refrigerated cabinet. The pipe system is provided between the cabinet body and the refrigeration-cycle unit, and includes a cold accumulation chamber pipeline communicating the refrigeration-cycle unit with the cold accumulation chamber, and a refrigerated cabinet pipeline communicating the refrigeration-cycle unit with the refrigerated cabinet.
The combination-type refrigerating cabinet according to a second embodiment of the disclosure includes a display zone, a refrigeration-cycle unit, and a cold accumulation chamber. The display zone has a housing, in which a third partition board is provided closer to a rear side thereof, so that a gas passage is formed in the display-zone housing behind the third partition board. The third partition board has a plurality of third through holes formed thereon, via which the gas passage communicates with a space in the display zone in front of the third partition board. The refrigeration-cycle unit includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator. The evaporator is located in a closed chamber, and cold energy produced by the evaporator is sent to the display zone by a fan. The closed chamber enclosing the evaporator is communicable with the gas passage via a sealing gate provided in the gas passage. The cold accumulation chamber is arranged between the refrigeration-cycle unit and the display zone to locate below the refrigeration-cycle unit and atop the display zone. The cold accumulation chamber is communicable with the closed chamber for the evaporator via a first partition board formed with one or more first through holes that are closable by a first closing member, and communicable with the display zone via a second partition board formed with one or more second through holes that are closable by a second closing member. The cold accumulation chamber is formed between the first and the second partition board and has one or more cold accumulators provided therein.
The combination-type refrigerating cabinet according to a third embodiment of the disclosure includes an upper display zone, a lower display zone, a refrigeration-cycle unit, and a cold accumulation chamber. The upper display zone is openably closed by doors. A fifth partition board is provided in the upper and the lower display zone closer to a rear side thereof, so that a gas passage is formed in the upper and lower display zones behind the fifth partition board. The fifth partition board has a plurality of fifth through holes formed thereon to communicate the gas passage with spaces of the upper and lower display zones in front of the fifth partition board; and the gas passage is internally provided with a sealing gate. The refrigeration-cycle unit includes a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve and an evaporator. The evaporator is located in a closed chamber, and cold energy produced by the evaporator is sent to the upper and lower display zones by a fan. The closed chamber enclosing the evaporator is communicable with the gas passage via the sealing gate provided in the gas passage. The cold accumulation chamber is arranged between the refrigeration-cycle unit and the upper display zone to locate below the refrigeration-cycle unit and atop the upper display zone. The cold accumulation chamber is communicable with the closed chamber for the evaporator via a third partition board formed with one or more third through holes, and communicable with the upper display zone via a fourth partition board formed with one or more fourth through holes. And, the cold accumulation chamber has one or more cold accumulators provided therein.
The structure and the technical means adopted by the disclosure to achieve the above and other objects can be best understood by referring to the following detailed description of the embodiments and the accompanying drawings, wherein
Please refer to
The cabinet body 11 internally defines at least one cold accumulation chamber 111 and a refrigerated cabinet 112. At least one first air passage 113 is provided between the cold accumulation chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112, so that cold energy stored in the cold accumulation chamber 111 can be transferred to the refrigerated cabinet 112 via the first air passage 113. The refrigerated cabinet 112 internally has one or more refrigeration chambers 114. In the case of having multiple refrigeration chambers 114, at least one second air passage 115 is provided between any two adjacent refrigeration chambers 114. The refrigeration chambers 114 provide the function of maintaining foods stored therein in a fresh state. The at least one cold accumulator 13 is arranged in the cold accumulation chamber 111. Herein, the cold accumulator 13 refers to a case in which a liquid cold accumulating material is filled, and a heat accumulator refers to a case in which a liquid heat accumulating material is filled. Since the cold accumulator and the heat accumulator are known skills and their respective functions are same in all embodiments that will be described below, they are not repeatedly discussed in details herein. And, all the following embodiments are described based on the use of cold accumulators 13 in the cold accumulation chamber 111 for storing cold energy. The cold accumulation chamber 111 is located above the refrigerated cabinet 112. In the disclosure, the cabinet body 11, the cold accumulation chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112 all have walls made of a thermal insulating material, which may be a polyurethane (PU) foaming material, a vacuum-insulated material, vacuum-insulated panels, or different combinations thereof. Since the insulating walls are known skills, they are not discussed in details herein.
The refrigeration-cycle unit 12 produces and supplies cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112, and includes a compressor 121, a condenser 122, an expansion valve 123 and an evaporator 124. The compressor 121 compresses a low-temperature and low-pressure gas-phase coolant supplied therethrough into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase coolant, which then flows through the condenser 122 to release heat energy and become a low-temperature and high-pressure liquid-phase coolant. Then, the expansion valve 123 reduces the pressure of the liquid-phase coolant flowed therethrough and properly controls the flow of the liquid-phase coolant. The low-temperature and low-pressure liquid-phase coolant then flows through the evaporator 124 to absorb heat and become vaporized, resulting in dropped external temperature. The low-temperature and low-pressure liquid-phase coolant is converted into low-temperature and low-pressure gas-phase coolant, which flows back into the compressor 121 and is compressed into a high-temperature and high-pressure gas-phase coolant again to start another cycle of the above-described operation. Since the operation of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 is a known skill, it is not discussed in details herein.
The pipe system 14 is provided between the cabinet body 11 and the refrigeration-cycle unit 12, so that the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 supplies cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112 in the cabinet body 11 via the pipe system 14.
The pipe system 14 includes a cold accumulation chamber pipeline 141 and a refrigerated cabinet pipeline 142. The cold accumulation chamber pipeline 141 communicates the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 with the cold accumulation chamber 111, and the refrigerated cabinet pipeline 142 communicates the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 with the refrigerated cabinet 112. With these arrangements, the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 can supply cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112 via the pipe system 14. The pipe system 14 has a first end and a second end. In the illustrated first embodiment, the first end of the pipe system 14 is connected to the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12, and the second end of the pipe system 14 is connected to the cold accumulation chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112. The evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 and the first end of the pipe system 14 are enclosed in a closed space 125.
The cold accumulation chamber pipeline 141 includes one or more pipes, which respectively communicate the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 with one cold accumulation chamber 111. The refrigerated cabinet pipeline 142 includes one or more pipes, which respectively communicate the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 with one refrigeration chamber 114 in the refrigerated cabinet 112.
The first air passage 113 between the cold accumulator chamber 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112 is provided with a first closing member 116 for opening or closing the first air passage 112 under control. The second air passage 115 between two adjacent refrigeration chambers 114 is provided with a second closing member 117 for opening or closing the second air passage 115. The first closing member 116 and the second closing member 117 are respectively controlled by a motor 118 to move, so as to open or close the first air passage 113 and the second air passage 115, respectively. The first air passage 113 is a partition board having one or more through holes formed thereon; and the second air passage 115 is also a partition board having one or more through holes formed thereon.
The combination-type refrigerating cabinet of the disclosure combines at least one cold accumulation chamber 111 with a refrigerated cabinet 112. When the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 supplies cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber 111, the cold accumulators 13 in the cold accumulation chamber 111 store the cold energy supplied thereto. At the time the cold accumulation chamber 111 reaches a predetermined low temperature, the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 stops operating and the cold accumulation chamber 111 starts supplying the stored cold energy thereof to the refrigerated cabinet 112. In this manner, it is possible to use the cold energy to keep the stored foods fresh and hydrated for longer time while indirectly reducing the carbon dioxide emission in the environment. Unlike the prior art, the disclosure does not require any additional freezing unit for freezing the cold accumulators or any charging control unit. Further, the cold accumulators used for the disclosure have the function of automatically keeping desired humidity in the refrigerated cabinet 112, so that foods stored in the refrigerated cabinet 112 can maintain fresh and hydrated for a longer time.
The combination-type refrigerating cabinet according to the first embodiment of the disclosure further includes a plurality of temperature detectors 15 separately provided in the cold accumulation chambers 111 and the refrigeration chambers 114 of the refrigerated cabinet 112 for monitoring the temperature therein at any time, so as to determine whether to start or stop the refrigeration-cycle unit 12. The temperature detectors 15 are electrically connected to a controller 16, which starts or stops the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 according to signals received from the temperature detectors 15. The temperature detectors 15 include one or more first temperature detectors 151 for detecting the temperature in the one or more cold accumulation chambers 111, one or more second temperature detectors 152 for detecting the temperature in the one or more refrigeration chambers 114, and a third temperature detector 153 located at one side of the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12.
The first embodiment of the disclosure further includes a plurality of valves 17 separately connected to the pipes of the cold accumulation chamber pipeline 141 and the refrigerated cabinet pipeline 142. The controller 16 also controls the valves 17 to open or close according to the temperature detection signals fed by the temperature detectors 15 to the controller 16, so as to control the temperatures in the cold accumulation chambers 111 and the refrigeration chambers 114. The valves 17 includes a first valve 171 connected to the cold accumulation chamber pipeline 141, a second valve 172 connected to the refrigerated cabinet pipeline 142, and one or more third valves 173 connected to the pipes of the refrigerated cabinet pipeline 142 that communicate with the individual refrigeration chambers 114 in the refrigerated cabinet 112.
Please refer to
The third temperature detector 153 is arranged to one side of the evaporator 124 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 12, and is electrically connected to the controller 16. The third temperature detector 153 detects the temperature of the air output from the evaporator 124, enabling more accurate control of the temperatures of the cold accumulation chambers 111 and the refrigerated cabinet 112 by the controller 16.
When the cold accumulation chambers 111 or the refrigeration chambers 114 are detected to have an internal temperature risen above a fourth preset temperature, the first temperature detectors 151 in the cold accumulation chambers 111 generate a seventh signal to the controller 16, or the second temperature detectors 152 in the refrigeration chambers 114 generate an eighth signal to the controller 16, so that the controller 16 starts the refrigeration-cycle unit 12 again for the same to produce and supply cold energy to the cold accumulation chambers 111 and/or the refrigeration chambers 114. In this way, it is possible to use the cold energy to keep the stored foods fresh and hydrated for longer time while reducing the number of times of turning on/off the compressor 121 and indirectly reducing the carbon dioxide emission in the environment. Further, unlike the prior art, the disclosure does not require any additional freezing unit for freezing the cold accumulators or any charging control unit. Further, the cold accumulators used for the disclosure have the function of automatically keeping desired humidity in the refrigerated cabinet 112, so that foods stored in the refrigerated cabinet 112 can maintain fresh and hydrated for a longer time.
According to the structural design of the first embodiment of the disclosure, the first, the second, the third and the fourth preset temperature may be set to, for example, −18° C., −12° C., −5° C. and +5° C., respectively. In the disclosure, the cold accumulators 13 are set to maintain in a frozen state for 12 hours.
The refrigeration-cycle unit 22 includes a compressor 221, a condenser 222, an expansion valve 223 and an evaporator 224. The evaporator 224 absorbs heat to produce cold energy, and the condenser 222 releases heat to produce heat energy. Thus, the refrigerated showcase 20 is designed to receive cold energy and release heat energy. The evaporator 224 is enclosed in a closed chamber 225 and isolated from external environment. The cold energy produced by the evaporator 224 is sent by a fan 226 to the display zone 21 and the cold accumulation chamber 23 of the refrigerated showcase 20. In the second embodiment, the known technical features of the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 are not repeatedly discussed herein to enable convenient and clear description of the disclosure. According to the second embodiment, the closed chamber 225 enclosing the evaporator 224 is communicable with the cold accumulation chamber 23 via a first partition board 24 having one or more first through holes 241 formed thereon; and the cold accumulation chamber 23 in turn communicates with the display zone 21 via a second partition board 25 having one or more second through holes 251 formed thereon. That is, the cold accumulation chamber 23 is formed between the first partition board 24 and the second partition board 25.
The refrigerated showcase 20 includes a housing 26 for the display zone 21. A third partition board 27 is provided in the display-zone housing 26 closer to a rear side thereof, so that a gas passage 271 is formed in the display-zone housing 26 behind the third partition board 27. The third partition board 27 has a plurality of third through holes 272 formed thereon, via which the gas passage 271 communicates with a space of the display zone 21 in front of the display zone 21. The gas passage 271 is also communicable with the closed chamber 225 enclosing the evaporator 224, such that cold energy produced by the evaporator 224 of the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 can be separately supplied to the display zone 21 via the gas passage 271 independent of the cold accumulation chamber 23. The cold accumulation chamber 23 is internally provided with one or more cold accumulators 231, which can become frozen when the cold energy produced by the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 is supplied into the cold accumulation chamber 23. The cold energy produced by the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 is also supplied into the display zone 21 via the gas passage 271 and the third through holes 272 formed on the third partition board 27, allowing the display zone 21 to hold and display foods that may be stored at a low temperature to keep cold.
In the second embodiment, the whole refrigerated showcase 20, including its display-zone housing 26, the first partition board 24 and the second partition board 25 all are made of a heat-insulating material.
According to the second embodiment, the disclosure further includes a controller 28 and a plurality of temperature detectors 29. The temperature detectors 29 are separately provided in the closed chamber 225 for the evaporator 224, the cold accumulation chamber 23, and the display zone 21.
When the display zone 21 is used to keep foods fresh, it requires a temperature different from that in the cold accumulation chamber 23. A sealing gate 273 for the gas passage 271 is closed first, so that the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 supplies cold energy only to the cold accumulation chamber 23 to freeze the cold accumulators 231 therein. In this case, the cold energy is supplied into the cold accumulation chamber 23 via the first through holes 241 on the first partition board 24, while the second through holes 251 on the second partition board 25 are closed by a corresponding second closing member 252.
The second closing member 252 has second vents 253 formed thereon and can be driven by a motor 254 to move, so that the second vents 253 are aligned with or offset from the second through holes 251 on the second partition board 25. When the second vents 253 are aligned with the second through holes 251, low-temperature gas from the cold accumulation chamber 23 is allowed to pass through the second partition board 25 into the display zone 21. On the other hand, when the second vents 253 are offset from the second through holes 251, no low-temperature gas from the cold accumulation chamber 23 is admitted into the display zone 21.
In the event the temperature detector 29 in the cold accumulation chamber 23 detects the temperature in the cold accumulation chamber 23 drops below a first preset temperature, indicating the cold accumulators 231 in the cold accumulation chamber 23 have become frozen, the temperature detector 29 will generate a signal to the controller 28, and the controller 28 in turn controls a first closing member 242 to close the first through holes 241 formed on the first partition board 24. The first closing member 242 has first vents 243 formed thereon, and can be driven by a corresponding motor 244 to move, so that the first vents 243 are aligned with or offset from the first through holes 241 on the first partition board 24. When the first vents 243 are aligned with the first through holes 241, low-temperature gas from the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 is allowed to pass through the first partition board 24 into the cold accumulation chamber 23. On the other hand, when the first vents 243 are offset from the first through holes 241, no low-temperature gas from the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 is admitted into the cold accumulation chamber 23. When the first partition board 24 is controlled by the controller 28 to close, the sealing gate 273 of the gas passage 271 is simultaneously opened under control of the controller 28, so that cold energy is directly supplied from the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 to the display zone 21.
When the temperature in the display zone 21 is detected by the corresponding temperature detectors 29 as having dropped to a second preset temperature, the sealing gate 273 between the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 and the gas passage 271 is closed. And, when the corresponding temperature detectors 29 detect the display zone 21 has an internal temperature risen to a third preset temperature, the second closing member 252 is driven to open the second partition board 25 under control, so that the cold energy stored by the cold accumulators 231 in the cold accumulation chamber 23 can be supplied via the second through holes 251 down into the display zone 21, enabling the latter to maintain at a temperature and humidity sufficient for keeping foods held therein in a fresh and hydrated state for a period of time. Then, when it is detected the display zone 21 or the cold accumulation chamber 23 has an internal temperature risen to a fourth preset temperature, the corresponding temperature detectors 29 generate a signal to the controller 28, and the controller 28 immediately actuates the refrigeration-cycle unit 22 to produce and supply cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber 23 or the display zone 21. In the case the cold accumulation chamber 23 has an internal temperature risen to a level that can no longer maintain the display zone 21 at a temperature required for keeping the displayed foods in the fresh and hydrated state, the controller 28 immediately opens the sealing gate 273 of the gas passage 271 while controlling the second closing member 252 to close the second through holes 251. In this manner, the temperature in the cold accumulation chamber 23 can drop again to freeze the cold accumulators 231, so that the cold accumulators 231 are prepared for supplying cold energy to the display zone 21 for use next time. By repeating the above-described operation cycle, it is possible to use the cold energy to keep the stored foods fresh and hydrated for longer time while reducing the number of times of turning on/off the compressor 121 and indirectly reducing the carbon dioxide emission in the environment. Further, unlike the prior art, the disclosure does not require any additional freezing unit for freezing the cold accumulators or any charging control unit. Further, the cold accumulators used for the disclosure have the function of automatically keeping desired humidity in the display zone 21, so that foods stored and displayed in the display zone 21 can maintain fresh and hydrated for a longer time.
In the second embodiment, the controller 28 is electrically connected to every temperature detector 29, the sealing gate 273, the first closing member 242, the second closing member 252 and the motors 244, 254. Accordingly, the first and the second closing member 242, 252 can be respectively driven by the motors 244, 254 to move under control of the controller 28.
Please refer to
As can be seen from
In the third embodiment, the combined refrigerated showcase 30 also includes a controller 37 and a plurality of temperature detectors 38 separately provided in the closed chamber 332 for the evaporator 331, the cold accumulation chamber 34, and the upper and lower display zones 31, 32.
As can be seen from
In the case the upper display zone 31 is used to hold and display frozen foods, the temperature needed by the upper display zone 31 would be different from that in the cold accumulation chamber 34. To meet this requirement, first close a sealing gate 304 of the gas passage 302, so that cold energy produced by the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 is supplied only to the cold accumulation chamber 34 to freeze the cold accumulators 345 therein. The cold energy is supplied from the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 via the third through holes 342 on the third partition board 341 into the cold accumulation chamber 34, while the fourth through holes 344 on the fourth partition board 343 are closed by a fourth closing member 346 correspondingly provided atop the fourth partition board 343. The fourth closing member 346 has fourth vents 350 formed thereon. The fourth closing member 346 can be driven by a motor 351 to move under control of the controller 37, so that the fourth vents 350 are aligned with or offset from the fourth through holes 344. When the fourth vents 350 are aligned with the fourth through holes 344, low-temperature gas from the cold accumulation chamber 34 is allowed to pass through the fourth partition board 343 into the display zones 31, 32. On the other hand, when the fourth vents 350 are offset from the fourth through holes 344, no low-temperature gas from the cold accumulation chamber 34 can flow down through the fourth partition board 343 into the display zones 31, 32.
In the event the temperature detector 38 in the cold accumulation chamber 34 detects the temperature therein has dropped below a first preset temperature, indicating the cold accumulators 345 in the cold accumulation chamber 34 have become frozen, the controller 37 will generate a signal to open the sealing gate 304 of the gas passage 302, so that cold energy is supplied from the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 to the upper display zone 31 for the same to have an internal temperature suitable for keeping foods held and displayed in the upper display zone 31 in a cold state. When the upper display zone 31 is detected by corresponding temperature detectors 38 as having an internal temperature lowered to a second preset temperature, the temperature detectors 38 generate a signal to the controller 37 for the latter to stop the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 and control a third closing member 347 to close the third through holes 342 on the third partition board 341 as well as close the sealing gate 304 of the gas passage 302.
The third closing member 347 has third vents 348 formed thereon. The third closing member 347 can be driven by a motor 349 to move under control of the controller 37, so that the third vents 348 are aligned with or offset from the third through holes 342. When the third vents 348 are aligned with the third through holes 342, low-temperature gas from the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 is allowed to pass through the third partition board 341 into the cold accumulation chamber 34. On the other hand, when the third vents 348 are offset from the third through holes 342, no low-temperature gas from the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 can flow through the third partition board 341 down into the cold accumulation chamber 34. At this point, the controller 37 generates a signal to move the fourth closing member 346 and thereby open the fourth through holes 344 on the fourth partition board 343.
When the upper display zone 31 is detected by corresponding temperature detectors 38 as having an internal temperature risen to a third preset temperature, the temperature detectors 38 generate a signal to the controller 37 for the latter to control the fourth closing member 346 to an open position, allowing the cold energy stored by the cold accumulators 345 in the cold accumulation chamber 34 to flow down to the upper display zone 31, so that the upper display zone 31 can maintain at a frozen temperature for a period of time. Then, when the upper display zone 31 or the cold accumulation chamber 34 is detected as having an internal temperature risen to a fourth preset temperature, the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 is actuated again to produce and supply cold energy to the cold accumulation chamber 34 or the upper display zone 31, in order to maintain the cooling effect of the upper display zone 31. In the case the cold accumulation chamber 34 has an internal temperature risen to a level that can no longer maintain the upper display zone 31 at a required operating temperature, the corresponding temperature detector 38 can generate a signal to the controller 37 for the latter to close the sealing gate 304 of the gas passage 302 and the fourth closing member 346, so that cold energy is supplied from the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 to the cold accumulation chamber 34 to lower the internal temperature thereof and freeze the cold accumulators 345 therein, making the cold accumulators 345 prepared for supplying cold energy to the upper display zone 31 for use next time.
Since the lower display zone 32 is generally used to hold and display fresh foods, the cold energy needed to keep the working temperature of the lower display zone 32 is supplied directly from the refrigeration-cycle unit 33 via the gas passage 302 to the lower display zone 32. By repeating the above-described operation cycle, it is possible to use the cold energy to keep the stored foods cold and hydrated for longer time while reducing the number of times of turning on/off the compressor. Further, unlike the prior art, the disclosure does not require any additional freezing unit for freezing the cold accumulators or any charging control unit. Moreover, since the cold accumulators for the disclosure have the junction of automatically keeping desired humidity in the display zones, foods stored and displayed in the display zones can maintain fresh and hydrated for a longer time.
The lower display zone 32 may have a plurality of cold accumulators 345 provided on the whole inner bottom thereof to provide required cold energy and humidity in the lower display zone 32.
The controller 37 is electrically connected to every temperature detector 38, the sealing gate 304, the third closing member 347, and the fourth closing member 346.
An object of the disclosure is to provide a combination-type refrigerating cabinet that uses not only a refrigeration-cycle unit, but also cold accumulators to obtain required cold energy.
Another object of the disclosure is to provide a refrigeration-cycle unit that supplies cold energy to a refrigerated cabinet for a period of time before a preset temperature is reached, and then one or more cold accumulators replace the refrigeration-cycle unit to supply the cold energy. By alternately using the refrigeration-cycle unit and the cold accumulators to supply cold energy to the refrigerated cabinet, it is possible to provide longer cooling time while maintaining an interior of the refrigerated cabinet at a required humidity.
A further object of the disclosure is to provide a combination-type refrigerating cabinet that reduces the number of times of turning on or off a compressor and accordingly indirectly reduces the carbon dioxide emission in the environment.
A still further object of the disclosure is to provide a combination-type refrigerating cabinet that does not require any additional freezing unit for freezing cold accumulators or any charging control unit, and the cold accumulators used for the refrigerating cabinet have the function of automatically maintaining a required humidity in a refrigerated cabinet, so that foods stored in the refrigerated cabinet can keep fresh and hydrated for longer time.
In brief, in the combination-type refrigerating cabinet according to the disclosure, the refrigeration-cycle unit and the cold accumulators work alternately to supply cold energy, so that continuous and prolonged frozen and cooling effects can be achieved while the number of times of turning on or off the compressor is reduced and the carbon dioxide emission in the environment can be indirectly reduced. Further, unlike the prior art, the disclosure does not require any additional freezing unit for freezing the cold accumulators or any charging control unit, and the cold accumulators used therefor have the function of automatically keeping desired humidity in the combination-type refrigerating cabinet, so that foods stored in the combination-type refrigerating cabinet of the disclosure can maintain fresh and hydrated for a longer time.
The disclosure has been described with some embodiments thereof and it is understood that many changes and modifications in the described embodiments can be carried out without departing from the scope and the spirit of the disclosure that is intended to be limited only by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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101102420 A | Jan 2012 | TW | national |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20130186123 A1 | Jul 2013 | US |