REFRIGERATION DEVICE

• US 20200132365A1
• Filed: 12/26/2019
• Published: 04/30/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Original Assignee: PHC Holdings Corporation
• Inventors: OHTA, Akihiro, KAWAKAMI, Takashi, TAKAHASHI, Yorio, SATO, Hiroyuki
• Granted Patent: US 11,268,752 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 23/006 boiling cooling systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25B 49/00 Arrangement or mounting of control or safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/006 with cold storage accumulators
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 11/025 using primary and secondary refrigeration systems
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 19/04 with more than one refrigeration unit
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2600/00 Control issues
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 2700/12 Sensors measuring the inside temperature
• CPC Class Codes: F25D 29/006 Safety devices
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0233 the conduits having a particular shape, e.g. non-circular cross-section, annular F28D15/0241, F28D15/0266 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: F28D 15/0266 with separate evaporating and condensing chambers connected by at least one conduit; Loop-type heat pipes; with multiple or common evaporating or condensing chambers F28D15/043 takes precedence

Abstract

A refrigeration device includes: a refrigerator; a heat pipe that includes a condensation unit connected to the refrigerator and adapted to condense a refrigerant, includes an evaporation unit connected to a storage chamber and adapted to evaporate the refrigerant, and includes a piping for circulating the refrigerant between the condensation unit and the evaporation unit; a heat pipe temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the heat pipe; and a control unit that controls driving of the refrigerator based on a result of detection by the heat pipe temperature sensor. The control unit controls the refrigerator so that the temperature of the heat pipe does not fall below a standard boiling temperature of the refrigerant.

Claims

1. A refrigeration device comprising:

a refrigerator;

a heat pipe that includes a condensation unit connected to the refrigerator in a manner that heat exchange is enabled and adapted to condense a refrigerant, includes an evaporation unit connected to a storage chamber for housing an object that should be stored in a manner that heat exchange is enabled and adapted to evaporate the refrigerant, and includes a piping for circulating the refrigerant between the condensation unit and the evaporation unit;

a heat pipe temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the heat pipe; and

a control unit that controls driving of the refrigerator based on a result of detection by the heat pipe temperature sensor, wherein

the control unit controls the refrigerator so that the temperature of the heat pipe does not fall below a standard boiling temperature of the refrigerant.

2. The refrigeration device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inside temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the storage chamber, wherein

the control unit controls the driving of the refrigerator based on a result of detection by the heat pipe temperature sensor and the inside temperature sensor, and

the control unit controls the refrigerator based on the result of detection by the inside temperature so that the temperature of the storage chamber is within a predetermined range with respect to a predetermined target temperature,

when a difference between the temperature of the heat pipe and the standard boiling temperature of the refrigerant is equal to or smaller than a predetermined value, the control unit restricts an output of the refrigerator irrespective of the result of detection by the inside temperature sensor, and

when the difference between the temperature of the heat pipe and the standard boiling temperature of the refrigerant exceeds the predetermined value, the control unit resumes controlling the refrigerator based on the result of detection by the inside temperature sensor.

3. The refrigeration device according to claim 2, wherein

when the difference between the temperature of the heat pipe and the standard boiling temperature of the refrigerant is equal to or smaller than the predetermined value, the control unit stops driving the refrigerator.

4. The refrigeration device according to claim 1, further comprising:

an inside temperature sensor that detects a temperature of the storage chamber, wherein

the control unit controls the driving of the refrigerator based on a result of detection by the heat pipe temperature sensor and the inside temperature sensor, and

the control unit generates a first control value based on a difference between the temperature of the storage chamber detected by the inside temperature sensor and a target temperature of the storage chamber,

the control unit generates a second control value based on a difference between the temperature of the heat pipe detected by the heat pipe temperature sensor and the standard boiling temperature of the refrigerant, and

the control unit controls the refrigerator based on the smaller of the first control value and the second control value.

5. The refrigeration device according to claim 1, wherein

the heat pipe temperature sensor detects a temperature of the piping.

6. The refrigeration device according to claim 5, wherein

the refrigerator is provided in a machine room provided at a distance from the storage chamber,

a portion of the piping is provided in the machine room, and

the heat pipe temperature sensor detects a temperature of the portion in the piping.

7. The refrigeration device according to claim 1,

the refrigeration device includes a plurality of combinations each including the refrigerator, the heat pipe, and the heat pipe temperature sensor, and

the control unit controls the driving of the refrigerators based on the lowest of the temperatures detected by the heat pipe temperature sensors or based on the temperature in the storage chamber.

8. The refrigeration device according to claim 1, wherein

the refrigerant has a standard boiling temperature lower than the lowest of a target temperature of the storage chamber that can be set in the refrigerator.