• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The invention describes a device (1) for individual thermal conditioning of a product (100) comprising a Peltier cell (4) equipped with a cold focus and a hot focus, and where the cold focus or the hot focus are in thermal contact with the product. More specifically, a device (1) formed by an inner wrapper (2) configured to wrap the product (100) is described, wherein the inner wrapper (2) is made of a thermally conductive material; and a base (3) comprising the Peltier cell (4). The base (3) is configured to be coupled to the inner casing (2) so that the cold focus or the hot focus of the Peltier cell is brought into contact with said inner casing (2). In this way, the temperature of the cold focus or the hot focus of the Peltier cell (4) is transmitted to the inner wrapper (2). (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
    公开号:ES2685650A1
    申请号:ES201700410
    申请日:2017-03-31
    公开日:2018-10-10
    发明作者:David Requena Polonio；Franciso Javier NAVAS MARTOS；Sergio Rodriguez Sanchez；Vicente TRUJILLO ECIJA；Jesus GALVEZ ROSSI；Elisa TORRONTERAS TORRES；Manuel NUÑEZ GUISADO
    申请人:Wendu Wearable S L；Wendu Wearable SL；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    DESCRIPTION

    Individual thermal conditioning device of a product.

    Object of the invention 5

    The present invention generally belongs to the field of thermal conditioning of products.

    The object of the present invention is a novel thermal conditioning device 10 individually applicable to any product to maintain its temperature within a certain temperature range.

    Background of the invention
     fifteen
    There are currently many refrigerated products, usually food products, that must be kept below a certain threshold temperature during the storage time prior to consumption. Before exposure in a commercial establishment, this is carried out by means of storage in closed cold rooms whose temperature is controlled at all times. However, to expose the product to potential buyers and at the same time keep its temperature at low levels it is necessary to use specially designed cooling devices.

    Currently, the refrigeration devices used for this purpose are based fundamentally on the same principles as a conventional domestic refrigerator: a refrigerant fluid performs a thermodynamic cycle in which a heat exchange zone is generated that extracts heat from the indoor air to the refrigerator. However, an important difference with those is that refrigeration devices of this type are not completely closed. On the contrary, they are open so that the product is exposed to potential buyers in a more accessible way. As a consequence, hot air enters the outside of the cooling device. Document US2009 / 0314021 is an example of such devices.

    A first disadvantage of this configuration is that it is difficult to maintain the internal temperature of the device at acceptable and constant levels. The continuous entry of hot air tends to increase the temperature, and the machinery of the cooling device must be able to counteract that increase in temperature. In addition, it may happen that one side of the product or row of products closest to the cold source (for example, a wall of the cooling device) is at a temperature lower than one side 40 of the product or row of products farther from the product. cold source (for example, the public-oriented side). Therefore, a temperature control scheme capable of maintaining the indoor temperature at acceptable levels is necessary, which is not always easy.

    A second disadvantage of this configuration is related to the enormous energy loss 45 that supposes maintaining the internal temperature of an open cooling device, since it is evident that electrical consumption is tripped in comparison with that of a closed cooling device.

    On the other hand, various food products are also known that are marketed through means capable of heating them so that the customer can take them at a suitable temperature, for example, in the case of coffee, soups and the like. On some occasions, heating takes place inside a vending machine. Alternatively, chemical heating means may be used, in the case of
    certain products whose heating is achieved by stirring a container. In any case, these heating means also have various drawbacks that would need to be resolved.

    Description of the invention 5

    The inventors of the present application solve the above problems thanks to a novel individual thermal conditioning device based on the use of Peltier cells. A Peltier cell is an element capable of directly transforming an electrical voltage into a temperature difference between a cold and a hot focus. The present invention allows the cold focus or hot spot of a Peltier cell with the product in question to be brought into thermal contact according to the particular thermal conditioning needs of each application. Thanks to this configuration, the application of a voltage to the Peltier cell causes a direct heating or cooling effect of the product. The contact between the Peltier cell and the product can be direct, for example by configuring the Peltier cell itself as a wrap around the product. Alternatively, a product wrap with good thermal conduction properties can be arranged in contact with the cold focus or the hot focus of the Peltier cell.

    This new system is much more efficient than those described above, mainly because the thermal conditioning is applied directly and individually to each product. Therefore, the energy lost in cooling or heating air that eventually escapes from the device, as with most prior art devices, is reduced. An additional advantage is the relative simplicity of this device compared to the complex system necessary to carry out a thermodynamic refrigeration cycle, which greatly reduces maintenance tasks in the specific case of product refrigeration. These and other advantages will be apparent from the following description of the invention.

    The present invention describes an individual thermal conditioning device of a product comprising a Peltier cell provided with a cold focus and a hot focus, where one of between the cold focus or the hot focus is in thermal contact with the product. In this way, the temperature of the cold focus or the hot focus is transmitted directly to the product, avoiding energy losses. In this context, the term "thermal contact" refers to both the direct physical contact of the hot or cold focus with the product, and the indirect contact through some intermediate element with good thermal conduction properties.

    In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the device mainly comprises a wrapper and a base attachable to said wrapper. Next, each of these elements is defined in greater detail.

    a) Inner wrapping

    It is a wrapper configured to wrap the product and is made of a thermal conductive material. In this context, a thermal conductive material is one capable of conducting heat efficiently and quickly thanks to a high thermal conductivity. This configuration will allow a cooling or heating of the wrapper to cause a cooling or heating of the product housed therein. There is no limitation as to the shape or size of the product that is to be refrigerated or heated, and can be packaged products such as oil, wine, milk, juices, yogurts, fresh produce, soups, coffee, etc.

    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the wrapper is made of a metallic material. In general, metal materials are good thermal conductors and at the same time have adequate health characteristics for use in food products. For example, the metallic material can be stainless steel or aluminum. 5

    In an even more preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner wrap adopts a grid shape. The grid can have any configuration provided that it provides a surface of contact with the product that allows to extract by conduction a sufficient amount of heat of the same to control its temperature, and that at the same time has sufficient holes so that the buyer can see the product housed inside. For example, the grid can be formed by thin wires or ribbons of thermal conductive material that cross perpendicularly or at any other angle.
     fifteen
    b) Base

    The base comprises at least one Peltier cell provided with a cold focus or a hot focus that is configured for coupling with the inner wrap so that the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell is brought into contact with said inner wrap. 20 Thanks to this configuration, the temperature of the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell is transmitted to the inner envelope.

    That is, the cold or heat generated in the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell of the base is transmitted directly to the wrapper that envelops the product, greatly reducing energy losses in relation to the cooling devices used so far. In addition, in the case of refrigeration, this device is much simpler than those used in the prior art because it lacks the elements usually necessary to carry out the thermodynamic refrigeration cycle on which current refrigeration devices are based, such as compressor, refrigerant, ducts, heat exchangers, etc.

    In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the base is configured as an outer layer of the inner envelope fixedly attached thereto. That is, in this configuration the base and the Peltier cell have a flexible laminar shape capable of adapting to the shape of each product in question. In this configuration, when the customer acquires a product, the packaging and the base are also taken with the Peltier cell, so both are disposable.

    In a preferred embodiment of the invention alternative to the above, the base comprises a coupling means with the inner wrap of the separable type.

    In this context, the term "separable" refers to the base can be connected and disconnected from the wrapper. Thanks to this, the products could be initially exposed with their inner wrap connected to the respective bases, and therefore subjected to the most suitable thermal conditioning for each application. When the customer wishes to purchase a product, the base is disconnected from the inner wrap of that product, and the customer only takes the product wrapped in the inner wrap. The base can thus be reused to provide thermal conditioning to a new product whose inner wrap is connected to it. fifty

    In principle, the coupling means with the separable inner wrap could be implemented in different ways as long as it meets the two exposed conditions: that it mechanically couples the base to the wrap, and that it contacts the
    hot or cold focus of the base Peltier cell with the wrapper. For example, it could be a magnetic junction between a flat portion of the wrapper and a flat portion of the base provided with the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell. In another example, a pressure joint between a flat portion of the wrapper and a flat portion of the base provided with the cold to hot focus of the Peltier cell could be used. In a further example, the junction could be of the dovetail type where a dove-shaped portion of the wrap fits into a cavity in the same shape as the base where the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell is located.

    In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the coupling means 10 is a clamp whose internal clamping surface has at least one hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell. It is a clamp whose mechanical operation is conventional, for example a clamp formed by two pieces connected to each other by means of a spring that tends to put in contact a first inner surface of clamping a first piece with a second inner surface of clamping 15 of a second piece, and that can be opened manually by exerting pressure on a certain portion of the pieces. For its part, the inner wrapper comprises at least one coupling projection for coupling the clamp. Thus, when the clamp is coupled to the coupling projection, said hot or cold focus contacts said projection of the inner wrap. To this end, normally the shape and dimensions of the wrapper coupling projection will be directly related to the shape and dimensions of the inner clamping surfaces of the clamps and the position of the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell on the clamping surface in question.
     25
    Note that it is not necessary for each inner envelope to be attached only to one base, but it would be possible to configure the inner envelope so that it can be coupled to several bases so that the temperature distribution along its surface is more uniform. Therefore, according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner wrapper comprises several coupling projections arranged 30 in different positions for coupling several pliers. In addition, according to another preferred embodiment of the invention, the inner clamp surface of the clamp may comprise a plurality of hot or cold foci of one or more Peltier cells.
     35
    The arrangement of several hot or cold light bulbs, of more than one Peltier cell, or of more than one base for each inner wrap, allows to increase the cooling or heating capacity of the device. This may be relevant in case the product whose temperature is to be conditioned has a large size, or if the temperature difference between the target temperature and the outside temperature is high.

    In a further preferred embodiment, the inner clamp surface of the clamp further comprises at least one temperature sensor. Thus, when the coupling clamp is coupled to the coupling projection, said temperature sensor is in contact with said projection of the inner wrap and thereby acquires its temperature.

    In a particularly preferred embodiment of the invention, the base further comprises a communication means for transmitting the temperature acquired by the temperature sensor, for example to an external control means. In this way, a temperature control of the products can be carried out externally at all times.

    In an even more preferred embodiment of the invention, the base further comprises an externally programmable processing means through the communication means to control the operation of the Peltier cell as a function of a desired temperature of the inner envelope.
     5
    In another preferred embodiment of the invention, the base further comprises a rechargeable battery for feeding the Peltier cell. The base can also comprise connection terminals with an external power supply. For example, the base may be pluggable into a rear wall of a shelf of a commercial establishment so that the mechanical coupling is accompanied by an electrical coupling with an external power supply. This would allow the Peltier cell to be powered and, if the base has a rechargeable battery, recharge the battery.

    On the other hand, the base of this device may be coupled or fixed to the wall of a shelf of a commercial establishment. This fixation can be carried out in any way known in the art, although according to a preferred embodiment of the invention the base further comprises a hole that allows it to hang.

    The operation of this novel thermal conditioning device when the base attachable to the wrapper is used in a separable manner would be as follows. A product is wrapped with the inner wrap and then the inner wrap is coupled to at least one base with the aid of the corresponding coupling means. The coupling means directly contacts the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell of the base with the portion of the inner wrap to which it is coupled. Normally, the base will be connected to a suitable power supply to activate the Peltier cell of the device, which will cause the cooling or heating of the hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell of the base. The contact between this hot or cold focus and the inner envelope causes the temperature of the inner envelope to decrease or increase first in the zone of contact with the hot or cold focus, and thanks to its thermal conductivity characteristics, that said temperature decrease 30 It is distributed along its entire surface. The result is that the product is covered by an inner wrapper at a certain low or high temperature, thus maintaining its temperature at desired levels. In addition, thanks to the temperature sensor and the communication medium, the current temperature of the packaging, and therefore of the product, can be sent periodically to an external control means. This external control means can monitor said temperature at all times and, through the communication medium, act on the processing medium so that it increases or lowers the voltage applied to the Peltier cell in order to maintain the temperature of the product within a certain temperature range. When a user wishes to buy the product, he simply acts on the base to decouple the coupling means of the inner wrap 40. The inner wrap is disposable by the user.

    In a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, the device further comprises an outer wrap around the inner wrap. The outer wrap may be similar to the wrappers commonly used in food products. For example, it can be a transparent wrap that can be made of plastic. The outer wrapper fulfills a first closing function, by separating the product from the outside air, and also a second thermal insulation function that prevents part of the cold or heat generated in the inner wrapping from being transmitted to the outside air by convection. In addition, the outer wrap may be vacuum around the product. fifty




    Brief description of the figures

    Fig. 1 shows an example of a thermal conditioning device according to the prior art.
     5
    Figs. 2a and 2b respectively show a perspective and a cross-sectional view of a product wrapped in an inner wrap according to the present invention.

    Fig. 3 shows a perspective view of a base according to the present invention.
     10
    Fig. 4 shows a product wrapped in an inner wrap and refrigerated with the aid of two bases coupled to said inner wrap according to the present invention.

    Figs. 5a and 5b show two examples of products refrigerated by the device of the present invention, arranged on the shelf of a commercial establishment. fifteen

    Preferred Embodiment of the Invention

    A particular example of the present invention is described below with reference to the attached figures. Although this example specifically refers to a device (1) 20 designed to cool a product, this is not limiting and instead a device according to the invention capable of heating the product could be designed.

    Fig. 2a shows a product (100), in this case a meat tray, coated by an example of inner wrap (2) according to the present invention. Note that, as mentioned earlier in this document, there is no limitation as to the product that can be refrigerated with the device (1) of the present invention. Therefore, the present example in which a meat tray is refrigerated should not be considered limiting, since the product (100) could be of any other type, such as for example oil or wine bottles, tetra-brik-type milk containers or juice, yogurt containers, fresh produce containers 30 such as meat, fish or vegetables, etc.

    In this particular example, the inner wrap (2) is configured as a grid formed by a grid of thin and narrow ribbons made of stainless steel. As can be seen, the inner wrap (2) fits perfectly to the tray (100) in order to obtain the largest possible contact surface to maximize the cooling capacity of the device. Note that, although in this particular example the inner grid-shaped wrapper (2) is not in direct contact with the food, this is not limiting if suitable materials such as stainless steel, aluminum, or others are used. The inner wrap (2) also has a flat projection (21) essentially rectangular in shape for the coupling of the base (3), as will be described later.

    The inner wrap (2) is in turn covered by a transparent outer wrap (6) made of plastic material. The outer wrapper (6) is similar to the plastic wrappers commonly used in food products, although in this case it has a hole or hollow through which the projection (21) to which the base (3) will be fixed. Fig. 2b shows a cross section of the product (100) where the inner wrapper (2) and the outer wrapper (3) can be seen, as well as the hole of the outer wrapper (3) through which the projection (21) passes.

    Fig. 3 shows a base example (3) according to the present invention. The base (3) 50 is formed by a piece that comprises a coupling means (31) in the form of a clamp. The clamp (31) is formed by two elongated and essentially flat pieces connected by means of a spring that tends to make them move to a closed position where a clamping surface (32) of a first piece strongly contacts a surface of
    grip of a second piece. To open the clamp, the user only has to exert force on two subsequent portions of the pieces so that it exceeds the force exerted by the spring. The clamping surface (32) of one of the clamp parts (31) has in this example "three cold foci" (4) of a Peltier cell (not shown). In this context, it is understood that "three cold foci" refers to three separate zones of a single cold focus of a single Peltier cell, three cold foci of three Peltier cells, or any other combination of this type.

    The Peltier cell or cells are hidden in these figures inside the base body. The Peltier cell can be powered by batteries or base by connecting it to a power source. For example, the base (3) could have a wall fixing area of a shelf of a commercial establishment by any mechanical fixing system. The base (3) could also have connectors configured to make electrical contact with corresponding connectors arranged on the shelf wall when the base (3) is mechanically fixed to said wall. In this way, the Peltier cell 15 would be automatically fed whenever the base (3) was fixed to the shelf wall. Alternatively, the base (3) of this example has a hole (33) that allows it to hang on a hook or the like.

    The clamping surface (32) of the base (3) also has in this example three temperature sensors (5) arranged in positions adjacent to the respective cold foci (4). These temperature sensors (5) detect the temperature, and through a connection not shown in the figures, for example through another electrical contact of the base (3), they transmit it to a control means. The control means could be embedded in the wall of the shelf to control the power to each of the bases (3) depending on the respective temperature transmitted by the corresponding temperature sensors (5).

    Fig. 4 shows another example of device (1) according to the invention where the inner wrap (2) comprises two projections (21) for coupling two bases (3). This configuration has the advantages of a greater cooling capacity, as well as a better temperature distribution along the surface of the inner wrap (2).

    Figs. 5a and 5b show how a plurality of products (100) could be arranged on a shelf of a commercial establishment using the device (1) of the present invention. Specifically, Fig. 5a shows a shelf to which a plurality of bases (3) are coupled, some of which have a product (100) coated by the inner wrapper (2) of the present invention coupled. Fig. 5b shows a similar situation, although in this case each inner wrap (2) is coupled to two bases (3).
    40
    权利要求:
    Claims (20)
    [1]

    1. Device (1) for individual thermal conditioning of a product (100), characterized in that it comprises a Peltier cell (4) comprising a cold focus and a hot focus, and where one between the cold focus or the hot focus is in thermal contact with the product. 5

    [2]
    2. Device (1) according to claim 1, comprising:
     An inner wrap (2) configured to wrap the product (100), where the inner wrap (2) is made of a thermally conductive material. 10
     A base (3) comprising the cell (4) Peltier, where the base (3) is configured for coupling with the inner envelope (2) so that the cold focus or hot focus of the cell is contacted Peltier with said inner envelope (2), so that the temperature of the cold focus or the hot focus of the cell (4) Peltier is transmitted to the inner envelope (2).

    [3]
    3. Device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the base (3) is configured as an outer layer of the inner envelope (2) fixedly attached thereto.
     twenty
    [4]
    4. Device (1) according to claim 2, wherein the base (3) comprises a means
    (31) coupling with the inner wrap (2) of separable type.

    [5]
    5. Device (1) according to claim 4, wherein the coupling means (31) is a clamp whose inner surface (32) has at least one hot or cold focus of the Peltier cell (4), and wherein the inner wrap (2) comprises at least one coupling projection (21) for coupling the clamp (31), so that when the clamp (31) is coupled to the coupling projection (21) said hot or cold focus of the cell (4) Peltier contacts said projection (21) of the inner envelope (2).
     30
    [6]
    Device (1) according to claim 5, wherein the inner wrapper (2) comprises several coupling projections (21) arranged in different positions for the coupling of several clamps (31) of respective bases (3).

    [7]
    7. Device (1) according to any one of claims 5-6, wherein the inner clamp surface (32) of the clamp (31) comprises a plurality of hot or cold foci of one or more cells (4) Peltier .

    [8]
    8. Device (1) according to any of claims 5-7, wherein the inner clamping surface (32) of the coupling clamp (31) further comprises at least one temperature sensor (5), so that when the coupling clamp (31) is coupled to the coupling boss (21) said temperature sensor (5) is in contact with said boss (21) of the inner casing (2).

    [9]
    9. Device (1) according to claim 8, wherein the base (3) further comprises a communication means for transmitting the temperature acquired by the temperature sensor (5).

    [10]
    10. Device (1) according to claim 9, wherein the base (3) further comprises an externally programmable processing means through the communication means to control the operation of the Peltier cell (4) as a function of a temperature desired inner wrap (2).

    [11]
    11. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the base (3) further comprises a rechargeable battery for feeding the Peltier cell (4).

    [12]
    12. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the base (3) further comprises connection terminals with an external power supply. 5

    [13]
    13. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the base (3) further comprises an office (33) that allows it to hang.

    [14]
    14. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner wrapper (2) adopts a grid form.

    [15]
    15. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the inner wrap (2) is made of a metallic material.
     fifteen
    [16]
    16. Device (1) according to claim 15, wherein the metallic material is stainless steel or aluminum.

    [17]
    17. Device (1) according to any of the preceding claims, further comprising an outer wrapper (6) arranged around the inner wrapper (2). twenty

    [18]
    18. Device (1) according to claim 17, wherein the outer wrapper (6) is transparent.

    [19]
    19. Device (1) according to any of claims 17-18, wherein the outer envelope 25 (6) is made of plastic.

    [20]
    20. Device (1) according to claim 19, wherein the outer wrapper (6) is in vacuum.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    ES2685650B1|2019-07-29|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    US20050087533A1|2003-10-22|2005-04-28|Robertson James D.|Cold box lid|
    US20090158751A1|2005-08-25|2009-06-25|Xiaomei Yu|Thermoelectric container cooler|
    US20100132831A1|2007-05-11|2010-06-03|Cedric Waroux|Household appraratus for storing bottles,notably bottles of wine that have been opened and/or partially consumed|
    WO2016029284A1|2014-08-29|2016-03-03|Berwanger Brochier Felipe Osmar|Thermal device for solid and liquid products|
    法律状态:
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    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    ES201700410A|ES2685650B1|2017-03-31|2017-03-31|Individual thermal conditioning device of a product|ES201700410A| ES2685650B1|2017-03-31|2017-03-31|Individual thermal conditioning device of a product|
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