• 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:
    A cold insulation container includes: a cold insulation storage including a coolant vessel; a circulating air fan that causes cold air from the coolant vessel to circulate in the cold insulation storage; a thermoelectric generating module attached to an outer surface of the coolant vessel; and a temperature controller that adjusts a temperature in the cold insulation storage. A temperature difference between the coolant vessel and circulating cold air in the cold insulation storage causes the temperature controller and the circulating air fan to be driven by thermoelectric power generated by the thermoelectric generating module.
    公开号:NL2024403A
    申请号:NL2024403
    申请日:2019-12-09
    公开日:2020-08-27
    发明作者:Ikemura Akihiko；Okajima Michio；Ohata Keiichi；Nambu Shutaro；Nishimura Ken
    申请人:E Thermogentek Co Ltd；All Nippon Airways Trading Co Ltd；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    COLD INSULATION CONTAINER
    BACKGROUND The present disclosure relates to a cold insulation container mounted on, for example, an aircraft and used for transporting chilled and frozen products, such as fresh food and frozen food, at low temperature.
    In an increased number of recent cases, chilled and frozen products, such as fresh food and frozen food, are transported over long distances. Such food is stored in a cold insulation container in which food or the like can be maintained at constant temperatures in order to maintain quality during transportation.
    Japanese Patent Publication No. H02-290485 describes a cold insulation container whose temperature is controllable. As illustrated in FIG. 6, a cold insulation container 101 described in Japanese Patent Publication No. H02-290485 includes a cold insulation box 107 and a door 103 for taking a product at the front thereof. A cold storage device 109 is attached to the inner side of a rear wall of the cold insulation box 107. A cold storage panel 111 of the cold storage device 109 is provided with a control unit 113 for controlling freezing of a cold storage agent 125.
    A ceiling of the cold insulation box 107 is provided with a circulating fan 115 for agitating air in the cold insulation box 107 to uniformize the temperature.
    Reference numeral 123 represents an evaporation pipe constituting a refrigeration cycle, reference numeral 131 represents a cooling passage, reference numeral 135 represents an air inlet in the cold insulation box 107, and reference numeral 153 represents a cooling fan.
    In the case of transportation by a vehicle or an aircraft, the cold insulation container 101 is used in such a manner that the cold storage device 109 is first operated with a commercial power supply to freeze the cold storage agent 125, and then, products are housed in the cold insulation box 107, and the container 101 is mounted on the vehicle or the aircraft. Thereafter, the control unit 113 is operated with the commercial power supply to drive the cooling fan 153 and the circulating fan 115 such that the temperature in the cold insulation box 107 is made uniform and constant.
    Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-241816 describes a simple configuration of a cold insulation container in which a cold insulator room for storing a cold insulator such as dry ice is disposed adjacent to a product storage room, and an ventilation duct is disposed between the cold insulator storage room and the product storage room sothat cold air subjected to heat exchange with the cold insulator storage room is blown by an air blower into the product storage room through the ventilation duct. In this configuration, the air blower is driven by a battery power supply, and is controlled to operate or stop by a thermostat such that the inside of the product storage room is kept at a predetermined temperature.
    SUMMARY The cold insulation container described in Japanese Patent Publication No. H02-290485, however, needs the cold storage device, which has disadvantages in which the time for freezing the cold storage agent is required before use, and after being mounted on a vehicle or an aircraft, power of the commercial power supply is consumed, disadvantageously.
    The cold insulation container described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 2001-241816 also has the disadvantages of increased power consumption of the battery power supply and increased costs for replacing battery power supplies.
    The present disclosure has been made in view of the foregoing circumstances and has a main object of providing a cold insulation container that is capable of keeping the inside of a cold insulation storage at a constant temperature by circulating air, performs effective cooling, and drives a temperature controller and a circulating air fan by self-generated electric power.
    A cold insulation container according to the present disclosure includes: a cold insulation storage including a coolant vessel; a circulating air fan that causes cold air from the coolant vessel to circulate in the cold insulation storage; a thermoelectric generating module attached to an outer surface of the coolant vessel; and a temperature controller that adjusts a temperature in the cold insulation storage. A temperature difference between the coolant vessel and circulating cold air in the cold insulation storage causes the temperature controller and the circulating air fan to be driven by thermoelectric power generated by the thermoelectric generating module.
    The present disclosure can provide a cold insulation container having the function of making the temperature in a cold insulation storage uniform and constant by self- generated electric power, with an easy and simple configuration.
    BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a cold insulation container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram of the cold insulation container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure in a low- and constant-temperature operation. FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram of a cold insulation container according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 is an electric circuit diagram during power generation in the other embodiment of the present disclosure.
    FIG. 5 is an electric circuit diagram in a Peltier mode in another embodiment of the present disclosure.
    FIG. 6 illustrates a configuration of a typical cold insulation container.
    DETAILED DESCRIPTION Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the present disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments. The embodiments may be appropriately modified within a range not deviating from the range showing advantages of the present disclosure.
    FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of a cold insulation container according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 is an electric circuit diagram illustrating a low- and constant-temperature operation in a cold insulation storage of the cold insulation container.
    As illustrated in FIG. 1, a cold insulation container 1 according to this embodiment includes, as main components, a cold insulation storage 2, a coolant vessel 3, a thermoelectric generating module 5 attached to an outer surface of the coolant vessel 3, radiational cooling fins 8, circulating air fans 7 for circulating cold air in the cold insulation storage 2, and a temperature controller 11. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 4 represents a door at a coolant inlet, and reference numeral 10 represents a door of the cold insulation storage 2. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 12 represents a DC-DC converter, and reference numeral 13 represents a temperature sensor.
    The cold insulation container 1 in this embodiment operates in the following manner. When a coolant (e.g., dry ice) is placed in the coolant vessel 3 madeof, for example, stainless, a portion of the thermoelectric generating module 5 attached to a coolant vessel is cooled, and a temperature difference between this portion and radiational cooling fins in contact with surrounding outdoor air causes the thermoelectric generating module 5 to start generating electric power immediately.
    When it is determined, with a temperature sensor 13 disposed in the cold insulation storage 2, that the temperature in the cold insulation storage 2 is higher than a set temperature, a switch of a power supply line for the circulating air fans 7 is turned on so that the circulating air fans 7 are driven. Accordingly, air cooled by the radiational cooling fins 6 is circulated in directions indicated by arrows 8a through 8e to a cold air outlet 9 into the cold insulation storage 2 so that the inside of the cold insulation storage 2 is cooled.
    When the temperature in the cold insulation storage 2 reaches the set temperature, the switch is turned off so that the circulating air fans 7 stop. This operation is repeated so that the temperature in the cold insulation storage 2 is kept substantially constant.
    In this embodiment, electric power for driving the temperature controller 11 and the circulating air fans 7 is supplied from the thermoelectric generating module 5. Details (e.g., size and number) of the thermoelectric generating modules 5 attached to the coolant vessel may be determined appropriately in accordance with the level of electric power for driving. With respect to details of the DC-DC converter 12, the output voltage of the thermoelectric generating module 5 may be determined appropriately in accordance with input details (e.g., 12 V) of the temperature controller 11 and the circulating air fans 7.
    The coolant is preferably dry ice. Dry ice is easily available and has a sublimation temperature of —79°C, and thus, is excellent as a coolant and capable of maintaining the temperatures of the coolant vessel 3, and the attachment surface of the thermoelectric generating module 5 and the radiational cooling fins 6 for a long period.
    The thermoelectric generating module 5 is preferably attached to the bottom surface of the coolant vessel 3. Even when dry ice is consumed, the bottom surface of the coolant vessel 3 can be maintained at low temperature for a long period, and thus, electric power generation by the thermoelectric generating module 5 can be maintained for a long period.
    As specific operation environments of the cold insulation container 1, the set temperature in the cold insulation storage 2 is —22°C, the temperature at which driving of the circulating air fans 7 starts is -21°C or more, and electric power necessary for thetemperature controller 11 and the circulating air fans 7 is 6 W, for example.
    It is preferable that the thermoelectric generating module 5 preferably uses a BiTe-based device whose characteristics do not degrade at such low temperatures, and the thermoelectric generating module 5 having a device-occupied area of about 300 5 om is attached to the bottom surface of the coolant vessel 3. The radiational cooling fins 6 are preferably radiational cooling fins made of Al and having a surface area about 10 times as large as the device-occupied area.
    (Another Embodiment 1) FIG. 3 is an electric circuit diagram according to another embodiment 1 of the present disclosure. In this embodiment, a thermoelectric generating module 5 having a device-occupied area of 500 cm , and a secondary battery 15 is charged with surplus electric power. Reference numeral 14 represents a control circuit for, for example, voltage control and overcharge prevention. The secondary battery may be a nickel-metal hydride battery, for example. {Another Embodiment 2) FIGS. 4 and 5 are electric circuit diagrams according to another embodiment 2 of the present disclosure.
    In a manner similar to FIG. 3, FIG. 4 illustrates a mode in which a thermoelectric generating module 5 generates electric power, a temperature controller 11 and a circulating air fans 7 are driven, and a secondary battery 15 is charged with surplus electric power.
    FIG. 5 illustrates a mode in which the thermoelectric generating module 5 is set in a Peltier mode by electric power from the secondary battery 15 while the circulating air fans 7 are stopped so that a partion of the thermoelectric generating module 5 toward a coolant vessel 3 is cooled.
    Effective cooling in the Peltier mode requires a large current. Thus, in this embodiment, the thermoelectric generating module 5 is divided into, for example, three modules 51, 52, and 53, and a current is caused to flow only in the center module 52.
    Switches of circuits allowing such an operation cooperate with a switch for driving the circulating air fans 7, as indicated by connected chain lines. For example, the voltage of the secondary battery 15 can be 12 V, the module 52 in which a current flows in the Peltier mode is 1/3 of the whole module, a current is 2.5 A, and the heat absorption quantity is about 20 W.
    Although the present disclosure has been described in the preferred embodiments, such description is not restrictive, and of course, various modifications may be made.
    In the foregoing embodiments, dry ice is used as a coolant as an example, but a cold storage agent using sodium polyacrylic acid or a refrigerant of ethylene glycol monobutyl ether may be used, for example.
    权利要求:
    Claims (7)
    [1]
    A cold insulation container comprising: a cold insulation store containing a refrigerant vessel; a circulating air fan for circulating cold air from the refrigerant vessel into the cold insulation store; a thermoelectric generator module attached to an outer surface of the refrigerant vessel; and a temperature controller that adjusts a temperature in the cold insulation store, where a temperature difference between the refrigerant vessel and the circulating cold air in the cold insulation store causes the temperature controller and the circulating air fan to be driven by thermoelectric power generated by the thermoelectric generator module.
    [2]
    The cold insulation container according to claim 1, wherein a radiant cooling fin is attached to a surface of the thermoelectric generating module in the direction of circulating cold air.
    [3]
    The cold insulation container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thermoelectric generating module is attached to a bottom surface of the refrigerant vessel.
    [4]
    The cold insulation container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the refrigerant vessel contains dry ice.
    [5]
    The cold insulation container of any of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a secondary battery charged with excess thermoelectric power from the thermoelectric generator module.
    [6]
    The cold insulation container of claim 5, wherein the refrigerant vessel is cooled by setting the thermoelectric generating module in a Peltier mode using electrical power from the secondary battery, while the circulating air fan is stopped.
    [7]
    The cold insulation container according to claim 6, wherein part of the thermoelectric generating module is set in the Peltier mode.
    类似技术:
    公开号 | 公开日 | 专利标题
    US3733836A|1973-05-22|Temperature controlled mobile cart
    US5927078A|1999-07-27|Thermoelectric refrigerator
    US20190323766A1|2019-10-24|Mechanical subcooler with battery supplement
    NL2024403B1|2020-09-04|Cold insulation container
    KR20150051074A|2015-05-11|Apparatus for transporting and delivering agrifood
    KR101555684B1|2015-10-06|Movable container and temperature maintenance method the same
    US5845497A|1998-12-08|Thermoelectric refrigerator with control of power based upon sensed temperature
    TWI749430B|2021-12-11|Cold insulation container
    US11137173B2|2021-10-05|Hot gas bypass for battery pack cold start
    KR101608057B1|2016-03-31|Temperature control method for storage and transport container
    JP2000320942A|2000-11-24|Refrigerator
    JP3135138U|2007-09-06|Cold storage
    JP5743247B1|2015-07-01|Air conditioning unit
    JP3547295B2|2004-07-28|Refrigeration apparatus and refrigeration method
    CN214731052U|2021-11-16|Constant temperature experiment is with fresh-keeping case
    CN211617544U|2020-10-02|Refrigerator car's cold-storage railway carriage or compartment and fill cold system
    KR200221129Y1|2001-05-02|Cold air circulation structure in the refrigerator
    JP4271358B2|2009-06-03|Cold storage type cold storage
    WO2018101144A1|2018-06-07|Hot or cold storage
    JPH1183277A|1999-03-26|Low temperature cabinet
    JP5777362B2|2015-09-09|Air conditioning auxiliary system for containers and containers
    JP2000329441A|2000-11-30|Peltier type cooling storage chamber
    JPH1163780A|1999-03-05|Low temperature storage chamber
    JP2003156272A|2003-05-30|Cold reserving system using refrigerant
    JP2001272150A|2001-10-05|Refrigerator
    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    TW202032070A|2020-09-01|
    NL2024403B1|2020-09-04|
    JP2020134024A|2020-08-31|
    US20200263915A1|2020-08-20|
    引用文献:
    公开号 | 申请日 | 公开日 | 申请人 | 专利标题
    JPH02290485A|1989-04-28|1990-11-30|Nippondenso Co Ltd|Heat insulating container|
    JPH05215455A|1992-01-30|1993-08-24|Sanyo Electric Co Ltd|Low temperature cabinet|
    JP2001241816A|2000-03-01|2001-09-07|Ota Jiko:Kk|Refrigerator|
    JP2003156272A|2001-11-17|2003-05-30|Yasuhiro Murata|Cold reserving system using refrigerant|
    JP2014105987A|2012-11-30|2014-06-09|Sumitomo Metal Mining Co Ltd|Generating set for refrigerator-freezer and refrigerating/freezing vehicle having the same|
    US20180266895A1|2017-03-16|2018-09-20|Systems And Software Enterprises, Llc|Power Source For A Vehicle Service Cart|
    CN106642902A|2017-01-12|2017-05-10|广东五星太阳能股份有限公司|Portable photovoltaic direct drive refrigerator system with thermoelectric self-adaption cooling assembly|
    法律状态:
    优先权:
    申请号 | 申请日 | 专利标题
    JP2019028506A|JP2020134024A|2019-02-20|2019-02-20|Cold insulating container|
    [返回顶部]