JP7463669B2 - Insulated containers using vacuum insulation and equipped with heat storage material - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an insulated container that uses vacuum insulation material and is equipped with a heat storage material.

Insulated containers using insulating materials are primarily used for transporting goods while keeping them cool, or for transporting goods while maintaining a constant temperature range, using transportation means that do not have a cooling function, such as refrigerated vehicles. To keep goods cool or maintain a constant temperature range, so-called heat storage materials, such as cold insulation materials or heat insulation materials, may be stored in the insulated container together with the goods. On the other hand, by using vacuum insulation material for the panels that make up the insulated container, it is possible to obtain the same insulating performance as thick foam insulation materials even if the panel thickness is thin, thereby making it possible to make the size of the insulated container more compact and improving transportation and storage efficiency.

Since vacuum insulation materials obtain their thermal insulation properties by keeping the internal air pressure of the outer packaging material containing the core material lower than the external air pressure, they require barrier properties to prevent air and moisture from entering the inside of the outer packaging material. For this reason, aluminum foil or aluminum vapor deposition film, which have excellent barrier properties and are readily available, are usually used for the outer packaging material of vacuum insulation materials. Furthermore, heat shielding sheets are often made of aluminum foil or aluminum vapor deposition film, which have a high thermal insulation effect against radiant heat from sunlight and the like and are readily available.

JP 2000-203665 A Patent No. 3763317

When vacuum insulation is used for the panels of an insulated container, if the outer packaging is damaged, such as by developing a hole, air will get inside and the insulating performance will drop rapidly, so the panel is finished into a plate shape by surrounding it with foam insulation material, etc., to give the vacuum insulation material protective properties. Therefore, with conventional insulated containers, even if an IC tag or the like capable of contactless communication is placed inside the insulated container, it is relatively easy to read the IC tag from outside the insulated container by transmitting radio waves near the adjacent parts of the panels where there is no vacuum insulation material.

Recently, however, in order to achieve even higher thermal insulation, a technique has been used in which the vacuum insulation material is placed as close to the outer periphery of the panel as possible, and as a result, most of the outer surface of the insulated container is covered with aluminum foil or the like, which is the outer packaging material for the vacuum insulation material. As a result, problems have arisen in which IC tags and other items placed inside the insulated container cannot be read from outside the container due to electromagnetic shielding. Furthermore, when heat storage material is placed tightly inside the insulated container to maximize the heat storage effect, if the heat storage material or the container that holds it has electromagnetic shielding properties, there is a similar problem of IC tags and other items being prevented from being read from outside the insulated container.

The objective of the present disclosure is to provide an insulated container that uses vacuum insulation material and has a heat storage material, and that has radio wave transparency that allows an IC tag placed inside the insulated container to be directly read from the outside.

The present disclosure relates to an insulated container comprising an insulated container body having a plurality of vacuum insulation panels and a plurality of heat storage material containers, the plurality of vacuum insulation panels forming the insulated container body form an insulated space, and the entire insulated space is surrounded by the plurality of vacuum insulation panels, the vacuum insulation panels comprise a vacuum insulation material composed of a core material and an outer packaging material covering the core material, the outer packaging material being composed of a radio wave transparent non-metallic material, and the adjacent vacuum insulation panels are arranged so that the outer packaging materials are in close contact or close to each other, the heat storage material container is composed of a radio wave transparent heat storage material and a radio wave transparent heat storage material container that contains the heat storage material, and the plurality of heat storage material containers are arranged so as to surround the entire insulated space along the surfaces of the plurality of vacuum insulation panels facing the insulated space.

In the insulated container according to this embodiment, the surface area of the insulated space of the plurality of heat storage material storage bodies may be S1, and the area of contact between the heat storage material storage body and the insulated space may be S2, such that the ratio of S2 to S1 is 0.8 or more.

In the insulated container according to this embodiment, the plurality of heat storage material containers arranged to surround the entire insulated space may have a structure that supports the vacuum insulation panel facing away from the insulated space.

In the insulated container according to this embodiment, the heat storage material containers arranged to surround the entire insulated space may have a structure in which at least the portions constituting the side surfaces are independent to form the insulated space.

This disclosure makes it possible to provide an insulated container that uses vacuum insulation material and has a heat storage material, and that has radio wave transparency that allows an IC tag placed inside the insulated container to be directly read from the outside.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the heat-insulating container according to the first embodiment. 1A and 1B are a plan view and a cross-sectional view from the side of the insulated container of the first embodiment with a top panel removed. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of a portion E in FIG. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating the heat storage material of the first embodiment. 5A and 5B are a plan view and a side cross-sectional view similar to FIG. 2, of a heat-sealed container according to a second embodiment. FIG. 10 is a plan view similar to FIG. 2 of a heat-insulating container according to a third embodiment. 3A and 3B are cross-sectional views seen from two different sides, corresponding to a plan view similar to FIG. 2.

1. First embodiment (a) Structure of the insulated container Hereinafter, the first embodiment and other embodiments of the insulated container of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. However, the insulated container of the present disclosure is not limited to this example or the embodiments described later. Note that each of the figures shown below is a schematic illustration. Therefore, the size and shape of each part are appropriately exaggerated to facilitate understanding. In addition, hatching showing the cross section of the member is appropriately omitted in each figure. The numerical values such as the dimensions of each member and the material names described in this specification are examples of embodiments, and are not limited thereto, and can be appropriately selected and used. In this specification, terms that specify shapes and geometric conditions, such as parallel, orthogonal, and vertical, are intended to include substantially the same state in addition to their strict meanings.

In this specification, for ease of understanding, directions and positions in the insulated container 100 may be described as follows:

In FIG. 1, the direction perpendicular to the panel surface of the bottom panel 160 from the bottom panel 160 toward the top panel 110 is the +Z direction or upward, and the opposite direction to the +Z direction is the -Z direction or downward. The +Z direction and/or the -Z direction are sometimes simply referred to as the Z direction. In the horizontal plane, which is a plane perpendicular to the +Z direction, the direction perpendicular to the panel surface of the back panel 140 from the back panel 140 toward the front panel 120 is the +X direction or forward side, and the opposite direction to the +X direction is the -X direction or rear side. The +X direction and/or the -X direction are sometimes simply referred to as the X direction or horizontal direction. The direction perpendicular to the panel surface of the left panel 130 that is perpendicular to the +X direction from the left panel 130 toward the right panel 150 is the +Y direction or right side, and the opposite direction to the +Y direction is the -Y direction or left side. The +Y direction and/or the -Y direction are sometimes simply referred to as the Y direction or horizontal direction.

The main surface of each panel is referred to as the panel surface, and the surfaces other than the main surface are referred to as the end surfaces. The panel surface side of each panel facing the insulating space is referred to as the inside of the panel, and the panel surface side opposite the panel surface side facing the insulating space is referred to as the outside of the panel.

A first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating the insulated container 100 of this embodiment. FIG. 2(a) is a plan view of the insulated container 100 viewed from the +Z direction, omitting items 800 and the like, when the top panel 110 of the insulated container 100 and the upper portion 300a of the heat shielding sheet covering the top panel 110 are removed. FIG. 2(b) is a side cross-sectional view of the insulated container 100 viewed from the +Y direction, when the insulated container 100 is cut along a plane perpendicular to the Y axis, approximately near the center of the insulated container 100 along the Y axis. FIG. 3 is an enlarged plan view of part E showing the vicinity of the adjacent portion between the left panel 130 and the back panel 140 in FIG. 2(a).

The insulated container 100 is a container used, for example, for storing or transporting items that need to be kept at a constant temperature by keeping them cool or warm. The insulated container 100 is substantially rectangular as shown in FIG. 1, and the entire outside of the insulated container body 200, which is also substantially rectangular, is covered with a heat shielding sheet 300. The insulated container body 200 also includes six panels 110, 120, 130, 140, 150, and 160 having thermal insulation properties, as described below, and six heat storage material storage bodies 610, 620, 630, 640, 650, and 660 arranged inside each panel. Furthermore, an item 800 with an IC tag 900 attached is stored inside the insulated container 100, and information recorded in the IC tag 900 can be read from outside the insulated container 100 by transmitting and receiving radio waves of a predetermined frequency using a reading device 910. The details of the insulated container body 200 and the heat storage material storage body 600 will be described below.

(b) Insulated Container Body The insulated container body 200 is surrounded by a bottom panel 160, a front panel 120, a left panel 130, a rear panel 140, a right panel 150, and a top panel 110. The front panel 120, the left panel 130, the rear panel 140, and the right panel 150 are also referred to as side panels 170. That is, the side panel 170 refers to any one of the front panel 120, the left panel 130, the rear panel 140, and the right panel 150. Even if there are five or more panels on the side instead of four, any one of the panels is similarly referred to as the side panel 170. The side panel 170, the bottom panel 160, and the top panel 110 are all composed of vacuum insulation panels 500.

The front panel 120 faces the rear panel 140 with the panel surface parallel to it, and is adjacent to the top panel 110, bottom panel 160, left panel 130, and right panel 150 in a vertical positional relationship when the device is closed. The left panel 130 faces the right panel 150 with the panel surface parallel to it, and is adjacent to the top panel 110, bottom panel 160, rear panel 140, and front panel 120 in a vertical positional relationship when the device is closed. The rear panel 140 faces the top panel 110, bottom panel 160, right panel 150, and left panel 130 in a vertical positional relationship when the device is closed.

The top panel 110 has a -X-direction end connected to the +Z-direction end of the rear panel 140 so as to be openable and closable, and the top panel 110 can be opened and closed via a hinge portion 110a which is a connection portion between the top panel 110 and the rear panel 140. In FIG. 1, the top panel 110 is shown in an open state, but when the top panel 110 is closed, the inside of the thermal insulation container body 200 is substantially sealed, forming a thermal insulation space 400 in which heat exchange with the outside of the thermal insulation container is suppressed as much as possible. The hinge portion 110a may be configured so that the top panel 110 and the rear panel 140 are actually connected so as to be foldable, or the top panel 110 and the rear panel 140 may be separated and be folded by a heat shielding sheet 300 which covers the outside.

In this case, the top panel 110 and the back panel 140 may be detachably connected to the heat shield sheet 300 via hook-and-loop fasteners or the like, or may be sewn together so that they cannot be detached. In addition, in this embodiment, the openable panel is the top panel 110, but this is not limited to the openable panel, and it may be any of the side panels 170, or multiple side panels 170, or both the side panels 170 and the top panel 110 may be openable.

As shown in FIG. 2, each side panel 170 has a relationship in which the panel surface at one end abuts against the end surface of the adjacent side panel 170, and the end surface at the other end abuts against the panel surface of the adjacent side panel 170. In other words, the panel surface on the -Y side of the front panel 120 abuts against the end surface on the +X side of the adjacent left side panel 130, and the end surface on the +Y side of the front panel 120 abuts against the panel surface on the +X side of the adjacent right side panel 150.

Similarly, the panel surface on the -X side of the left panel 130 abuts against the end surface on the -Y side of the adjacent back panel 140, the panel surface on the +Y side of the back panel 140 abuts against the end surface on the -X side of the adjacent right panel 150, and the panel surface on the +X side of the right panel 150 abuts against the end surface on the +Y side of the adjacent front panel 120. With this arrangement, when the insulated container body 200 is viewed in a plan view as in FIG. 2, the side panels 170 can be configured to be of the same size and have a substantially rectangular shape. Making all the side panels 170 the same size reduces the need to prepare spare panels when replacing a panel, which is economical.

(c) Vacuum insulation panel and vacuum insulation material The four side panels 170, the bottom panel 160 and the top panel 110, which are the six panels constituting the insulated container body 200, are each composed of a vacuum insulation panel 500. That is, the insulated container body 200 is formed by combining a plurality of vacuum insulation panels 500. In addition, in this embodiment, the vacuum insulation panel 500 is composed of a vacuum insulation material. The vacuum insulation panel 500, which is a vacuum insulation material, is shown in FIG. 3 as a plan view enlarging the E portion near the adjacent portion between the left panel 130 and the back panel 140 shown in FIG. 2(a). Both the left panel 130 and the back panel 140 are composed of a core material 510 and an outer packaging material 520 that covers the periphery of the core material 510. The plurality of vacuum insulation panels 500 form the insulation space 400, and the entire insulation space 400 is surrounded by six panels, which are the plurality of vacuum insulation panels 500. The vacuum insulation panel 500 comprises a vacuum insulation material composed of a core material 510 and an outer packaging material 520 covering the core material 510, the outer packaging material 520 being composed of a radio wave transparent non-metallic material, and adjacent vacuum insulation panels 500 are arranged so that their outer packaging materials 520 are in close contact or close to each other.

Figure 3 is an enlarged plan view of part E near the adjoining part of the left panel 130 and the rear panel 140 shown in Figure 2 (a), and in this figure, the vacuum insulation panels 500, which are the left panel 130 and the rear panel 140, are arranged with a gap G between them. The width W of the gap G between the vacuum insulation panels 500 may be 0, i.e., the outer packaging material 520 may be in close contact with each other, or the gap G may have a constant width W as shown in Figure 3. This gap G refers to the distance between the vacuum insulation panels 500, and does not simply mean that a physical gap has occurred. In other words, this gap G may be filled with some foreign matter other than the vacuum insulation material.

Specifically, the width W is preferably 1/10 or less of the thickness T of the vacuum insulation panel 500 adjacent to the gap G (the thickness of the vacuum insulation panel 500 at the portion facing the gap G) (W≦1/10×T). This allows smooth wireless communication between the IC tag and the reader even if an object that blocks radio wave transmission is present in the gap G between the vacuum insulation panels 500. Note that it is not necessary for gaps G to be formed between all of the vacuum insulation panels 500. For example, gaps G may be formed between some (two or more) of the vacuum insulation panels 500, and other (two or more) of the vacuum insulation panels 500 may be in close contact with each other.

As the core material 510, there are methods that use a resin foam material such as porous urethane foam, or a fiber material such as glass wool, rock wool, or ceramic fiber, but in this embodiment, a core material with a porous structure (fumed silica) that uses a powder such as powdered silica is used. This allows the core material 510 to be molded, making it possible to finish it into an accurate plate shape that corresponds to the shape of the vacuum insulation panel 500.

The outer packaging material 520 that covers the core material 510 may be, for example, a film made of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin with high gas barrier properties, such as EVAL (registered trademark), onto which an inorganic layer of either aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, or both is vapor-deposited, or a film made of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin onto which a separate film of either aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, or both is vapor-deposited may be laminated.

The gas barrier properties of the outer packaging material 520 may be such that the oxygen permeability is 0.5 cc·m ^-2 ·day ^-1 or less, particularly 0.1 cc·m ^-2 ·day ^-1 or less. The water vapor permeability may be 0.2 cc·m- ² ·day ^-1 or less, particularly 0.1 cc·m ^-2 ·day ^-1 or less. The internal vacuum degree of the vacuum insulation panel 500 as the vacuum insulation material may be, for example, 5 Pa or less. The initial thermal conductivity of the vacuum insulation panel 500 may be, for example, 15 mW·m ^- 1·K ^-1 or less, particularly 10 mW·m ^-1 ·K ^-1 or less, particularly 5 mW·m ^-1 ·K ^-1 or less in a 25°C environment.

When the outer packaging material 520 completely covers the core material formed into a plate shape without any gaps, the final joint between the outer packaging materials, known as the ears, is generated. This part is folded back and fixed so that it overlaps with the outer packaging material 520 that covers the core material 510. It is preferable to position the ears of such outer packaging material as close to the outside of the panel as possible. If they are positioned on the inside of the panel, i.e., on the side of the insulated space, these ears will function like a heat sink for the vacuum insulation panel 500, which may be detrimental to the cold retention of the insulated space.

When such an outer packaging material 520 is used, there is a possibility that the barrier properties and heat shielding properties may be reduced compared to when an aluminum vapor deposition film is used, but by optimizing the vapor deposition conditions of the inorganic layer, it is possible to obtain an outer packaging material in which the reduction in barrier properties is suppressed. In addition, since the outer packaging material has good bending resistance due to the inclusion of a film layer composed of an ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin with high gas barrier properties, by combining it with a fumed silica core material whose end shape can be formed into a clear right angle compared to glass wool, etc., the shape precision and shape stability of the vacuum insulation panel 500 are good. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the adhesion of the abutting part between the panel surface on the -X direction side of the left panel 130 and the end surface on the -Y direction side of the back panel 140 can be improved, which results in improved airtightness and improved insulation performance of the insulation container body 200. Furthermore, since the fumed silica itself acts as a getter material (adsorbent), performance deterioration is suppressed over a long period of time.

By configuring the vacuum insulation material with the core material 510 and the outer packaging material 520 as described above, the vacuum insulation panel 500 formed from the vacuum insulation material has radio wave transparency. This is because the fumed silica that constitutes the core material 510, the film made of ethylene-vinyl alcohol copolymer resin that constitutes the outer packaging material 520, and the evaporated aluminum oxide and silicon oxide are non-metallic materials that do not generally impede radio wave transmission. For this reason, for example, when an IC tag 900 is directly attached to the inside of the insulating container body 200 or an IC tag 900 is attached to a stored item 800, it becomes possible to read information from the IC tag 900 by non-contact communication using a reader 910 from outside the insulating container 100 as shown in FIG. 1.

The IC tag 900 is also called a non-contact IC tag, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tag, an RF tag, etc., and is an ultra-small communication terminal formed in a tag shape by sealing an IC chip and a wireless antenna with resin, glass, etc. An IC tag records predetermined information on an IC chip, attaches the tag to an object, and recognizes and displays the information recorded on the IC chip by reading the recorded information with a reading device by wireless communication. There are active types of IC tags 900 that have a built-in power source and passive types that do not have a built-in power source, but it is preferable to use a passive type. Depending on the communication frequency used, the IC tag 900 may be an electromagnetic induction type that uses a frequency band of 135 kHz or 13.56 MHz, or a radio wave type that uses a frequency band such as UHF (900 MHz) or 2.45 GHz.

1 and 2(a) and (b), heat storage material containers 600, which have the same configuration except for the dimensions, are arranged along the inner surface of each panel of the heat-insulating container body 200. Specifically, a bottom heat storage material container 660, a front heat storage material container 620, a left heat storage material container 630, a rear heat storage material container 640, a right heat storage material container 650 and a top heat storage material container 610 are arranged along the inner surface of each of the bottom panel 160, the front panel 120, the left panel 130, the rear panel 140, the right panel 150 and the top panel 110. These heat storage material containers 600 are radio wave transparent.

Each vacuum insulation panel 500 and the corresponding heat storage material storage body 600 are arranged so that the panel surfaces are approximately parallel, so that the front heat storage material storage body 620 faces the rear heat storage material storage body 640 with its panel surface parallel, and is adjacent to the top heat storage material storage body 610, bottom heat storage material storage body 660, left heat storage material storage body 630, and right heat storage material storage body 650 in the closed state in a positional relationship in which the panel surface is perpendicular. In addition, the left heat storage material storage body 630 faces the right heat storage material storage body 650 with its panel surface parallel, and is adjacent to the top heat storage material storage body 610, bottom heat storage material storage body 660, rear heat storage material storage body 640, and front heat storage material storage body 620 in the closed state in a positional relationship in which the panel surface is perpendicular. In addition, the rear heat storage material container 640 is adjacent to the top heat storage material container 610, bottom heat storage material container 660, right heat storage material container 650, and left heat storage material container 630 in a closed state with their panel surfaces positioned vertically.

As shown in FIG. 2(a), each heat storage material container 600 has a relationship in which the end face on one end side abuts against the panel face of the adjacent heat storage material container 600, and the panel face on the other end side abuts against the end face of the adjacent heat storage material container 600. That is, the end face on the -Y direction side of the front heat storage material container 620 abuts against the panel face on the +X direction side of the adjacent left heat storage material container 630, and the panel face on the +Y direction side of the front heat storage material container 620 abuts against the end face on the +X direction side of the adjacent right heat storage material container 650.

Similarly, the end face on the -X direction side of the left heat storage material container 630 abuts against the panel face on the -Y direction side of the adjacent back heat storage material container 640, the end face on the +Y direction side of the back heat storage material container 640 abuts against the panel face on the -X direction side of the adjacent right heat storage material container 650, and the end face on the +X direction side of the right heat storage material container 650 abuts against the panel face on the +Y direction side of the adjacent front heat storage material container 620. With this arrangement, as with the vacuum insulation panel 500, when the insulation container body 200 is viewed in a plan view as in FIG. 2(a), the heat storage material containers 600 can be configured to have the same dimensions and be approximately rectangular. If all the heat storage material containers 600 are made the same size, the need to prepare spare panels when replacing a panel can be reduced, which is economical.

2(a), the vacuum insulation panels 500 are arranged so that the contact relationship between adjacent vacuum insulation panels 500 is different from the contact relationship between the corresponding adjacent heat storage material containers 600. That is, the panel surface on the -Y side of the front panel 120 contacts the end surface on the +X side of the adjacent left panel 130, but the panel surface on the -Y side of the corresponding front heat storage material container 620 does not contact the end surface on the +X side of the adjacent left heat storage material container 630, and the panel surface of the front heat storage material container 620 contacts the end surface of the right heat storage material container 650. Similar relationships exist between the other vacuum insulation panels 500 and the heat storage material containers 600.

Now, consider a case where the panel surface on the -Y side of the front panel 120 abuts against the end surface on the +X side of the adjacent left panel 130, and the corresponding panel surface on the -Y side of the front heat storage material container 620 abuts against the end surface on the +X side of the adjacent left heat storage material container 630. If the front panel 120 is shifted locally in the +X direction relative to the left panel 130 near the adjacent portion with the left panel 130, a gap will be generated between the panel surface on the -Y side of the front panel 120 and the end surface on the +X side of the left panel 130. Moreover, a gap will be generated between the corresponding panel surface on the -Y side of the front heat storage material container 620 and the end surface on the +X side of the left heat storage material container 630, so that the airtightness will be extremely lost near the adjacent portion between the front panel 120 and the left panel 130 of the insulated container 100, and there is a risk of a decrease in the insulating performance.

In contrast, in this embodiment, when the front panel 120 is arranged locally shifted in the +X direction relative to the left panel 130 near the adjacent portion with the left panel 130, a gap is generated between the panel surface on the -Y direction side of the front panel 120 and the end surface on the +X direction side of the left panel 130. However, the end surface on the -Y direction side of the front heat storage material container 620 only shifts along the X direction while abutting against the panel surface on the +X direction side of the left heat storage material container 630, and no gap is generated unless a shift occurs that exceeds the thickness of the front heat storage material container 620. Therefore, this embodiment is advantageous in that even if the vacuum insulation panels 500 are shifted apart, the heat storage material containers 600 in the vicinity are unlikely to shift apart, making it easier to ensure airtightness.

Figure 2(b) is a side cross-sectional view of the insulated container 100, taken along the line A-A when the insulated container 100 is cut along a plane perpendicular to the Y axis at approximately the center of the insulated container 100 shown in Figure 2(a), as viewed from the +Y direction. The cross section shown includes the top panel 110 and the upper portion 300a of the heat shielding sheet covering the top panel 110, both of which are omitted in Figure 2(a).

As shown in FIG. 2(b), the top heat storage material container 610 and the bottom heat storage material container 660 are arranged along the inner surfaces of the top panel 110 and the bottom panel 160 of the insulated container body 200, and when the top panel 110 is closed, these are in contact with the front heat storage material container 620, the left heat storage material container 630, the back heat storage material container 640, and the right heat storage material container 650 (not shown) so that their end faces are surrounded by them. However, the contact relationship and arrangement of each heat storage material container 600 with the adjacent heat storage material containers 600 are not limited to those shown above, and any contact relationship and arrangement can be selected.

Figure 4 is a perspective view explaining the configuration of the heat storage material container 600, taking the rear heat storage material container 640 as an example. The heat storage material container 600 is composed of a heat storage material container 710 for storing the heat storage material 720, and the heat storage material 720 stored therein. In general, in consideration of setting the heat storage material 720 alone in a cooling device or a heating device, or replacing a deteriorated heat storage material 720 with another one, as shown in Figure 4, an opening and closing part 710a is provided in a part of the heat storage material container 710, and the heat storage material 720 is often configured to be inserted and removed from the heat storage material container 710. However, the heat storage material container 600 is not limited to such a configuration, and also includes a structure in which the heat storage material container 710 and the heat storage material 720 cannot be separated.

In addition, in the multiple heat storage material storage bodies 600 arranged so as to surround the entire heat insulation space 400 along the surface of the multiple vacuum insulation panels 500 facing the heat insulation space 400, when the surface area of the heat insulation space 400 is S1 and the area of contact between the heat storage material storage body 600 and the heat insulation space 400 is S2, it is preferable that the ratio of S2 to S1 is 0.8 or more. This is because the heat storage material storage body 600 is structured to surround most of the heat insulation space 400, so that the stored items can be efficiently cooled or heated over almost the entire outer surface of the heat insulation space through the cooled or heated atmosphere generated from the heat storage material 720. Furthermore, in this embodiment, since the heat storage material storage body 600 has radio wave transparency, even if the heat storage material storage body 600 is structured to surround most of the heat insulation space 400, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of interference with non-contact communication between the reader outside the heat insulation container 100 and the IC tag inside.

(i) Heat storage material The heat storage material used in this disclosure includes those described as heat storage agents, cold storage materials, cold storage materials, cold insulation materials, cold insulation materials, heat insulation materials, or heat insulation materials. Heat storage materials have the function of being able to maintain a constant temperature for a certain period of time, and by maintaining the heat storage material at a predetermined temperature, it becomes possible to maintain the atmospheric temperature inside the insulated container at a substantially constant temperature for a certain period of time. Those used mainly for the purpose of maintaining a temperature lower than room temperature are often referred to as cold insulation materials, and those used for the purpose of maintaining a constant temperature above room temperature are often referred to as heat insulation materials.

Heat storage materials can be classified into latent heat storage methods, which utilize the heat of transition accompanying the phase change or transition of a substance and store it as thermal energy, sensible heat storage methods, which utilize the specific heat of a substance and store and use thermal energy in a substance with a large specific heat, and chemical heat storage methods, which utilize the endothermic and exothermic reactions during absorption, mixing, hydration, etc. From the viewpoints of component cost, safety, temperature stability, etc., heat storage materials using latent heat storage methods are often used for keeping the inside of insulated containers cool or warm. There are various known methods for latent heat storage methods. For example, when maintaining a constant temperature below the refrigeration temperature range, a gel-like material made by incorporating water and additives into a highly hygroscopic polymer resin such as sodium polyacrylate is often used. Also, when maintaining a constant temperature above the refrigeration temperature range, a material that uses various paraffins, sodium acetate trihydrate, nitrates, sulfates, polyethylene glycol, etc. as the main components and appropriately blending additives to adjust the freezing point and melting point at which the phase transition occurs to a predetermined temperature is often used.

Here, the water-based heat storage material, i.e., the heat of transition accompanying the phase change from ice to water, has its radio wave permeability hindered by the influence of the moisture contained therein. In general, it is known that radio waves in the HF and UHF bands, which are lower frequency bands than the visible light range, are strongly affected by scattering in water and are extremely attenuated. In this disclosure, since the multiple heat storage material containers 600 including the heat storage material 720 are arranged along the surfaces of the multiple vacuum insulation panels 500 facing the insulation space 400 so as to surround the entire insulation space 400, in order to ensure the radio wave permeability of the insulation container 100, it is inappropriate to use a heat storage material 720 that is mainly composed of water.

Therefore, in this embodiment, a heat storage material that does not contain water as a main component, such as a paraffin-based, polyethylene glycol-based, or inorganic salt material, is used, using a latent heat storage method. Among them, heat storage materials that contain paraffin-based materials as a main component have the advantages of high heat storage density and resistance to deterioration due to repeated phase changes, and have the characteristic that, regardless of whether they change phase to a solid or liquid, the inhibition of radio wave permeability is suppressed compared to water.

It is also preferable that the heat storage material 720 is as close as possible to the dimensions of the heat storage material container 710 in which it is stored. For example, in the example of FIG. 3, the ratio of the surface area of the heat storage material 720 along the XZ plane when it is solid to the surface area of the heat storage material container 710 along the XZ plane is preferably 0.5 or more, and more preferably 0.8 or more. This is because it is advantageous to increase the surface area of the heat storage material 720 in contact with the insulating space 400 of the insulating container 100 as much as possible in terms of improving the efficiency of cooling and heat retention. In addition, in order to specify the lot management and validity period of the heat storage material, an aluminum label or the like may be attached to the surface of the heat storage material, but it is preferable not to use it as much as possible because it may have a negative effect on radio wave transparency, and even if it is used, it is necessary to consider that the area is as small as possible.

(ii) Heat Storage Material Container The heat storage material container 710 shown in FIG. 4 is a box-shaped container with an opening and closing part 710a made of hard resin. The opening and closing part 710a can be opened to put in and take out the heat storage material 720 in a solid, liquid or gel state. The heat storage material container 710 is not limited to such a hard resin, and may be made of soft resin, nonwoven fabric, fiber, mesh-like resin, etc., and may be made in a flexible bag shape. In this case, an opening is provided on the top surface or the left and right surfaces, and after the heat storage material 720 is put in, it is preferable that the heat storage material 720 is prevented from falling off by a hook-and-loop fastener, a zipper, or the like. The heat storage material container 710 may be detachably attached to the corresponding vacuum insulation panel 500, for example, by a hook-and-loop fastener, or may be attached by a method of hanging on the vacuum insulation panel 500 by a string, a belt, a metal fitting, or the like.

In addition, the heat storage material container 710 may not be attached to the vacuum insulation panel 500, and adjacent heat storage material containers 710 may be engaged with each other in a detachable or non-detachable manner. In this embodiment, a hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) is provided on the surface of the heat storage material container 710 that contacts the vacuum insulation panel 500 and on the corresponding panel surface of the vacuum insulation panel 500. This allows the top heat storage material storage body 610 corresponding to the top panel 110 to be moved integrally with the top panel 110, particularly when the top panel 110 is opened.

On the other hand, the heat storage material container 710 must be radio wave transparent, just as the heat storage material 720 is made of a material that is radio wave transparent. As described above, the heat storage material container 600 containing the heat storage material 720 is arranged so as to surround the entire heat insulation space 400 along the surface of the heat insulation space 400 side of the multiple vacuum insulation panels 500, so radio wave transparency is essential not only for the heat storage material 720 that constitutes the heat storage material container 600, but also for the heat storage material container 710. If the heat storage material container 710 is made of resin, fabric, etc. as described above, there is no risk of impeding radio wave transparency, but if metal or conductive graphite, carbon fiber, etc. are used, electromagnetic shielding properties will increase, and this is not preferable.

Materials that can be used for such a heat storage material container 710 include, for example, hard resins such as polyethylene, nylon, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyvinyl chloride, and polycarbonate, and fiber-reinforced resins, in the case of a hard container. In addition, thin versions of the resins listed above, nonwoven fabrics, cloth, etc. can also be used in the case of a flexible container.

(e) Heat shielding sheet As shown in Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, a heat shielding sheet 300 is provided adjacent to the outer surface of each panel so as to cover the entire heat insulating container body 200. However, the heat shielding sheet 300 can also be provided adjacent to the outer surface of each panel so as to cover only the top panel 110 and the side panel 170, excluding the bottom panel 160 which is unlikely to be directly hit by sunlight. That is, the heat shielding sheet 300 can be arranged so as to cover the entire or part of the heat insulating container body 200. Also, as shown in Fig. 1, since the top panel 110 of the heat insulating container body 200 can be opened and closed, the heat shielding sheet 300 is configured so that an upper heat shielding sheet portion 300a covering the outer surface of the top panel 110 and a lower heat shielding sheet portion 300b covering the side panel 170 can be separated in accordance with the opening and closing of the top panel 110.

In other words, the top panel 110, which is a vacuum insulation panel 500, is an openable vacuum insulation panel 500 that can be opened and closed while being in contact with the rear panel 140, which is an adjacent vacuum insulation panel 500, at the hinge portion 110a. Also, the heat shielding sheet 300 is formed separably into an upper heat shielding sheet portion 300a, which is a first portion that covers all or part of the vacuum insulation panel 500 other than the openable top panel 110, and a lower heat shielding sheet portion 300b, which is a second portion that covers the openable top panel 110.

The separable configuration may be such that the upper heat shielding sheet 300a and the lower heat shielding sheet 300b covering the side panel 170 are connected via the hinge portion 110a, and the portions other than the hinge portion 110a are separable by hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, etc., or the hinge portion 110a may also be separable by hook-and-loop fasteners, zippers, etc. at any position between the four side panels 170. In this way, by appropriately providing the heat shielding sheet 300 with a separable configuration, the workability of attaching and removing the heat shielding sheet 300 to the insulating container body 200 can be improved.

As a means for positioning the heat shielding sheet 300 adjacent to the outside of the vacuum insulation panel, for example, male and female hook-and-loop fasteners may be provided at predetermined locations on the outer surface of the vacuum insulation panel and at a corresponding location on the heat shielding sheet 300. In this way, when the heat shielding sheet 300 is placed over the insulation container body 200 to form the insulation container 100, it is possible to prevent the heat shielding sheet 300 from shifting from each vacuum insulation panel.

The heat shielding sheet 300 is not necessary, but if it is provided to cover the heat insulating container body 200, the heat shielding sheet 300 itself must be made of a material and have a structure that does not impede radio wave transmission. Since the heat insulating container body 200 and the heat storage material storage body 600 are configured to be radio wave transparent, when the heat shielding sheet 300 is used, the heat shielding sheet 300 must also be radio wave transparent, so that the IC tag stored inside the heat insulating container 100 can be read from outside the heat insulating container 100 by non-contact communication using a reading device.

(f) Regarding the insulated container of the first embodiment As described above, the insulated container 100 of the first embodiment is an insulated container composed of an insulated container body 200 equipped with a plurality of vacuum insulation panels 500, and a plurality of heat storage material storage bodies 600, and the plurality of vacuum insulation panels 500 forming the insulated container body 200 form an insulated space 400, and the entire insulated space 400 is surrounded by the plurality of vacuum insulation panels 500. Furthermore, each vacuum insulation panel 500 is provided with a vacuum insulation material composed of a core material 510 and an outer packaging material 520 covering the core material 510, the outer packaging material 520 being composed of a radio wave transparent non-metallic material, and adjacent vacuum insulation panels 500 are arranged so that the outer packaging materials 520 are in close contact or proximity to each other, and the heat storage material storage body 600 is composed of a heat storage material 720 having radio wave transparency and a heat storage material container 710 having radio wave transparency for storing the heat storage material 720, and the multiple heat storage material storage bodies 600 are arranged along the surface of the multiple vacuum insulation panels 500 facing the insulation space 400 so as to surround the entire insulation space 400.

The insulated container 100 of this embodiment therefore uses vacuum insulation material and has a structure in which the interior is almost entirely covered with heat storage material, ensuring sufficient overall insulation performance, and also providing radio wave transparency that allows the IC tag placed inside the insulated container 100 to be directly read from the outside.

2. Second embodiment Next, a second embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Fig. 5(a) is a plan view of the insulated container 101 of this embodiment, viewed from the +Z direction, when the top panel 110 of the insulated container 101 and the upper part 300a of the heat shield sheet covering the top panel 110 are removed. Fig. 5(b) is a side cross-sectional view of the insulated container 101, viewed from the +Y direction, when the insulated container 101 is cut on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis, approximately near the center of the insulated container 101 along the Y axis. The structure of the insulated container body is the same as that of the insulated container body 200.

As shown in Figures 5(a) and (b), heat storage material containers 601, which have the same configuration except for the dimensions, are arranged along the inner surface of each panel of the thermal insulation container body. Specifically, a bottom heat storage material container 661, a front heat storage material container 621, a left heat storage material container 631, a rear heat storage material container 641, a right heat storage material container 651, and a top heat storage material container 611 are arranged along the inner surface of each of the bottom panel 160, the front panel 120, the left panel 130, the rear panel 140, the right panel 150, and the top panel 110. These heat storage material containers 601 are radio wave transparent.

The heat storage material storage body 601 of this embodiment differs from the heat storage material storage body 600 of the first embodiment in that:
The end face of the outer periphery of each plate-shaped heat storage material container 601 is inclined at a predetermined angle. For example, the end face on the -Y direction side of the front heat storage material container 621 in Fig. 5(a) is inclined at a constant angle toward the +X direction as it approaches the -Y direction side, and the end face on the opposite side of the +Y direction side is inclined at a constant angle toward the +X direction as it approaches the +Y direction side. The inclination angle can be, for example, 45°. Similarly, the end faces of the outer periphery of the left heat storage material container 631, the back heat storage material container 641, and the right heat storage material container 651 are also inclined at the same degree.

On the other hand, FIG. 5(b) is a side cross-sectional view of the thermal insulation container 101 shown in FIG. 5(a) when the thermal insulation container 101 is cut by a plane perpendicular to the Y axis at approximately the center along the Y axis of the thermal insulation container 101 shown in FIG. 5(a), showing a cross section including the top panel 110 and the upper part 300a of the heat shield sheet covering the top panel 110, which are omitted in FIG. 5(a). Here, the front heat storage material container 621 in FIG. 4(b) has a constant inclination toward the +X direction as it approaches the +Z direction at its end face on the +Z direction side, and has a constant inclination toward the +X direction as it approaches the -Z direction at its end face on the opposite side. The inclination angle can be, for example, 45°. Similarly, the top heat storage material container 611, the back heat storage material container 641, and the bottom heat storage material container 661 also have the same degree of inclination at their outer peripheral end faces.

In this way, the heat storage material storage bodies 601 of this embodiment are configured so that all six of them have a similar constant inclination on the end faces of the outer periphery, and when these six heat storage material storage bodies 601 are combined to form a roughly rectangular parallelepiped, the end faces of adjacent heat storage material storage bodies 601 are in close contact with each other due to the roughly identical inclination, and a box-shaped shape can be formed while maintaining airtightness. Furthermore, with this configuration, the combined heat storage material storage bodies 601 have the rigidity to push back against the outside against an external force pushing inward from the outside.

5(a), for example, if an external force acts to push the front heat storage material container 621 from the +X direction side to the -X direction side, the external force acts on the -Y direction end face and the +Y direction end face of the front heat storage material container 621 to push the left heat storage material container 631 to the -X direction side and the -Y direction side, and the right heat storage material container 651 to the -X direction side and the +Y direction side. Here, the left heat storage material container 631 and the right heat storage material container 651 are pushed back by the outer left panel 130 and right panel 150, and the front heat storage material container 621 is pushed back to the +X direction side as a reaction to the force in the Y axis direction being cancelled out.

In this embodiment, the heat storage material storage body 601 itself is given rigidity and has the function of supporting the insulating container body 200 from the inside. Therefore, even if the rigidity of the vacuum insulation panel 500 constituting the insulating container body 200 is designed to be somewhat low, the combined structure of the multiple heat storage material storage bodies 601 configured inside can provide sufficient strength for the insulating container 100 as a whole, thereby expanding the design freedom of the insulating container body 200 and the vacuum insulation panel 500.

3. Third embodiment Next, a third embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 6 is a plan view of the insulated container 102 of this embodiment when the top panel 110 and the upper portion 300a of the heat shielding sheet covering the top panel 110 are removed, as viewed from the +Z direction. FIG. 7(a) is a side cross-sectional view of the insulated container 102 at C-C cross section as viewed from the +Y direction when the insulated container 102 is cut on a plane perpendicular to the Y axis in the vicinity of the center of the right side panel 150 along the Y axis of the insulated container 102. Similarly, FIG. 7(b) is a side cross-sectional view of the insulated container 102 at D-D cross section as viewed from the +X direction when the insulated container 102 is cut on a plane perpendicular to the X axis in the vicinity of the center of the front panel 120 along the X axis of the insulated container 102. Note that the side cross-sectional view omits the insulated container body and the heat shielding sheet. The structure of the insulated container body is the same as that of the insulated container body 200.

As shown in FIG. 6, heat storage material containers 602, which are identical in configuration except for the dimensions, are arranged along the inner surface of each panel of the insulated container body. Specifically, a bottom heat storage material container 662, a front heat storage material container 622, a left heat storage material container 632, a rear heat storage material container 642, a right heat storage material container 652, and a top heat storage material container 612 are arranged along the inner surface of each of the bottom panel 160, the front panel 120, the left panel 130, the rear panel 140, the right panel 150, and the top panel 110. These heat storage material containers 602 are radio wave transparent.

The heat storage material storage body 602 of this embodiment differs from the heat storage material storage body 600 of the first embodiment in that:
The plate-shaped heat storage material container 602 has a predetermined unevenness formed on its outer periphery so that it can be fitted and locked with the adjacent heat storage material container 602. For example, the right heat storage material container 652 in FIG. 7(a) has right heat storage material container protrusions 652b and 652d protruding in the +X direction and right heat storage material container recesses 652a, 652c, and 652e recessed in the -X direction formed on its end surface on the +X direction side. Adjacent front heat storage material container protrusions 622f, 622h, and 622j are formed to fit with these. Similarly, the right heat storage material container 652 has right heat storage material container protrusions 652g and 652i protruding in the -X direction and right heat storage material container recesses 652f, 652h, and 652j recessed in the +X direction formed on its end surface on the -X direction side. Further, adjacent rear surface heat storage material container protrusions 642a, 642b and 642c are formed so as to fit into these protrusions.

On the other hand, the front heat storage material container 622 in FIG. 7(b) also has a similar shape, and the end surface on the -Y side thereof is formed with front heat storage material container protrusions 622a, 622c, and 622de that protrude in the -Y direction, and front heat storage material container recesses 622b and 622d that are recessed in the +Y direction. In addition, adjacent left heat storage material container protrusions 632a and 632b are formed to fit with these. Similarly, the end surface on the +Y side of the front heat storage material container 622 is formed with front heat storage material container protrusions 622f, 622h, and 622j that protrude in the +Y direction, and front heat storage material container recesses 622g and 622i that are recessed in the -Y direction. In addition, as described above, adjacent right heat storage material container protrusions 652b and 652d are formed to fit with these. This configuration is also the same between the left heat storage material container 632 and the rear heat storage material container 642, and between the rear heat storage material container 642 and the right heat storage material container 652.

In this way, the heat storage material storage body 602 of this embodiment has four heat storage material storage bodies 602 that make up the side surface, each of which has an uneven shape on the horizontal end surface, and the structure surrounding the insulation space 400 is maintained with rigidity by fitting and locking with each other. Therefore, in this case, even if some external force acts to push the vacuum insulation panel 500 toward the insulation space 400, the fitting structure of the heat storage material storage bodies 602 provides rigidity and has the function of supporting the insulation container body 200 from the inside. Therefore, even if the rigidity of the vacuum insulation panel 500 that constitutes the insulation container body 200 is designed to be somewhat low, the combined structure of the multiple heat storage material storage bodies 602 configured inside can provide sufficient strength as a whole for the insulation container 102, and as in the case of the second embodiment, the design freedom of the insulation container body 200 and the vacuum insulation panel 500 can be expanded.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, at least the four heat storage material containers 602 that make up the side surfaces can maintain their side shape in a self-supporting state even without the support of the surrounding vacuum insulation panels 500. Also, if the top heat storage material container 612 and the bottom heat storage material container 662 are formed to have the same fitting structure as the adjacent heat storage material containers 602, the entire six-sided rectangular parallelepiped shape formed by the heat storage material containers 602 can be configured to be self-supporting. In this way, the design freedom of the insulation container body 200 and the vacuum insulation panel 500 can be further expanded.

100 Insulated container 110 Top panel 110a Hinge section 120 Front panel 130 Left panel 140 Rear panel 150 Right panel 160 Bottom panel 170 Side panel 200 Insulated container body 300 Heat shield sheet 300a Heat shield sheet upper part 300b Heat shield sheet lower part 400 Insulated space 500 Vacuum insulation panel 510 Core material 520 Outer packaging material 600, 601, 602 Heat storage material container 610, 611, 612 Top heat storage material container 611a Top heat storage material container inclined surface part 620, 621, 622 Front heat storage material container 621a Front heat storage material container inclined surface part 622a, 622c, 622e, 622f, 622h, 622j Front heat storage material container protrusions 622b, 622d, 622g, 622i Front heat storage material container recesses 630, 631, 632 Left heat storage material containers 632a, 632b Left heat storage material container protrusions 640, 641, 642 Rear heat storage material containers 642a, 642b, 642c Rear heat storage material container protrusions 650, 651, 652 Right heat storage material containers 652a, 652c, 652e, 652f, 652h, 652j Right heat storage material container recesses 652b, 652d, 652g, 652i Right heat storage material container protrusions 660, 661, 662 Bottom heat storage material container 710 Heat storage material container 710a Opening/closing section 720 Heat storage material 800 Article 900 IC tag 910 reader

Claims (6)

An insulating container body having a plurality of vacuum insulating panels;
A thermal insulation container composed of a plurality of heat storage material containers,
The plurality of vacuum insulation panels forming the insulated container body form an insulated space, and the entire insulated space is surrounded by the plurality of vacuum insulation panels;
The vacuum insulation panel includes a vacuum insulation material composed of a core material and an outer packaging material covering the core material, the outer packaging material being composed of a radio wave transparent non-metallic material, and the vacuum insulation panels adjacent to each other are arranged such that the outer packaging materials are in close contact with or adjacent to each other,
the heat storage material container is composed of a heat storage material having radio wave permeability and a heat storage material container having radio wave permeability for storing the heat storage material,
the plurality of heat storage material containers are arranged along surfaces of the plurality of vacuum insulation panels facing the insulation space so as to surround the entire insulation space. The insulated container according to claim 1, in which the IC tag can be placed inside the insulated container so that the passive type IC tag can be read by a reader from outside the insulated container through non-contact communication. The insulated container according to claim 1 or 2, in which an article having an IC tag attached thereto can be placed inside the insulated container so that the IC tag can be read by a reading device from outside the insulated container through non-contact communication. The insulated container according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the outer packaging material is composed of a member on which aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, or both are vapor-deposited, or a laminate of separate films on which aluminum oxide, silicon oxide, or both are vapor-deposited. 5. The insulated container according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of heat storage material storage bodies arranged to surround the entire insulation space have a structure that supports the vacuum insulation panel facing away from the insulation space. The insulated container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the plurality of heat storage material storage bodies arranged to surround the entire insulated space have a structure that allows them to self-support at least the portion constituting the side surface to form the insulated space.