Classifications

• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D31/00—Other cooling or freezing apparatus
  • F25D31/005—Combined cooling and heating devices
• • H—ELECTRICITY
  • H10—SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10N—ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • H10N10/00—Thermoelectric devices comprising a junction of dissimilar materials, i.e. devices exhibiting Seebeck or Peltier effects
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25B—REFRIGERATION MACHINES, PLANTS OR SYSTEMS; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS
  • F25B21/00—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects
  • F25B21/02—Machines, plants or systems, using electric or magnetic effects using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect
• • F—MECHANICAL ENGINEERING; LIGHTING; HEATING; WEAPONS; BLASTING
  • F25—REFRIGERATION OR COOLING; COMBINED HEATING AND REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS; HEAT PUMP SYSTEMS; MANUFACTURE OR STORAGE OF ICE; LIQUEFACTION SOLIDIFICATION OF GASES
  • F25D—REFRIGERATORS; COLD ROOMS; ICE-BOXES; COOLING OR FREEZING APPARATUS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
  • F25D2400/00—General features of, or devices for refrigerators, cold rooms, ice-boxes, or for cooling or freezing apparatus not covered by any other subclass
  • F25D2400/20—Carts specially adapted for transporting objects to be cooled

Definitions

• This invention relates generally to mobile food carrying carts and, more particularly, a method and apparatus for heating and cooling a mobile food carrying cart.
• Mobile food carrying carts are used to store and ship food products to different locations at a desired temperature.
• chilled air is circulated about the interior of the cart to cool the contents to a desired temperature.
• the air is typically cooled by a vapor- compression system having a vapor compression cycle.
• Vapor compression based cooling systems can have low coefficients of performance of less than 2.
• Vapor compression based cooling systems cool all of the food products in a given cart to a fixed set temperature, which can preclude the transport of more than one food type. Moreover, the food product must be removed and heated by a separate piece of equipment, such as an oven or microwave. In addition, vapor compression based cooling systems have high noise, high vibration and a considerable weight, all affecting the mobility of the cart.
• thermoelectric mobile food carrying cart with efficient fine tune temperature control.
• thermoelectric mobile food carrying cart with improved mobility.
• a heating and cooling system connected to a mobile food carrying cart includes at least one shelf and one or more thermoelectric devices.
• the one or more thermoelectric devices are connected to the at least one shelf.
• Each of the one or more thermoelectric devices is in thermal communication with the at least one shelf.
• a mobile food carrying cart for transporting food products to different locations at a desired temperature which comprises a support structure, at least one shelf, and one or more thermoelectric devices.
• the at least one shelf is removably connected to the support structure.
• the one or more thermoelectric devices are connected to the at least one shelf.
• Each of the one or more thermoelectric devices is in thermal communication with the at least one shelf.
• a method of transporting food products comprises storing the food products in a mobile cart having one or more thermoelectric devices in thermal communication with the food products, controlling energy provided to the one or more thermoelectric " devices connected to at least one shelf of the mobile cart, and transporting the mobile cart to a desired location for delivery of the food products.
• the thermoelectric devices can have a connection socket.
• the cart can further comprise a control box selectively connectable to the connection socket.
• the cart can further comprise a power supply connected to the control box.
• the control box can adjustably control energy provided to the one or more thermoelectric devices from the power supply.
• the power supply can be selected from the group consisting of a fuel cell, a photovoltaic, a fuel or heat driven generator, an internal combustion engine, a solar cell, a battery bank, a power grid, and any combination thereof.
• the thermoelectric devices can be a plurality of thermoelectric devices along a length of the at least one shelf. Each of the plurality of thermoelectric devices can be independently controllable by the control box.
• the cart can further comprise a vapor compression cycle connected to the mobile food carrying cart.
• the at least one shelf can be a plurality of shelves.
• the method can further comprise removably connecting a power supply to a quick connect socket.
• the quick connect socket can be connected to the one or more thermoelectric devices.
• Figure 1 schematically depicts a mobile food carrying cart of the present invention
• Figure 2 schematically depicts a thermoelectric device of the mobile food carrying cart of Figure 1.
• Cart 10 may heat, cool, and provide temperature control storage at a desired temperature for a plurality of food products, such as frozen food, fresh food, or wine for uses such as commercial or military applications.
• food products such as frozen food, fresh food, or wine for uses such as commercial or military applications.
• present disclosure contemplates the storage and refrigeration of other such food and non-food items.
• each of the shelves 30 has a planar, rectangular shape having tray areas 32 for the placement of each of the food products and spaces 34 each having an inner volume, preferably, opposite tray areas 32.
• Each of shelves 30 has at least one of thermoelectric devices 40 disposed in each of spaces 34.
• Each of spaces 34 preferably, aligns thermoelectric devices 40 with each of tray areas 32 to be in thermal communication with the food products for heating or cooling.
• each of thermoelectric devices 40 has a first side 42 facing each of tray areas 32 that is a cold side or face and a second side 44 facing away from each of tray areas 32 that is a warm side or face.
• first side 42 may be the warm side and second side 44 may be the cold side.
• First side 42 can be in thermal communication with each of tray areas 32, while second side 44 can be in thermal isolation from each of tray areas 32 to provide heating or cooling.
• Each of tray areas 32 may be in thermal communication with more than one of spaces 34 and thermoelectric devices 40 to provide both heating and cooling.
• each of shelves 30 may have more than one of spaces 34 and thermoelectric devices 40 according to the particular heating or cooling needs and other factors related to cart 10.
• thermoelectric devices 40 heat or cool the products stored in cart 10.
• Shelves 30 and thermoelectric devices 40 disposed therein take advantage of the localized nature of thermoelectric heating or cooling to provide for efficient, individualized or spot heating or cooling for each of the food products.
• cart 10 may simultaneously store, heat, or cool more than one food product at different temperatures.
• thermoelectric devices 40 The particular type, including materials, dimensions and shape, of each of thermoelectric devices 40 that is utilized can vary according to the particular needs of cart 10.
• high temperature thermoelectric devices for providing maximum heating and cooling may be utilized.
• Thermoelectric devices 40 can be conventional thermoelectric modules used for contact cooling but could also be thermoelectric materials integrated into various heat exchanger designs, e.g, air-air, air-liquid etc., with device design choices being application specific.
• the particular type, including materials, dimensions and shape, of thermoelectric devices 40 can vary according to the particular needs of cart 10.
• connection assembly 50 is connected thereto.
• Connection assembly 50 may be accessed in space 34 while thermoelectric devices 40 are disposed therein for connecting a control box 70.
• Connection assembly 50 preferably, is a quick connect socket for a connection, e.g., via wiring, to control box 70.
• Connection assembly 50 or quick connect may extend out of each of shelves 50 to make direct contact with plugs that connect to control box 70. It is envisioned that the quick connect feature allow for easily removable shelves that are easy to maintain and/or repair.
• each of shelves 30 having thermoelectric devices 40 and connection assembly 50 comprises a module that may be selectively connected and disconnected to control box 70 and cart 10 for changing configuration, cleaning, or other needs of cart 10.
• thermoelectric devices 40 may be controlled by control box 70.
• Control box 70 can be connected to a power supply 60, which is connected to thermoelectric devices 40.
• Control box 70 controls energy or current provided by power source 60 to thermoelectric devices 40, and consequently controls temperatures generated by thermoelectric devices 40 that are communicated to one or more of tray areas 32.
• each of thermoelectric devices 40 may provide a variety of temperatures to one or more of the food products at an identical location on one of shelves 30.
• cart 10 may be used to cool frozen food while shipped to a location, and once at the location, the frozen food can be heated for serving prior to removal from cart 10.
• cart 10 has fine tuned temperature control for transport and delivery of different food types at their requisite temperature.
• Power supply 60 may be any power source such as a DC power source from fuel cells, photovoltaics, fuel or heat driven generator, internal combustion, solar electricity cells, battery bank, or any combination thereof for providing a mobile power source, or a power grid providing power in a single location.
• power supply 60 or cart 10 may have an inverter for any AC power source.
• Cart 10 may also include a vapor compression cycle for additional or alternative cooling or heating, in particular, vapor compression cycle may provide a refrigeration mode of operation.

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• Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
• Combustion & Propulsion (AREA)
• Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
• Mechanical Engineering (AREA)
• Thermal Sciences (AREA)
• General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
• Devices That Are Associated With Refrigeration Equipment (AREA)

Applications Claiming Priority (1)

Publications (1)

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Family Applications (1)

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• 2005
  • 2005-09-29 EP EP05808130A patent/EP1938024A1/de not_active Withdrawn
  • 2005-09-29 US US11/992,628 patent/US20100158660A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-09-29 CN CN200580052139XA patent/CN101421566B/zh not_active Expired - Fee Related
  • 2005-09-29 CA CA002624163A patent/CA2624163A1/en not_active Abandoned
  • 2005-09-29 WO PCT/US2005/034981 patent/WO2007040512A1/en active Application Filing

Non-Patent Citations (1)

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