JPH06147714A - Portable cooling container utilizing thermoelement - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a portable cooling container utilizing a thermoelement which is lightweight and is capable of controlling temperature. CONSTITUTION:A module 20 is formed by arranging a plurality of thermoelements on a predetermined surface, each of which thermoelement has a characteristic where a coupling electrode 14 for coupling an n-type thermoelement 11 and a type thermoelement 12 with each other absorbes heat in response to a current from the n type thermoelement 11. The module 20 is mounted on a heat transfer wall 6 provided on a peripheral wall of a body 2 of a portable cooling container 1 and an acconodation space 3 in the peripheral wall is exposed to the coupling electrode 14 of the module 20. The thermocouples are connected through a connection conductor 17 such that a current is driven from the n-type thermoelement 11 to the coupling electrode 14 for the thermocouples of the module 20. An outer surface of the heat transfer wall 6 is brought into contact with flowing water and the like for promotion of heat radiation, at need.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a portable cooling container using a thermoelectric element, and more particularly, a thermoelectric device using a thermocouple provided on a peripheral wall of the container to keep the inside temperature low by a current from a power source such as a storage battery. Of the portable cooling container.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A portable cooling container generally called a cooler box is intended to maintain an internal temperature,
A heat insulating material is placed around the inner space to prevent the outside air temperature from being transmitted to the inner space. When cooling the internal space, a cold heat source such as ice is put together with the contents to be cooled.

[0003]

However, when the cooler box is used for refrigeration, the cold heat source is inserted as described above, so that a part of the internal space is occupied by the cold heat source and the usable volume is limited. There was a problem. Further, a cold heat source such as ice may increase the weight and may be inconvenient to carry. Moreover, it is difficult to maintain the temperature difference with the external space for a long time, and it is difficult to keep a low temperature below a certain limit for a period of more than a certain limit in refrigeration, for example. In principle, it was almost impossible to control the temperature of the internal space.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a portable cooling container using a thermoelectric element which is lightweight and whose temperature can be controlled.

[0005]

The present inventor has paid attention to the utilization of the Peltier effect of thermoelectric elements and recent advances in thermoelectric element materials as means for controlling the temperature of the accommodation space inside a portable cooling container. In the thermocouple 10 illustrated in FIG. 3, for example, two types of thermoelectric elements consisting of an n-type thermoelectric element 11 and a p-type thermoelectric element 12 are used as the thermocouple 10, and one end of each thermoelectric element 11 and 12 is joined to form a joint portion.
13, the other end 19 of each thermoelectric element 11, 12 is connected to the outside through the connecting conductor 17, and the other end 19 of each thermoelectric element 11, 12 is kept at the same temperature. In the figure, the dotted frame is the other end
Shows that 19 is kept at the same temperature. For example, when a current I is passed from one thermoelectric element, which is an n-type thermoelectric element 11, to the joint portion 13, the temperature of the joint portion 13 is increased by the Peltier effect.
The temperature drops below the temperature of the other end 19 of the 11, 12 and the joint 13 absorbs heat. If the two other ends 19 are kept at a constant low temperature, the joint 13
Can be cooled to a temperature lower than the low temperature to cool the one contacting the joint 13. FIG. 6 shows that in the case of the recently developed bismuth-tellurium-based thermoelectric material, if the temperature of the two other ends 19, that is, the high temperature junction is kept at 0 ^° C., 27 ^° C. or 60 ^° C. That is, it is reported that the temperature of the low temperature joint can be lower than that of the high temperature joint by at least about 40 ^° C, about 47 ^° C or about 57 ^° C, respectively. Utilizing this principle of the thermoelectric element, it can be expected that the temperature can be controlled while keeping the portable cooling container lightweight.

Referring to the embodiment of FIG. 1, a portable cooling container 1 using a thermoelectric element of the present invention has a main body 2 having a storage space 3 surrounded at least partially by a peripheral wall which is a heat transfer wall 6. A plurality of thermocouples 10 (FIG. 3) having a characteristic that a coupling portion 13 (FIG. 3) that joins one end of each of the two types of thermoelectric elements 11 and 12 absorbs heat according to the current from one thermoelectric element 11. A module 20 (FIG. 4) formed by arranging the individual pieces in a predetermined plane shape, exposing the coupling portion 13 of the thermocouple 10 of the module 20 to the accommodation space 3, and the thermoelectric element 11 of each thermocouple 10 of the module 20. The heat transfer fixing means 8 for locking the other end 19 (FIG. 3) of 12 to the heat transfer wall 6 of the surrounding wall, and the coupling portion 13 of each thermocouple 10 of the module 20 to the current from the one thermoelectric element 11 A configuration including a connection conductor 17 for connecting the thermocouple 10 so that the current flows is used. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the coupling portion 13 is the coupling electrode 14.

[0007]

The function of the present invention will be described. A cooling product 22 (FIG. 2) in the accommodation space 3 of the portable cooling container 1 using the thermoelectric element of FIG.
And a current is supplied from the power source 16 such as a battery to the thermoelectric elements 11 and 12 of the module 20 through the connection conductor 17. Since the connection conductor 17 is connected to the thermoelectric element coupling portion 13 in the accommodation space 3 of the portable cooling container 1 so that the current flows from the n-type thermoelectric element 11, the coupling portion 13 causes the accommodation space 3 and the cooling product 22. They endotherm to cool them.

When the thermoelectric element having the characteristics shown in FIG. 6 is used, theoretically, if the outside of the portable cooling container 1 is kept at room temperature of 27 ^° C., the joint portion 13 is about −20 ^° C. (= 27−C). 47) Below, if the outside is kept at 0 ^° C by putting the portable cooling container 1 in a refrigerator, the joint portion 13 can be cooled to about -40 ^° C (= 0-40) or less. Further, since it is known that the amount of heat absorbed in the coupling portion 13 per unit time depends on the current I of the thermocouple 10, it is possible to easily control the temperature within the accommodation space 3 by adjusting the current I. Expected to be possible. Moreover, since the module 20 including the thermocouple 10 is light, the weight of the portable cooling container 1 using a thermoelectric element can be kept low.

Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to provide a "lightweight and temperature-controllable portable cooling container using a thermoelectric element".

[0010]

EXAMPLE Referring to FIG. 4 (A), even if one end of the n-type thermoelectric element 11 and one end of the p-type thermoelectric element 12 are connected by a conductive coupling electrode 14, the coupling electrode 14 is It has been experimentally confirmed that the same function as that of the coupling portion 13 of FIG. In order to facilitate the connection between the connection conductor 17 from the external circuit such as the power supply 16 and the thermoelectric elements 11 and 12 and the connection between the thermocouples 10, a connection electrode 15 is provided at the other end 19 of each thermoelectric element 11 and 12. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the endothermic property of the coupling portion 13 of the thermocouple 10 does not change even if it is provided. After arranging a plurality of thermocouples 10 in a predetermined plane such as a plane to form the module 20 of FIG. 4 (B), the coupling electrode 14 is used as a contact surface with the accommodation space 3 to absorb heat Qc. To use. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of coupling electrodes 14 are brought into contact with a common heat absorbing plate 9.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the peripheral wall and the bottom wall of the main body 2 of the portable cooling container 1 are substantially all heat transfer walls 6, and the connection electrode 15 of each thermocouple 10 in the module 20 is, for example, heat transfer. By the heat-conducting fixing means 8 such as an adhesive, the heat-conducting wall 6
Fixed to the inner surface of the. Preferably, the opening of the main body 2 through which the cooling product 22 is taken in and out is covered with a removable lid 4 to be hermetically sealed, and a stopper 5 holds the hermetically sealed position.

Storage space 3 and a cooling product stored therein
Since the heat Qc absorbed from 22 is released to the outside as heat radiation Qh, the heat generating portion of the portable cooling container 1, that is, the outer surface of the peripheral wall can be brought into contact with running water 7 such as a river to radiate heat as shown in FIG. In order to prevent dew condensation on the surface of the cooling product 22 or the surface of the heat absorbing plate 9 from adversely affecting the thermoelectric elements 11 and 12, a waterproof coating may be provided on the surfaces of the thermoelectric elements 11 and 12.

When it is necessary to make the temperature of the accommodation space 3 extremely low, as shown in FIG. 5, the modules 20 are arranged in two stages via the intermediate heat absorbing plate 9a, and current is supplied to them. You may Further, it may be arranged in three or more stages.

Although the module 20 has been described with reference to the thermocouple 10 made of bismuth-tellurium thermoelectric material in the above embodiment, it is also possible to use a thermoelectric material which can be used in other normal temperature range. is there.

[0015]

As described above in detail, in the portable cooling container using the thermoelectric element according to the present invention, the connecting portion between the n-type thermoelectric element and the p-type thermoelectric element of the thermocouple is shown according to the passage of current. Since the endothermic property is utilized, the cooling container such as the cooler box can be kept lightweight and can be controlled in its internal temperature while maintaining its portability.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of a portable cooling container according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of an example of a heat dissipation method.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory view of a thermocouple.

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory view of a thermocouple module.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a main part of a configuration in which modules are arranged in multiple stages.

FIG. 6 is a graph showing an example of characteristics of a thermocouple.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 Portable cooling container 2 Main body 3
Storage space 4 Lid 5 Stopper 6
Heat transfer wall 7 Running water 8 Heat transfer fixing means 9
Endothermic plate 9a Intermediate endothermic plate 10 Thermocouple 11
n-type thermoelectric element 12 p-type thermoelectric element 13 coupling part 14
Coupling electrode 15 Connection electrode 16 Power supply 17
Connection conductor 19 Other end 20 Module 22
Cooled product.

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A main body having a housing space surrounded at least partially by a peripheral wall which is a heat-conducting wall, and a coupling portion connecting one end of each thermoelectric element of two types of thermoelectric elements has a current from one thermoelectric element. A module in which a plurality of thermocouples having a characteristic of absorbing heat according to the above are arranged in a plane shape of a predetermined shape, and a thermocouple element of each thermocouple of the module is exposed by exposing the coupling portion of the thermocouple of the module to the accommodation space. A heat transfer fixing means for locking the other end of the heat transfer wall to the heat transfer wall of the surrounding wall, and a connecting conductor for connecting the thermocouple so that a current flows from the one thermoelectric element to the coupling portion of each thermocouple of the module. A portable cooling container equipped with a thermoelectric element. 2. The portable cooling container according to claim 1, wherein a thermoelectric element-based portable cooling container is formed by locking the joints of the thermocouples of the module to a common heat absorbing plate. 3. The portable cooling container according to claim 2, wherein a thermocouple coupling portion of a second module having substantially the same configuration as that of the module is exposed to the accommodating space, and the thermocouple of each thermocouple of the module is exposed. The other end of the element is locked to the heat absorbing plate by a heat conductive fixing means, and the thermocouple is connected to the coupling portion of each thermocouple of the second module by a connecting conductor so that current flows from the one thermoelectric element. Portable cooling container using thermoelectric element.