WO2005016688A1

WO2005016688A1 - Refrigerator container

Info

Publication number: WO2005016688A1
Application number: PCT/KR2004/002019
Authority: WO
Inventors: Ji Ahe Kim
Original assignee: Ji Ahe Kim
Priority date: 2003-08-14
Filing date: 2004-08-11
Publication date: 2005-02-24
Also published as: KR100577029B1; KR20050018192A

Abstract

Disclosed is a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, in which cold air or conditioned air is forcibly blown forward and rearward from the central top of the container toward. The container comprises: a body having at least one compartment formed in the body, wherein pallets stacked with products packing boxes are loaded into the compartment, and doors provided at the opposite side thereof for opening and closing the compartment; a structure installed at the center of the compartment to bisect the compartment to form storage chambers for receiving the pallets; and at least one air-conditioner consisting of an outdoor unit installed at the outside of the body for compressing coolant, and an indoor unit installed on the top of the structure and connected to the outdoor unit via a coolant conduit for supplying and forcibly circulating conditioned air or cold air all over the storage chambers.

Description

REFRIGERATOR CONTAINER

Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car and in particular to a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, in which cold air is capable of being circulated so that products stored or preserved in palletized state within the container can be entirely uniformly retained at an optimum temperature appropriate for the characteristic of the products and the stored products can be stably and fixedly retained.

Background Art

In general, in order to prevent vegetables, fruits and meat, but not limited to these, from decay or being over-ripened, it is preferred to retain them at a predetermined product temperature. In order to keep a temperature of respective products constant for this purpose, a refrigerator/freezer car is used, which can retain corresponding products in refrigerated or frozen state while conveying or transporting such products from a producing district or a product gathering place to a consuming district or another product gathering place. Such a refrigerator/freezer car comprises a container 3 mounted on a car body 2 with driving wheels 1 for moving, as shown in Fig. 1. The container 3 is provided with an air-conditioner 4 at the front top thereof for supplying cold air to the interior of the container 3. Although not shown in the figure, the air-conditioner 4 essentially consists of a compressor, a condenser, a liquid collector, an expansion valve and an evaporator. With the arrangement as described above, if the air-conditioner 4 is operated after the products to be transported have loaded in the container 3, cold air is blown into the container from the front top of container to retain the corresponding products in frozen state or at an appropriate temperature. However, such a conventional refrigerator/freezer car has a problem in keeping an optimum temperature as being required for respective transported products. At first, in order to make transported products directly contact with cold air when the cold air is blown into the container from the front top of the container and then blown rearward of the container, it is required to pack such products into one or more boxes with a number of air-holes perforated through the walls of the boxes and then to load such boxes into the container, or to palletize the boxes and to load the pallets into the container. Such transport methods do not present any problem in handling small packaged products such as milks, hams or the like. However, if the boxes are stacked too high and/or occupy almost the entire area of the bottom of the container, there will be caused a difference in air flow rate between the uppermost product(s) and the lowermost product(s) or product(s) surrounded by other boxes, whereby a difference in temperature will be caused. In addition, because the respective boxes are stacked within the container in the case of meat, fishes, fruits or the like packed into boxes when being transported, conditioned air cannot come into contact with each of the boxes and thus only some boxes directly contacted with the cold air shall absorb the cold air. Consequently, there is a problem in that cold air cannot be uniformly transferred to each of the products loaded into the container. The problem of making it difficult to retain products packed into respective boxes at a suitable temperature because cold air cannot be transferred uniformly all over the interior of the container as described above is especially serious in the case of fruits and vegetables, for which a storage temperature in the range of 0^°C to 15 °C is required, as a result of which there is a problem in that the products such as fruits and vegetables are over-cooled or over-ripened, whereby the quality thereof shall be deteriorated. In addition, there is a problem in that products or pallets stacked with such products are rocked or clash against the inner walls of the container of a refrigerator/freezer car loaded with such products or pallets, while the car is running or turning, whereby the products or pallets may be damaged. Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been conceived to solve the above-mentioned problems and an object of the present invention is to provide a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, which allows the products loaded in the container to be transported in an optimally preserved state. Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, which is capable of keeping the temperature of all the products loaded in the container constant. Another object of the present invention is to provide a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, which is capable of forcibly circulating cold air to be supplied all over the interior of the container through griping holes already formed in most of packing boxes, so that cold air can be uniformly supplied to all of the products. Still another object of the present invention is to provide a container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, in which product(s) or pallet(s) loaded in the container can be stably and fixedly retained. The above-mentioned objects can be achieved by the inventive container for use in a refrigerator/freezer for transporting products while retaining the products at a predetermined temperature, wherein the container comprises: a body having at least one compartment formed therein and having a size determined depending on the sizes of pallets and of the car, wherein the compartment is loaded with one or more pallets stacked with one or more boxes each containing one or more products, and doors provided at the opposite sides of the body for opening and closing the compartment; a structure installed at the center of the compartment to bisect the compartment to form storage chambers for receiving the pallets; and an air-conditioner consisting of an outdoor unit installed at the outside of the body for compressing coolant, and an indoor unit installed on the top of the structure for forcibly circulating cold air.

Brief Description of the Drawings

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following detailed description taken with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: Figs. 1(a) to 1(c) are cross -sectioned side elevational views showing circulating states of air in a conventional refrigerator/freezer car; Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing the inventive container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car and the state of using the same; Fig. 3 is a partial enlarged perspective view showing the air-conditioner and an anchoring system of the container shown in Fig. 2, in which the body of the container is depicted by dotted lines; and Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view a part of the inventive container showing the circulating state of cold air in the container shown in Fig. 2.

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

Hereinbelow, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. At first, referring to Figs. 2 to 4, a refrigerator/freezer car V mounted with the inventive container essentially comprises driving wheels W capable of being manipulated from a driver's seat, and a mount section L on which the inventive container C to be described later is mounted. The inventive container C mounted on the loading deck L of the car V has a body 10 provided with a loading space therein. Although it is preferred to form the body 10 in a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the body 10 may formed in a suitable shape and size depending on the size of the mount section L and carrying capacity of the car V. In addition, both sides or one side of the body 10 are provided with one or more doors 12 to be capable of being opened for putting in and out the products or the pallets each stacked with the products. Alternatively, each door 12 can be horizontally divided into an upper door and a lower door if it is desired. The interior of the body 10 is preferably partitioned into two or three compartments 14 depending on the size of the interior of the body 10. The center of each compartment 14 is installed with a structure 20 for bisecting the compartment to form two storage chambers 14a, 14b. Each of the two storage chambers 14a, 14b is preferably formed in a size to freely put in and out standardized pallets practically stacked with the products. The structure 20 is preferably formed from a plurality of braces 22. In addition, abutments 24 are preferably provided crosswise at the top of the structure 20. Meanwhile, at least one air-conditioner 30 is installed on the structure 20 and in the body 10 to generate and supply cold air within the body 10. More specifically, the body 10 is provided with an outdoor unit 32 comprising a compressor and one or more fans at the front top of the body 10 and the structure 10 is provided with an indoor unit 36 connected to the outdoor unit 32 via a coolant conduit 34 to receive coolant compressed in the outdoor unit 32. The indoor unit 36 comprises an evaporator 38 connected to the coolant conduit 34 and mounted on the abutments 24, and a blower 40 for circulating the cold air emanating from the evaporator 38 all around the compartment 14. In particular, the blower 40 comprises a housing 42 for receiving and discharging air emanating from the evaporator 38, and one or more fans 44 rotatably mounted in the housing 42. Specifically, it is preferred that the housing 42 comprises one or more inlets 42a formed at the bottom of the housing 42 and opened toward the evaporator 38 to receive cold air emanating from the evaporator 38 and air that has been circulated over the respective storage chambers and returned to the structure 20, and outlets 42b formed at the opposite sides of the housing 42 to blow air or cold air introduced through the inlet 42a forward and reward toward the storage chambers 14a, 14b. Of course, the fans 42 may be radial fans, centrifugal fans, plate fans or the like and the evaporator 38 may be attached in front of the outlets 42b. According to another aspect of the present invention, an anchoring system 50 may be additionally provided in the container 10 to stably and fixedly retain product(s) or pallet(s) stacked with the product(s). Specifically, the anchoring system 50 preferably comprises: supporting rods 52 having a predetermined length, the supporting rods 52 each being pivotally installed at a corner or an edge of each compartment 14; supporting pieces 54 installed at opposite sides of the structure 20; a rope 56 inserted into and extending through the ends of the supporting rods 52 and the supporting pieces 54 to be capable of reciprocating, the rope surrounding and trapping the top of the product(s) or the pallet(s); and an anchoring piece 58 provided at the bottom end of the structure 20. It is preferred that the anchoring system 50 is accessible from both side openings of the container, so that the anchoring system 50 can be released even if either of the doors is open. Alternatively, it is also preferable to provide an additional anchoring piece 58' opposite to the anchoring piece 58 in such a way that the rope 56 can be released by an operator or a driver after the door at the side of the additional anchoring piece 58' is opened. The additional anchoring piece 58' may be formed in I-shape, S-shape, F-shape or P-shape. In addition, it is preferable that pallet supporting bars 60 are formed integral to the bottoms of the respective receiving chambers 14a, 14b of the compartment 14 so as to stably anchor and fixedly retain the lower end of each pallet. Hereinbelow, the operation of the inventive container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car configured as described above will be described in detail. At first, an operator may pack, for example, bananas into perforated boxes B, stack the boxes B on pallets PL, load the pallets PL into the respective storage chambers 14a, 14b, and then fixedly retain the respective pallets PL by tensioning the rope 56. Here, when the rope 56 is tensioned, the pivotally installed supporting rods 52 are pivoted toward the respective pallets, so that the rope 56 comes into direct contact with and surrounds the pallets PL; in this state, the rope 56 is releasably anchored to the anchoring piece 58 installed at the lower end of the structure 20, whereby the pallets can be stably anchored with the pallet supporting bars 60. Thereafter, the operator or the driver closes the door 12. In this loaded state, if the air-conditioner 30 is operated, coolant compressed in the outdoor unit 32 is conveyed into the evaporator 38 of the indoor unit 36. Then, if the fans 44 of the blower 40 are operated, the cold air emanating from the evaporator 38 is introduced into the inlets 42a of the housing 42 and then blown into the rear and front storage chambers through the outlets 42b formed at the opposite sides of the housing 42. The air discharged through the outlets 42b is blown as indicated by arrows in

Fig. 4, passes the boxes B stacked on the pallets PL, and passes the pallets PL and the partition wall 14, whereby the cold air circulates through the spaces formed between the pallets, pallets and the partition walls, and respective boxes, and through the openings formed each box, and then the cold air is collected at the center of the compartment, that is at the structure 20. The air collected in this manner shall circulate again along with the cold air emanating from the evaporator

38. Like this, the cold air or conditioned air is forcibly circulated through the storage chambers 14a, 14b and thus the interiors or the storage chambers 14a, 14b are retained at a same and constant temperature, whereby the products stored in the boxes can be retained at an optimum temperature, as a result of which it is possible to store and convey products at a state having an optimum temperature and atmosphere. In addition, because the pallets are anchored by the anchoring system, the products can be stably and fixedly retained while they are transported by the refrigerator/freezer car.

Industrial Applicability

Consequently, according to the present invention, because cold air or conditioned air produced from an air-conditioner is forcibly blown forward and reward from the central top of the container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car, so that the cold air can circulate through each box containing products to retain the products contained in the boxes at an optimum state, whereby the quality of the products can be assured and reliability of the products can be enhanced. Furthermore, because the pallet(s) stacked with products can be fixedly retained by an anchoring system, the security can be enhanced. Although the present invention has been described with reference to several preferred embodiments, it will be appreciated that various variations and modifications can be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention defined by the claims attached hereto.

Claims

1. A container for use in a refrigerator/freezer car for transporting products while retaining the products at an appropriate temperature, wherein the container comprises: a body having at least one compartment for loading pallets stacked with products packing boxes, and doors provided at the opposite sides thereof for opening and closing the compartment; a structure installed at the center of the compartment to bisect the compartment to form storage chambers for receiving the pallets; and an air-conditioner consisting of an outdoor unit installed at the outside of the body for compressing coolant, and an indoor unit installed on the top of the structure for forcibly circulating cold air.

2. A container as claimed in claim 1, wherein the indoor unit of the air-conditioner comprises an evaporator mounted on at least one abutment formed at the top of the structure, and a blower for circulating the cold air emanating from the evaporator all over the compartment formed in the body.

3. A container as claimed in claim 2, wherein the blower comprises a housing for receiving and discharging air emanating from the evaporator, and one or more fans rotatably installed in the housing.

4. A container as claimed in claim 3, wherein the housing has one or more inlets opened toward the evaporator to receive the cold air emanating from the evaporator and the air having been circulated through each of the storage chambers and collected at the structure, and one or more outlets for blowing out the air or cold air flown into the inlets toward the front and rear sides of the storage chambers.

5. A container as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an anchoring system provided at the compartment of the container for stably and fixedly retaining the boxes containing the products or the pallets stacked with boxes.

6. A container as claimed in claim 5, wherein the anchoring system comprises: supporting rods having a predetermined length, the supporting rods each being rotatably installed at the corners of the compartment, respectively; one or more supporting pieces installed at the top of the structure; a rope for trapping the top portions of the pallets, the rope being inserted into and extending through the ends of the supporting rods and supporting pieces to be capable of reciprocating; and one or more anchoring pieces provided at the lower end of the structure for releasably securing the rope in the state in which the pallets have been anchored.