JP7541856B2 - Containers and rail cars - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to containers, rail vehicles and transportation methods.

For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, transportation using containers is performed. In container transportation, containers containing cargo are loaded and unloaded onto transportation means such as railways, ships, and trucks.

JP 2003-269835 A

On the other hand, for reasons such as having a refrigeration unit, it has been considered to provide an electrical connector in the container and ensure electrical connection to the outside through this electrical connector. When loading this container, the electrical connector is electrically connected to the outside, but performing this task each time is cumbersome. The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and aims to provide a container that can easily ensure electrical connection to the outside.

The first container according to the present invention comprises a container body, an electrical connector provided on the container body and capable of protruding outward from the container body, and a refrigeration unit electrically connected to the electrical connector and configured to cool the interior of the container body.

In the first container according to the present invention, the container body may have a rectangular parallelepiped outer contour, and the electrical connector may be supported by a short side wall portion and be capable of protruding in a direction away from the short side wall portion.

The first container according to the present invention may be a container placed in a railway freight car, and the electrical connector may be capable of protruding in the direction of travel of the freight car.

In the first container according to the present invention, the container body may have a rotationally symmetric outer contour, and the electrical connector may include a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector provided at positions that are rotationally symmetric about a central axis of rotational symmetry of the container body.

The first container according to the present invention may include a state detection unit that detects information related to the state of the container, and a drive unit that causes the electrical connector to protrude outward or move it from the protruding position to its original position based on the detection result of the state detection unit.

The first container according to the present invention may be a container placed in a railway freight car, and the status detection unit may be configured to detect the status of a locking mechanism connecting the container to the freight car.

The first container according to the present invention may be a container placed in a railway freight car, and the status detection unit may detect that the container has been placed in the freight car.

The container according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the state detection unit detects whether the fork of a forklift is inserted into the claw receiving hole of the container.

In the first container according to the present invention, the state detection unit may detect whether or not a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector.

The first container according to the present invention may be provided with an alarm unit that notifies the user that a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector based on the detection result of the state detection unit.

The first container according to the present invention may be provided with a manual operation unit that is operated to move the electrical connector.

The second container according to the present invention comprises a rectangular parallelepiped container body, a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector provided on a pair of short side walls of the container body, respectively, and a cooling unit electrically connected to the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector and configured to cool the inside of the container body.

The third container according to the present invention comprises a container body having a pair of opposing long side walls and a pair of opposing short side walls, a pair of electrical connectors provided on each of the pair of short side walls, and a cooling unit electrically connected to the pair of electrical connectors and cooling the inside of the container body.

In the second and third containers according to the present invention, the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector may be provided at positions that are rotationally symmetrical with respect to a position that is the center of the pair of long side walls of the container body in the direction in which the pair of long side walls face each other and is the center of the pair of short side walls of the container body in the direction in which the pair of short side walls face each other.

The fourth container according to the present invention comprises a container body to be placed in a railway freight car, a first electrical connector supported by the container body and electrically connectable from either side in the direction of travel of the freight car, a second electrical connector supported by the container body and electrically connectable from the other side in the direction of travel of the freight car, and a cooling unit supported by the container body and electrically connected to the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector.

In the fourth container according to the present invention, the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector may be provided at positions that are rotationally symmetrical with respect to a position that is the center of the container placed on the freight car in the traveling direction and the center of the container placed on the freight car in the width direction.

In the fourth container according to the present invention, a pair of first electrical connectors may be provided at positions symmetrical in the width direction about the center in the width direction of the container body placed on the freight car, and a pair of second electrical connectors may be provided at positions symmetrical in the width direction about the center in the width direction of the container body placed on the freight car.

The second to fourth containers according to the present invention may include base wiring that electrically connects the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector.

The second to fourth containers according to the present invention may be provided with supply wiring that electrically connects the base wiring and the cooling unit.

In the second to fourth containers according to the present invention, the container body may have a rotationally symmetric outer contour, and the first electrical connector and the second electrical connector may be provided at rotationally symmetric positions around the rotationally symmetric central axis of the container body.

In the first to fourth containers according to the present invention, the electrical connector may be a connector that can be electrically connected without contact.

The first to fourth containers according to the present invention may be provided with a cover material that covers the electrical connector.

The first to fourth containers according to the present invention may be provided with a partition wall portion provided within the container body that divides the interior of the container body into a cargo compartment and a machinery compartment.

The first to fourth containers according to the present invention are provided with a wall section that defines a cooling material chamber inside the container body and is separated from the cargo compartment, and the container body may have an opening and closing door that can open the cooling material chamber while keeping the cargo compartment closed.

In the first to fourth containers according to the present invention, the cooling unit may have a refrigerant pipe passing through the cooling material chamber or a refrigerant pipe extending adjacent to the wall portion that divides the cooling material chamber.

The first to fourth containers according to the present invention may be arranged in the luggage compartment adjacent to the wall that divides the cooling material chamber, and may be provided with a cold storage material that is cooled by the cooling unit.

In the first to fourth containers according to the present invention, the container body may have a rectangular parallelepiped outer contour, and may include a first claw receiving portion provided on the container body and having a hole for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction in which the pair of long side walls of the container body face each other, and a second claw receiving portion provided on the container body and having a hole for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction in which the pair of short side walls of the container body face each other.

The first to fourth containers according to the present invention may be containers to be placed in railroad freight cars, and may include a first claw receiving portion provided on the container body and having holes for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the freight car, and a second claw receiving portion provided on the container body and having holes for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction of travel of the freight car.

The fifth container according to the present invention comprises a container body, a first claw receiving portion provided on the container body for receiving the claws of a forklift from one direction, and a second claw receiving portion provided on the container body for receiving the claws of a forklift from another direction that is not parallel to the one direction.

In the fifth container according to the present invention, the container body has a rectangular parallelepiped outer contour, the first claw receiving portion is provided with holes for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction in which a pair of long side walls of the container body face each other, and the second claw receiving portion is provided with holes for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction in which a pair of short side walls of the container body face each other.

In the fifth container according to the present invention, the container body may have a door provided on at least one of the pair of short side walls that can open a cargo compartment within the container body.

In the fifth container according to the present invention, the first claw receiving portion may be provided with holes for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction perpendicular to the direction of travel of the freight car when the container is placed on the railroad freight car, and the second claw receiving portion may be provided with holes for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction of travel of the freight car when the container is placed on the railroad freight car.

In the fifth container according to the present invention, the container body may have a door provided on at least one of a pair of side walls facing the direction of travel of the freight car, which can open the cargo compartment within the container body.

The first to fifth containers according to the present invention may be provided with a cold storage material that is cooled by the cooling unit.

A freight vehicle according to the present invention comprises a freight car and any one of the first to fifth containers according to the present invention placed in the freight car.

The freight vehicle according to the present invention may include a power supply container disposed in the freight car, the power supply container having a storage battery and an electrical connector configured similarly to the electrical connector of the container and electrically connected to the storage battery.

In the freight vehicle according to the present invention, the container may be arranged on both sides of the freight car in the direction of travel relative to the power supply container.

The transportation method according to the present invention includes the steps of storing cargo in a cargo compartment of a container that contains cooled refrigerant storage material, and transporting the container by rail.

The transportation method according to the present invention may include a step of cooling the refrigerant material while the freight car in which the container is placed is stopped, during the rail transport step.

In the transportation method according to the present invention, the refrigerant may be cooled for a period during the rail transport process.

According to the present invention, the electrical connector of the container can be easily electrically connected to the outside.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining one embodiment, and is a side view showing a freight vehicle having freight cars and a plurality of containers. FIG. 2A is a schematic top view of a freight car showing an example of electrical connections between multiple containers. FIG. 2B is a schematic top view of a freight car showing another example of electrical connections between multiple containers. FIG. 3A is a side view showing a refrigeration container that may be included in a freight vehicle with a door partially open, and is a diagram for explaining an example of the internal structure of the refrigeration container. FIG. 3B is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 3A and is a diagram for explaining another example of the internal structure of the cooling container. FIG. 4A is a side view showing a refrigeration container that may be included in a freight vehicle being held by a forklift using a first claw receiving portion of the refrigeration container. FIG. 4B is a side view showing a state in which the cooling container is held by a forklift using the second claw receiving portion of the cooling container. FIG. 5 is a side view showing a portion of a freight car, illustrating an example of an electrical connector of a refrigeration container. FIG. 6 is a side view showing a part of a freight car, and is a diagram for explaining another example of a manual operation unit of a refrigeration container. FIG. 7 is a side view showing a part of a freight car, and is a diagram for explaining still another example of the state detection unit and the connector drive unit of the refrigeration container. FIG. 8 is a side view showing a part of a freight car, and is a diagram for explaining still another example of the state detection unit and the connector drive unit of the refrigeration container. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the cooling container along the line IX-IX in FIG. 8, showing the fork of the forklift. FIG. 10 is a side view showing a part of a freight car, and is a diagram for explaining still another example of the state detection unit and the connector drive unit of the refrigeration container. FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of a freight car, and is a view for explaining still another example of a state detection unit of a refrigeration container.

One embodiment of the present invention will now be described with reference to the drawings. Note that in the drawings accompanying this specification, the scale and aspect ratios have been appropriately altered and exaggerated from those of the actual product for the sake of ease of illustration and understanding.

Figures 1 to 11 are diagrams for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 shows a freight vehicle 10 for rail transport. The freight vehicle 10 has a freight car 20 and multiple containers 30, 90 arranged on the freight car 20. The freight car 20 has multiple bogies 21 arranged on the rail R and an underframe 22 supported on the multiple bogies 21. The freight car 20 in this embodiment is not particularly limited and may be a known freight car. The containers 30, 90 are placed above the freight car 20 in the vertical direction DV. The multiple containers 30, 90 are lined up in a row along the traveling direction DT. Therefore, the containers 30, 90 are not lined up in the width direction DW of the freight car 20.

The freight vehicle 10 has a cooling container 30 and a power supply container 90 as containers loaded on the freight car 20. The cooling container 30 is a container that can maintain the temperature of the cargo compartment RB at a low temperature. The cooling container 30 used in this specification includes various containers that can adjust the temperature of the cargo compartment RB to a low temperature (for example, lower than the air temperature), such as a frozen container, a refrigerated container, and a chilled container. In the illustrated example, the cooling container 30 can maintain the temperature of the cargo compartment at a low temperature by receiving power from the power supply container 90. In the illustrated freight vehicle 10, power is supplied from one power supply container 90 to four cooling containers 30. Containers adjacent to each other in the traveling direction DT on the freight car 20 can be electrically connected to each other.

Next, the cooling container 30 will be described. The cooling container 30 has a container body 40, a cooling unit 50 supported by the container body 40, and an electrical connector 60 provided on the container body 40. The cooling unit 50 is electrically connected to the electrical connector 60. The cooling unit 50 is supplied with power via the electrical connector 60. The cooling unit 50 cools the container body 40. That is, the cooling unit 50 is used to freeze or refrigerate the container body 40.

The power supply container 90, which will be described later, also has a container body and an electrical connector. The container body and electrical connector of the power supply container 90 can be configured in the same manner as the container body 40 and electrical connector 60 of the cooling container 30, which will be described next.

The container body 40 has a cargo compartment RB for accommodating cargo. The container body 40 has an outer contour of a substantially rectangular parallelepiped. The container body 40 substantially forms the outer contour of the container 30, 90. As shown in FIGS. 2A to 3B, the container body 40 includes a short side wall portion 41 facing the first direction D1 and a long side wall portion 42 facing the second direction D2. The short side wall portion 41 includes a first short side wall portion 41A facing one side of the first direction D1 and a second short side wall portion 41B facing the other side of the first direction D1. The pair of short side wall portions 41A, 41B face each other in the first direction D1. The long side wall portion 42 includes a first long side wall portion 42A facing one side of the second direction D2 and a second long side wall portion 42B facing the other side of the second direction D2. The pair of long side walls 42A, 42B face each other in the second direction D2. The short side wall 41 is narrower than the long side wall 42. Therefore, the first direction D1 is the longitudinal direction of the rectangular parallelepiped container 30, 90, and the second direction D2 is the transverse direction of the rectangular parallelepiped container 30, 90. As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, when the container 30, 90 is placed on the freight car 20, the first direction D1 of the container is aligned with the travel direction DT, the second direction D2 of the container is aligned with the width direction DW, and the third direction D3 of the container is aligned with the up-down direction DV.

In order to clarify the directional relationships between the drawings, some of the drawings use arrows to indicate the travel direction DT, width direction DW, and up-down direction DV based on the freight car 20 as directions common to the drawings. Some of the drawings also use arrows to indicate the first direction D1, second direction D2, and third direction D3 based on each container as directions common to the drawings. The tip of the arrow is one side of each direction. An arrow pointing into the paper in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is indicated by a symbol with an X in a circle, as shown in Figure 1, for example. An arrow pointing out from the paper in a direction perpendicular to the paper surface is indicated by a symbol with a dot in a circle, as shown in Figure 2, for example.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the container body 40 has two pairs of side walls 41, 42, a top wall 43, and a bottom wall 44. The side walls 41, 42, the top wall 43, and the bottom wall 44 form an internal space of the container body 40. The container body 40 has a door 45 on the long side wall 42. By opening the door 45, the internal space of the container body 40 can be accessed. Also, by closing the door 45, the internal section of the container body 40 can be closed. In the illustrated example, by closing the door 45, the cargo room RB can be sealed. Since the door 45 is provided on the long side wall 42, the cargo room RB can be accessed even when the container is stacked on the freight car 20 together with other containers. The door 45 may be provided on either the first long side wall 42A or the second long side wall 42B, or may be provided on both the first long side wall 42A and the second long side wall 42B.

Furthermore, the container body 40 shown in FIG. 4A has a door 45 on the short side wall portion 41. That is, the cargo space RB can be accessed from the short side wall portion 41 as well. The door 45 may be provided on either the first short side wall portion 41A or the second short side wall portion 41B, or may be provided on both the first short side wall portion 41A and the second short side wall portion 41B.

4A and 4B, the cooling container 30 has a claw receiving portion 48 provided on the lower side of the container body 40. The cooling container 30 can be transported by a forklift F in the same manner as a normal container. The cooling container 30 is usually loaded onto and unloaded from the freight car 20 by the forklift F. The claw receiving portion 48 forms a claw receiving hole 48h into which the claw C of the forklift F is inserted. With the claw C of the forklift F inserted into the claw receiving hole 48h, the cooling container 30 can be lifted and transported by the forklift F. In particular, the cooling container 30 in one embodiment has a first claw receiving portion 48A and a second claw receiving portion 48B provided on the container body 40. The first claw receiving portion 48A and the second claw receiving portion 48B are provided on the lower side of the container body 40 (the other side in the third direction D3). The first claw receiving portion 48A and the second claw receiving portion 48B have holes that receive the claws C of the forklift F from directions that are non-parallel to each other.

The first claw receiving portion 48A is provided with a first claw receiving hole 48Ah that receives the claws C of the forklift F from a direction parallel to the direction in which the pair of long side wall portions 42 of the container body 40 face each other, i.e., the second direction D2. Therefore, when the refrigeration container 30 is placed on the freight car 20, the first claw receiving hole 48Ah receives the claws C of the forklift F from the width direction DW perpendicular to the traveling direction DT of the freight car 20. Preferably, the first claw receiving portion 48A can receive the claws C of the forklift F from both sides in the second direction D2. In the state shown in FIG. 4A, the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the first claw receiving hole 48Ah from the other side in the second direction D2. For example, the loading and unloading of the refrigeration container 30 onto the freight car 20 is carried out while the forklift F approaches the freight car 20 from the width direction DW and holds the refrigeration container 30 in the state shown in FIG. 4A.

On the other hand, the second claw receiving portion 48B is provided with a second claw receiving hole 48Bh that receives the claws C of the forklift F from a direction parallel to the direction in which the pair of short side wall portions 41 of the container body 40 face each other, i.e., the first direction D1. In other words, the second claw receiving hole 48Bh receives the claws C of the forklift F from a direction parallel to the traveling direction DT of the freight car 20 when the refrigeration container 30 is placed on the freight car 20. Preferably, the second claw receiving portion 48B can receive the claws C of the forklift F from both sides in the first direction D1. In the state shown in FIG. 4B, the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the second claw receiving hole 48Bh from the other side in the first direction D1.

Conventionally, containers used for transportation are designed to receive the forklift tines only from the direction facing the wide long side wall. On the other hand, when it comes to refrigerated transportation, the cargo in the container may be brought into a storage facility such as a dock shelter for freezing and refrigeration. A dock shelter is a storage facility with a sealed entrance and exit port that is installed in warehouses and factories where refrigerated and frozen goods, food, etc. require low-temperature management. Usually, the cargo compartment of the truck is placed in close contact with the entrance and exit port of the dock shelter to load and unload the cargo. From the viewpoint of shortening the opening time of the entrance and exit port, it is also effective to load the entire refrigerated container 30 into the dock shelter. There are also storage facilities with narrow entrances and exits that are not limited to dock shelters.

In this regard, according to one embodiment, the cooling container 30 has a first claw receiving portion 48A and a second claw receiving portion 48B that receive the claws C of the forklift F from different directions. More specifically, the cooling container 30 has, in addition to the first claw receiving portion 48A that receives the claws C of the forklift F from the direction facing the wide long side wall portion 42, the second claw receiving portion 48B that receives the claws C of the forklift F from the direction facing the narrow short side wall portion 41. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 4B, the forklift F can approach the cooling container 30 from the first direction D1 and hold the cooling container 30. As shown in FIG. 4B, the cooling container 30 can be inserted by the forklift F into a storage unit having a narrow entrance and exit port. By making it possible to carry the cooling container 30 transported by rail into a storage unit such as a dock shelter in this way, the possibility of rail transport using a container having a specific shape can be expanded. This can accelerate the modal shift to rail transport, which can contribute to easing road congestion and reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

As described above, for cooling containers 30 stored in narrow storage facilities, it is effective to provide a door 45 on the narrow short side wall 41. The door 45 on the short side wall 41 can be opened and closed inside the sealed storage facility. In other words, the convenience of the cooling container 30 can be further improved by using the door 45 on the short side wall 41 when loading and unloading the cooling container 30 using the second claw receiving portion 48B.

Next, the cooling unit 50 will be described. The cooling unit 50 adjusts the temperature of the cargo room RB to a low temperature using a refrigerant. In the example shown in Figures 4A and 4B, the cooling unit 50 is arranged inside the container body 40. The cooling container 30 further has a partition wall portion 32 inside the container body 40. The partition wall portion 32 divides the internal space of the container body 40 into the cargo room RB and the machinery room RM. The main components of the cooling unit 50 are arranged in the machinery room RM. The partition wall portion 32 is formed using a heat insulating material with a low heat transfer rate. The partition wall portion 32 effectively suppresses heat exchange between the machinery room RM and the cargo room RB, making it possible to maintain the cargo room RB at a low temperature. Note that a heat insulating material is also installed in the portion of the inner wall of the container body 40 that forms the cargo room RB.

The cooling unit 50 has a refrigerant pipe 51 that forms a refrigerant flow path. In the example shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the cooling unit 50 further has a compressor 52, a condenser 53, and an evaporator 54 provided on the path of the refrigerant pipe 51. The compressor 52 compresses the refrigerant to make it a high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant. The condenser 53 releases heat from the high-temperature, high-pressure gas refrigerant to make it a room-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant. The room-temperature, high-pressure liquid refrigerant passes through an orifice or the like provided in the refrigerant pipe 51 to become a low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant. The evaporator 54 makes the low-temperature, low-pressure liquid refrigerant a low-temperature, low-pressure gas refrigerant. The refrigerant pipe 51 through which the low-temperature refrigerant flows penetrates the partition wall portion 32 and extends inside the cargo room RB. The cooling unit 50 also has a drive unit 55 that drives the compressor 52. The driver 55 receives power via an electrical connector 60 (described below) and inputs a driving force, particularly a rotational driving force, to the compressor 52. The driver 55 is not particularly limited, but may be configured, for example, by a motor. Also, the above-described cooling unit 50 is merely an example, and various types of refrigerators and the like can be used without any particular limitation.

The cooling container 30 has a cold storage material 35 that is cooled by the cooling unit 50. The cold storage material 35 is also called a cold insulation material, and when cooled, it can suppress the temperature rise of the cargo room RB. Although the temperature of the cold storage material 35 rises over time, it can be used repeatedly by cooling it again. As shown in Figures 2A to 3B, the cold storage material 35 is arranged adjacent to the refrigerant pipe 51. The cold storage material 35 is cooled by the low-temperature refrigerant flowing through the refrigerant pipe 51. In the example shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the plate-shaped cold storage material 35 is installed on the inner surface of the side wall parts 41 and 42 and the inner surface of the top wall part 43. It is also possible to actively circulate the cold air from the cold storage material 35 inside the cargo room RB by using a blower (not shown). It is also preferable to install a heat insulating material between the cold storage material 35 and the wall part of the container body 40.

As shown in Figs. 3A and 3B, a cooling material chamber RC for accommodating a cooling material may be provided in the internal space of the container body 40. The cooling material chamber RC is installed in correspondence with a configuration in which the cargo room RB is maintained at a low temperature using the cold storage material 35. The cooling material chamber RC is partitioned by the additional wall portion 33 and the wall portion of the container body 40. When the function of maintaining the cargo room RB at a low temperature using the cold storage material 35 decreases over time, the temperature rise of the cargo room RB can be suppressed by storing a cooling material such as dry ice in the cooling material chamber RC. That is, in addition to or instead of re-cooling the cold storage material 35 by the cooling unit 50, the temperature rise of the cargo room RB over time can be effectively suppressed with extremely simple handling.

In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the cooling material chamber RC is arranged in the machine chamber RM. The refrigerant pipe 51 through which the cooled refrigerant flows extends in the cooling material chamber RC or extends adjacent to the additional wall portion 33 that divides the cooling material chamber RC. According to this specific example, the refrigerant pipe 51 and the refrigerant in the refrigerant pipe 51 can be quickly cooled by a coolant such as dry ice. Then, the cargo chamber RB and the cold storage material 35 can be quickly cooled by the cooled refrigerant pipe 51 and the refrigerant. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 3B, the cooling material chamber RC is arranged in the cargo chamber RB. And, the cold storage material 35 arranged in the cargo chamber RB is arranged at least partially in contact with the additional wall portion 33 that divides the cooling material chamber RC. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 3B, the refrigerant pipe 51 located in the cargo chamber RB may at least partially pass through the cooling material chamber RC or may be in contact with the additional wall portion 33 that divides the cooling material chamber RC. Even in this specific example, the cargo compartment RB and the cold storage material 35 can be quickly cooled using a cooling material such as dry ice.

In conjunction with the installation of the cooling material chamber RC shown in Figures 3A and 3B, the container body 40 may have an opening/closing door 46 (see Figure 4B) capable of opening the cooling material chamber RC. It is preferable that the opening/closing door 46 is capable of opening the cooling material chamber RC, which is separated from the cargo room RB, while keeping the machinery room RM closed. By installing the opening/closing door 46, a cooling material such as dry ice can be poured into the cooling material chamber RC through the opening/closing door 46 without opening the cargo room RB, which is kept at a low temperature. This makes it possible to effectively suppress the temperature rise of the cargo room RB over time with extremely simple handling.

In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the cargo room RB is sealed by the partition wall 32 and the wall of the container body 40. The opening and closing door 46 is provided in a portion of the container body 40 that divides the machinery room RM. Therefore, even when the opening and closing door 46 is open, the cargo room RB can be kept sealed. Furthermore, when the opening and closing door 46 is closed, the coolant room RC is sealed by the additional wall 33 that divides the coolant room RC and the container body 40. In the example shown in FIG. 3A, the opening and closing door 46 may also be capable of opening and closing the area of the machinery room RM where the cooling unit 50 is arranged. In this example, the opening and closing door 46 can also be used as an inspection door for the cooling unit 50. On the other hand, in the example shown in FIG. 3B, the opening and closing door 46 is formed in a portion of the wall of the container body 40 that blocks the opening of the additional wall 33. Therefore, even when the opening and closing door 46 is opened, the machinery room RM can be maintained in a sealed state by the container body 40.

Next, the electrical connector 60 will be described. As already mentioned above, not only the cooling container 30 but also the power supply container 90 has an electrical connector 60. The electrical connector 60 can be configured to be the same between the cooling container 30 and the power supply container 90.

In one embodiment, the cooling container 30 has a first electrical connector 60A and a second electrical connector 60B. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the first electrical connector 60A is provided on the first short side wall portion 41A. It is electrically connectable to the first electrical connector 60A from the direction facing the first short side wall portion 41A. The second electrical connector 60B is provided on the second short side wall portion 41B. It is electrically connectable to the second electrical connector 60B from the direction facing the second short side wall portion 41B. Therefore, by using either the first electrical connector or the second electrical connector, electrical connection with the outside can be ensured not only when the container 30, 90 is placed on the freight car 20, but also when the container 30, 90 is placed in a container yard, etc., without being significantly affected by the orientation when the container 30, 90 is placed.

2A and 2B, the cooling container 30 is loaded on the freight car 20 so that the first direction D1 is approximately parallel to the traveling direction DT. Therefore, the first electrical connector 60A can be electrically connected from either side in the traveling direction DT. Similarly, the second electrical connector 60B can be electrically connected from either other side in the traveling direction DT. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a plurality of containers 30, 90 are arranged in the traveling direction DT on the freight car 20. Therefore, two containers 30, 90 adjacent to each other in the traveling direction DT have electrical connectors 60 on their respective short side wall portions 41 facing the traveling direction DT. That is, either the first electrical connector 60A or the second electrical connector 60B of one container 30, 90 faces the other adjacent container 30, 90 on the freight car 20. Therefore, the electrical connectors 60 of the containers 30, 90 can be stably electrically connected to the outside.

As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, by providing a first electrical connector 60A and a second electrical connector 60B, electrical connection can be ensured by contacting opposing electrical connectors between two adjacent containers. However, this is not limited to this example, and as shown in Figure 5, the electrical connector 60 may be a connector that can be electrically connected without contact. In other words, the electrical connector 60 may be capable of receiving a power supply without contact. According to such an example, the electrical connector 60 can be electrically connected more easily and more stably.

As shown in FIG. 5, when a non-contact type connector is used as the electrical connector 60, a cover material 63 may be provided to cover the electrical connector 60. The cover material 63 is not particularly limited as long as it does not impair the non-contact electrical connection of the electrical connector 60. However, it is preferable to use an elastic body formed using rubber, resin, or the like as the cover material 63. By using the cover material 63 as an elastic body, the electrical connector 60 can be protected by the cover material 63, and thus damage to the electrical connector 60 can be effectively prevented.

2A and 2B, in one cooling container 30, the cooling unit 50 is electrically connected to both the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B. Therefore, the cooling unit 50 can be supplied with power via either the first electrical connector 60A or the second electrical connector 60B.

In particular, in the illustrated example, the cooling container 30 has a base wiring 61 that electrically connects the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B. The illustrated cooling container 30 further has a supply wiring 62 that electrically connects the base wiring 61 and the cooling unit 50. By providing the base wiring 61, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are electrically connected. Therefore, when three containers are arranged in sequence in the traveling direction DT and two containers 30 adjacent to each other in the traveling direction DT are electrically connected to each other, the two containers located on both sides of the container located in the center in the traveling direction DT can be electrically connected through this container. This allows power to be transferred between the three containers arranged in sequence in the traveling direction DT.

The container body 40 has a rectangular parallelepiped outer contour. The container body 40 is rotationally symmetrical about an axis CA (see FIGS. 2A and 2B) that passes through a position that is the center of the pair of short side wall portions 41A, 41B in the first direction D1 and the center of the pair of long side wall portions 42A, 42B in the second direction D2 and extends in the third direction D3. The outer contour of the cooling container 30 is generally defined by the container body 40. Therefore, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, in the cooling container 30 placed on the freight car 20 so that the first direction D1 is aligned with the traveling direction DT, the first short side wall portion 41A can face one side (front side) in the traveling direction DT and can also face the other side (rear side) in the traveling direction DT. That is, the cooling container 30 can be placed on the freight car 20 in two rotationally symmetrical arrangements about the rotationally symmetric central axis CA of the container body 40. As a specific example, in the example shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the first short side wall portion 41A of the cooling container 30 arranged on the other side of the traveling direction DT faces the other side (rear side) in the traveling direction DT, and the first short side wall portion 41A of the cooling container 30 adjacent to this cooling container 30 faces one side (front side) in the traveling direction DT.

From the viewpoint of stably securing the electrical connection between two adjacent cooling containers 30 in the traveling direction DT regardless of the orientation of the cooling containers 30 on the freight car 20, it is preferable that the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are configured as follows. That is, it is preferable that the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are provided at rotationally symmetric positions around the rotationally symmetric central axis CA of the container body 40. That is, it is preferable that the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are provided at rotationally symmetric positions around the central axis CA that is the center of the pair of short side wall portions 41 in the first direction D1, passes through the center of the pair of long side wall portions 42 in the second direction D2, and extends in the third direction D3. In other words, it is preferable that the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are provided in rotationally symmetrical positions with respect to a central axis CA that passes through a position that is the center of the refrigeration container 30 on the freight car 20 in the traveling direction DT and the center of the refrigeration container 30 in the width direction DW and extends in the vertical direction DV.

According to this example, the electrical connector 60 is located at a fixed position relative to the container body 40, regardless of the orientation of the cooling container 30 on the freight car 20. Therefore, when two cooling containers 30 are arranged with their short side wall portions 41 facing each other, i.e., when the two cooling containers 30 are arranged side by side on the bogie 21 of the freight car 20, their electrical connectors 60 face each other. Therefore, regardless of the orientation of the two cooling containers 30, the two cooling containers 30 can be electrically connected more easily and more stably.

In the example shown in FIG. 2A, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are located at the center in the second direction D2. Therefore, when the cooling container 30 is placed on the freight car 20, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are located at the center in the width direction DW. Therefore, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B shown in FIG. 2A are arranged in the preferable rotationally symmetrical position described above. Moreover, when the two cooling containers 30 are arranged so that their short side wall portions 41 face each other, that is, when the two cooling containers 30 are arranged side by side on the bogie 21 of the freight car 20, the electrical connectors 60 face each other in the traveling direction DT. This makes it possible to easily and stably ensure electrical connection between the two containers.

In the example shown in FIG. 2B, the first electrical connector 60A has a pair of electrical connectors. The pair of first electrical connectors 60A are arranged in positions that are linearly symmetrical about an axis that passes through the center of the cooling container 30 (container body 40) in the second direction D2 and extends in the first direction D1. Similarly, the second electrical connector 60B has a pair of electrical connectors. The pair of second electrical connectors 60B are arranged in positions that are linearly symmetrical about an axis that passes through the center of the cooling container 30 (container body 40) in the second direction D2 and extends in the first direction D1. The separation length of the pair of first electrical connectors 60A along the second direction D2 is equal to the separation length of the pair of second electrical connectors 60B along the second direction D2. Therefore, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B shown in FIG. 2B are arranged in the preferred rotationally symmetrical positions described above. Furthermore, when two cooling containers 30 are arranged with their short side walls 41 facing each other, i.e., when two cooling containers 30 are arranged side by side on the bogie 21 of the freight car 20, their electrical connectors 60 face each other in the traveling direction DT. This makes it possible to easily and stably ensure electrical connection between the two containers.

Furthermore, in the cooling container 30 in one embodiment, the electrical connector 60 can protrude from the container body 40. In the example shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B as an example, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B are each located at a protruding position protruding from the container body 40. In this example, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B can each be retracted to a retracted position close to the container body 40. That is, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B can each be moved in the first direction D1 between the protruding position and the retracted position. Here, the "outside" based on the container body refers to the side away from the center of the container body, and the "inside" based on the container body refers to the side close to the center of the container body. Therefore, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B move outward from the container body 40 to be located at the protruding position. Additionally, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B move inward from the container body 40 and are positioned in a retracted position.

According to this embodiment, since the electrical connector 60 protrudes, the electrical connector 60 can be brought into contact with the outside, for example, with an electrical connector of another container, and an electrical connection can be easily and stably secured. Even if the electrical connector 60 is a non-contact type electrical connector, the electrical connector 60 protrudes and comes close to the electrical connector of another container, and an electrical connection with reduced loss can be easily secured. Therefore, the electrical connector 60 of the cooling container 30 can be easily electrically connected to the outside. In addition, when it is not necessary to electrically connect the electrical connector 60 to the outside, the electrical connector 60 can be disposed in a retreated position close to the container body 40. By disposing the electrical connector 60 in the retreated position, the container body 40 can be made smaller. This effectively prevents the protruding electrical connector 60 from obstructing passage, etc., or from coming into contact with the outside and damaging the electrical connector 60.

As shown in FIG. 6, the electrical connector 60 supported by the short side wall portion 41 can protrude in a direction away from the short side wall portion 41. The electrical connector 60 moves relative to the container body 40 in a first direction D1. When the refrigeration container 30 is placed on the freight car 20, the electrical connector 60 can protrude in the traveling direction DT of the freight car 20. In other words, the electrical connector 60 moves relative to the container body 40 in the traveling direction DT. Therefore, the electrical connector 60 can be easily and stably electrically connected between multiple containers arranged with the short side wall portions 41 facing each other, such as when loaded on a railroad freight car 20.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the cooling container 30 has a manual operation unit 80. When the manual operation unit 80 is operated by an operator, the electrical connector 60 moves between a retracted position and an extended position. The operation of the manual operation unit 80 may be transmitted to the electrical connector 60 by a mechanical mechanism such as a link mechanism to drive the electrical connector 60. The operation of the manual operation unit 80 may also transmit an electrical signal to an actuator, and the actuator that receives the electrical signal may drive the electrical connector 60. By moving the electrical connector 60 using the manual operation unit 80 in this way, the electrical connection of the electrical connector 60 can be easily and reliably secured and released.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the manual operation unit 80 is configured as a lever. This manual operation unit 80 is capable of swinging around an axis parallel to the second direction D2. More specifically, when the manual operation unit 80 is raised along the short side wall portion 41 or the third direction D3, the electrical connector 60 may be located in a retracted position, and when the manual operation unit 80 is tilted from the short side wall portion 41 or the third direction D3, the electrical connector 60 may be located in a protruding position. However, this is not limited to this example, and when the manual operation unit 80 is raised along the short side wall portion 41 or the third direction D3, the electrical connector 60 may be located in a protruding position, and when the manual operation unit 80 is tilted from the short side wall portion 41 or the third direction D3, the electrical connector 60 may be located in a retracted position.

As another example, the manual operation unit 80 may be able to swing about an axis parallel to the first direction D1. In this example, the electrical connector 60 may be located in one of the protruding position and the retracted position when the manual operation unit 80 extends from the container body 40 in the second direction D2, and the electrical connector 60 may be located in the other of the protruding position and the retracted position when the entire manual operation unit 80 overlaps with the container body 40 in the first direction D1.

In addition, in an example in which the cooling container 30 has the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B, both the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B may be moved relative to the container body 40 by a single manual operation unit 80. Alternatively, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B may be assigned separate manual operation units 80 and operated separately by the separate manual operation units 80. Furthermore, both the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B may be operated by a single manual operation unit 80 to move only one of the movements from the retracted position to the protruding position and the movements from the protruding position to the retracted position, for example, only the movements from the protruding position to the retracted position.

Furthermore, as shown in Figs. 7 to 11, the cooling container 30 may have a state detection unit 65 that detects information regarding the state of the cooling container 30. For example, the relative movement of the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B with respect to the container body 40 may be manually or automatically controlled based on the detection result of the state detection unit 65. In the manual operation, the operator may operate the manual operation unit 80 based on the detection result by the state detection unit 65. In the example of automatic control, the cooling container 30 may have a connector drive unit 70 that mechanically or electrically moves the electrical connector 60 based on the detection result of the state detection unit 65. The electrical connector 60 can be moved relative to the container body 40 based on the detection result of the state detection unit 65 by the mechanical connector drive unit 70 using a link mechanism, or by the electrical connector drive unit 70 using sensors, actuators, etc.

When using the electrical connector 60 and the connector drive unit 70, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B may be moved together, or together under certain conditions, or separately, in the same manner as in the operation using the manual operation unit 80 described above.

By using the state detection unit 65, it is possible to detect a state in which an electrical connection should be ensured and to protrude the electrical connector 60 to the protruding position. This allows the electrical connector 60 of the cooling container 30 to be electrically connected more easily and appropriately to the outside, for example to an electrical connector of another container. In addition, it is possible to detect a state in which an electrical connection is not required or a state in which protrusion of the electrical connector 60 is undesirable, and to retract the electrical connector 60 to the retracted position. In particular, by driving the movement of the electrical connector 60 by the connector drive unit 70, it is possible to largely automate the securing of electrical connection and the release of electrical connection, and to significantly reduce the workload.

First, as shown in FIG. 7, the state detection unit 65 may detect whether the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the claw receiving hole 48h of the cooling container 30. When the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the claw receiving hole 48h of the cooling container 30, the cooling container 30 is usually being transported or being prepared for transportation. At this time, if the electrical connector 60 is in the protruding position, it is assumed that the electrical connector 60 may be damaged due to interference with the electrical connector of another container to which the electrical connector 60 was previously electrically connected, or contact with the outside. Therefore, when the state detection unit 65 detects that the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the claw receiving hole 48h of the cooling container 30, the electrical connector 60 may be retracted to the retracted position. This effectively prevents the electrical connector 60 from being damaged when the cooling container 30 is loaded or unloaded.

In the example shown in FIG. 7, the status detection unit 65 is installed in the claw receiving portion 48, and can monitor the presence or absence of the claw C of the forklift F in the claw receiving hole 48h. For example, a proximity sensor, a displacement sensor, a position sensor, etc. can be used as this status detection unit 65. In addition, a connector drive unit 70 is provided that is electrically connected to the status detection unit 65. The connector drive unit 70 can drive the electrical connector 60 in one direction. An actuator such as a cylinder can be used as this connector drive unit 70.

8 and 9 show another example of the state detection unit 65 that detects whether the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the claw receiving hole 48h of the cooling container 30. In the example shown in Figs. 8 and 9, the state detection unit 65 has a first link member 66A that is held movably in the first direction D1 by the container body 40. As shown in Fig. 9, the tip (one side end in the first direction D1) of the first link member 66A partially protrudes into the claw receiving hole 48h. The tip of the first link member 66A has an inclined surface 66a. The inclined surface 66a is inclined with respect to the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 so that one side in the first direction D1 is located on one side in the second direction D2. This first link member 66A is pushed to one side in the first direction D1 by a push member made of an elastic body such as a spring (not shown). However, when the claw C of the forklift F is inserted into the claw receiving hole 48h, it pushes the inclined surface 66a to one side in the second direction D2, causing the first link member 66A to be pushed to the other side in the first direction D1.

8 and 9, the cooling container 30 has a connector drive unit 70. The connector drive unit 70 has a second link member 66B provided on the container body 40. The second link member 66B is rotatable about an axis parallel to the second direction D2. The second link member 66B is rotatably connected to each of the first link member 66A and the electrical connector 60. The second link member 66B transmits the movement of the first link member 66A along the first direction D1 to the electrical connector 60, and moves the electrical connector 60 along the first direction D1 in the opposite direction to the first link member 66A. Similarly, the second link member 66B transmits the movement of the electrical connector 60 along the first direction D1 to the first link member 66A, and moves the first link member 66A along the first direction D1 in the opposite direction to the electrical connector 60.

In other words, in the example shown in Figures 8 and 9, the status detection unit 65 detects whether the claws C of the forklift F are inserted into the claw receiving holes 48h through mechanical contact. The connector drive unit 70 also mechanically transmits the operation of the status detection unit 65 to the electrical connector 60.

Next, as shown in FIG. 7, the state detection unit 65 may detect whether or not a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector 60. An electrical sensor such as a voltmeter may be used as the state detection unit 65. In this example, if no voltage is being applied to the electrical connector 60 for a certain period of time, the electrical connector 60 is deemed not to be electrically connected to the outside, and can be retracted to the retracted position. In other words, by retracting the electrical connector 60 when it is not needed, damage to the electrical connector 60 can be effectively prevented.

It is preferable that the cooling container 30 notifies that a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector 60 based on the detection result of the state detection unit 65. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the cooling container 30 has a notification unit 38 that indicates that a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector 60, that is, that the cooling unit 50 is in a state in which power can be supplied. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the electrical connector 60 of the cooling container 30 located at the furthest side (front side) in the traveling direction DT is retracted to the retracted position, and the electrical connection with the electrical connector 60 of the adjacent cooling container 30 is cut off. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the notification unit 38 of the cooling container 30 in which a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector 60 is lit, and the notification unit 38 of the cooling container 30 in which no voltage is being applied to the electrical connector 60 is turned off. By providing the notification unit 38, the worker or the like can easily grasp the state of the electrical connection of the electrical connector 60.

As yet another example, as shown in FIG. 10, the state detection unit 65 may detect that the refrigeration container 30 has been placed on the freight car 20. According to this example, when the refrigeration container 30 is not placed on the freight car 20, it is assumed that the container is not being transported on the freight car 20, and the electrical connector 60 can be retracted to the retracted position. In other words, by retracting the electrical connector 60 when it is not needed, damage to the electrical connector 60 can be effectively prevented.

In the example shown in FIG. 10, the carriage 21 of the freight car 20 has a protruding portion 21A protruding in the vertical direction DV. On the other hand, the cooling container 30 has a detection piece 67 that is positioned on the protruding portion 21A when placed at a predetermined position on the freight car 20. The detection piece 67 is supported so as to be movable along the third direction D3 with respect to the container body 40. As shown by the two-dot chain line in FIG. 10, when the cooling container 30 is placed at a predetermined position on the freight car 20, the detection piece 67 is pushed up by the protruding portion 21A and moves to one side (upper side) in the third direction D3. The detection piece 67 has a detection inclined surface 67a as a surface opposite to the contact surface with the protruding portion 21A in the third direction D3. When the detection piece 67 moves to one side (upper side) in the third direction D3, the detection inclined surface 67a comes into contact with the base end (one side end in the first direction D1) of the electrical connector 60. At this time, the detection inclined surface 67a pushes the electrical connector 60 to the other side (rear side) in the first direction D1 and moves it to the protruding position. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the detection piece 67 functions as the state detection unit 65 and also functions as the connector drive unit 70.

The electrical connector 60 is pushed to one side in the first direction D1 by a pushing member made of an elastic body such as a spring (not shown). Therefore, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 10, the electrical connector 60 is in the retracted position when not placed on the freight car 20. In this example, the electrical connector 60 can be retracted to the retracted position unless certain conditions are met. In other words, the electrical connector 60 is maintained in the retracted position until it is determined that it is necessary, so that the electrical connector 60 can be retracted when it is not necessary, thereby effectively preventing damage to the electrical connector 60.

Furthermore, as shown in the example of FIG. 11, the state detection unit 65 may detect the state of the locking mechanism 24 that connects the cooling container 30 to the freight car 20. When the state detection unit 65 that detects the state of the locking mechanism 24 is used, the electrical connector 60 may be arranged in the protruding position when the cooling container 30 is fixed on the freight car 20 by the locking mechanism 24. Also, the electrical connector 60 may be arranged in the retracted position when the cooling container 30 is not fixed on the freight car 20 by the locking mechanism 24. By using the state detection unit 65 that detects the state of the locking mechanism 24, the electrical connector 60 can be appropriately protruded when an electrical connection is required, and appropriately retracted when an electrical connection is not required.

11, the locking mechanism 24 is provided on the freight car 20. The illustrated locking mechanism 24 is configured as a hook that can swing relative to the freight car 20. The locking mechanism 24 can swing relative to the freight car 20 around an axis parallel to the first direction D1 as in the illustrated example, or around an axis parallel to the second direction D2. The container body 40 has a leg 44X that is placed on the frame 22 of the freight car 20 as a part of the bottom wall 44. The tip of the swinging locking mechanism 24 enters the leg hole 44Xh provided in the leg 44X. This restricts the movement of the refrigeration container 30 on the freight car 20, and the refrigeration container 30 can be fixed to the freight car 20. In the illustrated example, the state detection unit 65 is arranged inside the leg 44X. The status detection unit 65 determines whether the tip of the locking mechanism 24 has passed through the leg hole 44Xh and detects the state in which the refrigeration container 30 is fixed onto the freight car 20 by the locking mechanism 24. Such a status detection unit 65 can be a proximity sensor, a displacement sensor, a position sensor, or the like.

However, the locking mechanism 24 shown in FIG. 11 is merely an example. The locking mechanism 24 may be included in the cooling container 30. Furthermore, when using a locking mechanism 24 included in the cooling container 30, the operation of the locking mechanism 24 may be mechanically transmitted to the electrical connector 60 by a transmission mechanism. In this example, the locking mechanism 24 constitutes the state detection unit 65, and the transmission mechanism constitutes the connector drive unit 70.

In the example shown in FIG. 11, when the state detection unit 65 detects a specific state related to the locking mechanism 24, the position of the electrical connector 60 may be automatically adjusted using a connector drive unit 70 consisting of an actuator or the like shown in FIG. 7. Alternatively, when the state detection unit 65 detects a specific state related to the locking mechanism 24, the position of the electrical connector 60 may be manually adjusted using a manual operation unit 80 shown in FIG. 6. When the manual operation unit 80 is used in combination with the state detection unit 65, the cooling container 30 may have a state notification unit 39 that notifies the detection state by the state detection unit 65. By providing the state notification unit 39, the worker can manually operate the position of the electrical connector 60 at an appropriate time. In addition, in the example shown in FIG. 11, a notification unit 38 is provided near the state notification unit 39. After operating the manual operation unit 80, the worker can confirm that the electrical connector 60 has been moved to the intended position by the notification unit 38.

Although examples of controlling the operation of the electrical connector 60 have been described above along with several specific examples of the state detection unit 65 and the connector drive unit 70, the present invention is not limited to these. For example, the electrical connector 60 may be placed in the protruding position when the cooling container 30 is placed on the freight car 20 and the claws C of the forklift F are not inserted into the claw receiving holes 48h, and the electrical connector 60 may be placed in the retracted position in other states.

Next, the power supply container 90 will be described. The power supply container 90 has a container body 40, a storage battery 91 (see Figures 2A and 2B) housed in the container body 40, and an electrical connector 60 electrically connected to the storage battery 91. The container body 40 and the electrical connector 60 used in the power supply container 90 may be configured similarly to the container body 40 and the electrical connector 60 of the cooling container 30 described above, respectively. The power supply container 90 may also have a status detection unit 65, a connector drive unit 70, and a manual operation unit 80 configured similarly to the status detection unit 65, the connector drive unit 70, and the manual operation unit 80 of the cooling container 30. Furthermore, the power supply container 90 may have claw receivers 48A and 48B configured similarly to the claw receivers 48A and 48B of the cooling container 30.

As shown in Figures 2A and 2B, the power supply container 90 is electrically connected to the adjacent cooling container 30 in the traveling direction DT on the freight car 20 via each other's electrical connectors 60. This electrically connects the storage battery 91 of the power supply container 90 to the cooling unit 50 of the cooling container 30, and allows power to be supplied from the storage battery 91 to the drive unit 55 of the cooling unit 50.

1 to 2B, the cooling containers 30 are arranged on both sides of the power supply container 90 in the traveling direction DT on the freight car 20. For example, two cooling containers 30 may be arranged on each side of the power supply container 90 in the traveling direction DT. As described above, the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B of the cooling container 30 are electrically connected via the base wiring 61. Therefore, the five containers 30, 90 arranged on one freight car 20 are electrically connected. That is, the two cooling containers 30 arranged on each side of the power supply container 90 are supplied with power from the storage battery 91 of the power supply container 90. When the cooling containers 30 that receive power from the power supply container 90 are arranged on both sides of the power supply container 90 in this way, power can be supplied from the power supply container 90 to the cooling containers 30 on both sides while effectively suppressing losses caused by long wiring.

Next, we will explain how the freight vehicle 10 configured as described above works when transporting cargo by rail.

First, the cold storage material 35 loaded in the cooling container 30 is cooled. Specifically, the cooling unit 50 is operated so that the cooled refrigerant flows through the refrigerant pipe 51. This cools the cold storage material 35 arranged adjacent to the refrigerant pipe 51. In this process, if the cooling container 30 is placed on the freight car 20 together with the power supply container 90, the power to operate the drive machine 55 of the cooling unit 50 may be supplied from the power supply container 90. Alternatively, the power may be supplied from a power source at a station or a container yard. In this manner, the cold storage material 35 in the cooling container 30 is cooled, and the cargo room RB of the cooling container 30 is kept at a low temperature by the cold storage material 35.

If transportation has just been performed using the cooling container 30 and the cold storage material 35 is still maintained at a low temperature, the process of cooling the cold storage material 35 can be omitted.

Next, cargo is stored in the cargo room RB of the cooling container 30 that contains the cooled cold storage material 35. If the cooling container 30 is placed on the freight car 20 to cool the cold storage material 35, cargo may be loaded into the cargo room RB of the cooling container 30 on the freight car 20. Alternatively, if the cooling container 30 is placed in a container yard to cool the cold storage material 35, cargo may be loaded at the container yard, or cargo may be loaded after the cooling container 30 is placed on the freight car 20. Cooling of the cold storage material 35 may be continued in parallel with loading of cargo into the cargo room RB.

Then, the freight vehicle 10 is towed on the rails R, and the cargo in the cargo room RB of the cooling container 30 is transported by rail. Note that by storing a sufficient amount of refrigerant material 35 in the cooling container 30, the cargo room RB can be kept cold for a long period of time. For example, in a 12-ft container, the cargo room RB can be kept cold for 20 hours.

In contrast to this embodiment, in the container disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 (JP Patent Publication 2003-269835), the compressor of the refrigeration unit operates and cools the refrigerant by continuously providing driving force from the internal combustion engine during rail transport. The cooled refrigerant then keeps the cargo compartment of the container at a low temperature. That is, since the container in Patent Document 1 does not have a cold storage material, the internal combustion engine needs to continue operating during rail transport. However, the internal combustion engine is highly susceptible to breakdowns during operation due to vibrations from a traveling rail vehicle. In addition, the fuel for operating the internal combustion engine is also transported by vehicle, which is highly undesirable from the perspective of fire prevention in, for example, long tunnels. Furthermore, fuel replenishment is also required for long-distance transport. For these reasons, when using conventional containers, it was not possible to stably maintain a low temperature in the cargo compartment of the container. For this reason, the modal shift to rail transport for low-temperature transport has stagnated.

On the other hand, according to this embodiment, the cargo compartment RB can be kept at a low temperature by using the pre-cooled cold storage material 35. Therefore, it is not necessary to keep the cooling unit 50 operating during rail transport. Therefore, the cargo compartment RB of the cooling container 30 can be stably maintained at a low temperature.

On the other hand, even in rail transport using a cooling container 30 having a cold storage material 35, the cold storage material 35 whose temperature has increased during rail transport may be re-cooled. The cold storage material 35 can be re-cooled by operating a cooling unit 50 that receives power from a storage battery 91 in a power supply container 90.

As an example, a process of cooling the heat-up cold storage material 35 may be performed while the freight car 20 carrying the cooling container 30 is stopped. In other words, a process of re-cooling the cold storage material 35 may be performed between transport processes while the transport is temporarily stopped. According to this example, the cold storage material 35 can be cooled while the freight car 10 is stopped. Therefore, the cargo room RB of the cooling container 30 can be stably maintained at a low temperature during long-distance transport. During this cooling process, power may be supplied from the storage battery 91 of the power supply container 90 to the cooling unit 50 of the cooling container 30, or power may be supplied from an external power source to the cooling unit 50 of the container 30 since the freight car 10 is stopped.

As another example, the cold storage material 35 may be cooled for a period during rail transport. That is, the cold storage material 35 may be cooled for a period while the freight vehicle 10 is traveling. Even with this example, the cold storage material 35 can be cooled even if the temperature of the cold storage material 35 rises. Therefore, the cargo compartment RB of the cooling container 30 can be stably maintained at a low temperature during long-distance transport. During this cooling process, power can be supplied from the storage battery 91 of the power supply container 90 to the cooling unit 50 of the cooling container 30.

When recooling the cold storage material 35, a coolant such as dry ice may be poured into the cooling material chamber RC (see Figures 3A and 3B). Storing a coolant in the cooling material chamber RC promotes cooling of the refrigerant pipes 51 and the refrigerant that pass through the cooling material chamber RC or extend adjacent to the cooling material chamber RC, thereby allowing the cold storage material 35 and the cargo compartment RB to be rapidly cooled.

In particular, the cooling material chamber RC shown in FIG. 3B is disposed in the cargo compartment RB adjacent to the cold storage material 35. Therefore, the cold storage material 35 and the cargo compartment RB adjacent to the cooling material chamber RC can be cooled without operating the cooling unit 50. For this reason, when it is desired to supplement or reinforce the cooling capacity of the cold storage material 35 for a relatively short period of time, for example, the temperature of the cold storage material 35 and the cargo compartment RB adjacent to the cooling material chamber RC can be maintained or reduced at a low temperature by introducing cooling material into the cooling material chamber RC shown in FIG. 3B.

The cooling material chamber RC can be accessed by opening the opening/closing door 46. As described above, the cooling material chamber RC is separated from the cargo room RB by the additional wall portion 33 and the container body 40. When the opening/closing door 46 is opened, the cooling material chamber RC can be opened while the cargo room RB remains sealed. Therefore, cooling material can be introduced into the cooling material chamber RC while maintaining the temperature of the cargo room RB.

Note that the cooling storage material 35 is recooled for a short time during transportation. Therefore, in the rail transport method in which the cooling storage material 35 is used to cool the cargo room RB of the cooling container 30, the cooling unit 50 may include a generator that supplies power to the driving machine 55. As another example, the driving machine 55 that drives the compressor 52 of the cooling unit 50 is not limited to a motor that receives power and outputs driving force, but an internal combustion engine can be used. By using the cooling storage material 35, the operating time of the driving machine 55 during transportation is significantly shortened. Therefore, in this example, it is possible to effectively suppress problems such as frequent breakdowns of the driving machine 55 composed of an internal combustion engine. Note that when an internal combustion engine is used as the driving machine 55 instead of a motor, the cooling unit 50 does not need to be supplied with power. Therefore, in this example, the electrical connector 60 can be omitted, and further the power supply container 90 can be omitted.

In the embodiment described above, the cooling container 30 has a rectangular parallelepiped container body 40, a first electrical connector 60A and a second electrical connector 60B provided on a pair of short side walls 41A, 41B of the container body 40, and a cooling unit 50 supported by the container body 40 and electrically connected to the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B. According to this embodiment, the first electrical connector 60A is provided on one of the pair of short side walls 41A, 41B, and the second electrical connector 60B is provided on the other of the pair of short side walls 41A, 41B. Therefore, by using either the first electrical connector 60A or the second electrical connector 60B, it is possible to stably ensure electrical connection with the outside without being significantly affected by the orientation when the cooling container 30 is placed. In particular, when the cooling container 30 is placed on a railroad freight car 20, either the first electrical connector 60A or the second electrical connector 60B faces another container adjacent to the freight car 20. Therefore, the electrical connectors 60A and 60B of the cooling container 30 can be stably electrically connected to the outside.

In the embodiment described above, the cooling container 30 has a container body 40 placed on a railroad freight car 20, a first electrical connector 60A supported by the container body 40 and electrically connectable from either side in the travel direction DT of the freight car 20, a second electrical connector 60B supported by the container body 40 and electrically connectable from the other side in the travel direction DT of the freight car 20, and a cooling unit 50 supported by the container body 40 and electrically connected to the first electrical connector 60A and the second electrical connector 60B. According to this embodiment, when placed on the railroad freight car 20, either the first electrical connector 60A or the second electrical connector 60B faces the other container adjacent to it on the freight car 20. Therefore, the electrical connectors 60A and 60B of the cooling container 30 can be stably electrically connected to the outside.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the cooling container 30 has a container body 40, an electric connector 60 provided on the container body 40 so as to be able to protrude from the container body 40, and a cooling unit 50 supported by the container body 40 and electrically connected to the electric connector 60. According to this embodiment, since the electric connector 60 protrudes, the electric connector 60 can be brought into contact with an electric connector of the outside, for example, another container, etc., to easily and stably ensure an electrical connection. In addition, when the electric connector 60 is a non-contact type electric connector, the electric connector 60 protrudes and comes close to the electric connector of the other container, etc., so that an electrical connection with reduced loss can be easily ensured. Therefore, the electric connector 60 of the cooling container 30 can be easily electrically connected to the outside. In addition, according to this embodiment, when it is not necessary to electrically connect the electric connector 60 to the outside, the electric connector 60 can be arranged in a retracted position close to the container body 40. By arranging the electric connector 60 in the retracted position, the container body 40 can be made smaller. This effectively prevents the protruding electrical connector 60 from obstructing passage or damaging the electrical connector 60 through contact with the outside.

Furthermore, in the embodiment described above, the cooling container 30 has a container body 40, a first claw receiving portion 48A provided in the container body 40 with a hole 48Ah for receiving the claws C of the forklift F from one direction, and a second claw receiving portion 48B provided in the container body 40 with a hole 48Bh for receiving the claws C of the forklift F from another direction non-parallel to the one direction. Conventionally, containers used for transportation have been designed to receive the claws C of the forklift F only from the direction facing the wide long side wall portion 42. On the other hand, there are also storage facilities with narrow openings, such as dog shelters for freezing and refrigerating that receive cargo from inside containers transported by truck. When the container is gripped by the forklift F in the conventional manner, the container cannot pass through the narrow opening. On the other hand, according to one embodiment, the cooling container 30 has a first claw receiving portion 48A and a second claw receiving portion 48B that receive the claws C of the forklift F from different directions. In addition to the first claw receiving portion 48A that receives the claws C of the forklift F from the direction facing the wide long side wall portions 42A, 42B, it also has a second claw receiving portion 48B that receives the claws C of the forklift F from the direction facing the narrow short side wall portions 41A, 41B. Therefore, by inserting the claws C of the forklift F into the claw receiving holes of the claw receiving portions appropriate to the first claw receiving portion 48A and the second claw receiving portion 48B, the gripped cooling container 30 can be carried into a storage facility such as a dog shelter through a narrow opening.

Although one embodiment has been described using several specific examples, these specific examples are not intended to limit the one embodiment. The one embodiment described above can be implemented using various other specific examples, and various omissions, substitutions, modifications, additions, etc. can be made without departing from the spirit of the embodiment.

10 Cargo vehicle 20 Freight car 24 Lock mechanism 30 Cooling container 33 Additional wall portion 35 Cold storage material 38 Notification unit 40 Container body 41, 41A, 41B Short side wall portion 42, 42A, 42B Long side wall portion 45 Door 46 Opening and closing door 48, 48A, 48B Claw receiving portion 48h, 48Ah, 48Bh Claw receiving hole 50 Cooling unit 51 Refrigerant piping 60, 60A, 60B Electrical connector 61 Base wiring 63 Cover material 65 Status detection unit 70 Connector drive unit 80 Manual operation unit 90 Power supply container 91 Storage battery F Forklift C Claw RB Cargo room RC Cooling material room RC

Claims (14)

A container body;
an electrical connector provided in the container body and capable of protruding outward from the container body;
a cooling unit electrically connected to the electrical connector and configured to cool an interior of the container body,
A status detection unit that detects information regarding a status of the container;
a drive unit that protrudes the electrical connector outward or moves the electrical connector from the protruding position to its original position based on a detection result of the state detection unit. A container placed in a rail freight car,
2. The container of claim 1, wherein the status detector detects the status of a locking mechanism connecting the container to the rail car. A container placed in a rail freight car,
The container according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the state detection unit detects that the container is placed on the freight car. The container according to claim 1 or 3, wherein the state detection unit detects whether the fork of a forklift is inserted into the claw receiving hole of the container. The container according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the state detection unit detects whether or not a voltage is applied to the electrical connector. The container according to claim 5, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the user that a voltage is being applied to the electrical connector based on the detection result of the state detection unit. a wall portion that is provided inside the container body and that partitions a cooling material chamber that is separated from a luggage compartment within the container body,
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the container body has an opening/closing door that is capable of opening the cooling material chamber while keeping the luggage compartment closed. 8. The container of claim 7 , wherein the cooling unit includes refrigerant piping that passes through the coolant chamber or extends adjacent to a wall that defines the coolant chamber. The container according to claim 7 or 8, which is provided with a cold storage material arranged in the luggage compartment adjacent to a wall that divides the cooling material chamber and is cooled by the cooling unit. The container body has a rectangular parallelepiped outer contour,
a first claw receiving portion provided on the container body and having a hole for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to a direction in which the pair of long side wall portions of the container body face each other;
The container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, further comprising: a second claw receiving portion provided on the container body and having holes formed therein for receiving the claws of a forklift from a direction parallel to the direction in which the pair of short side wall portions of the container body face each other. The container according to claim 10, wherein the container body has a door provided on at least one of the pair of short side walls that can open a cargo compartment within the container body. A container according to any one of claims 1 to 11;
and a freight car on which the container is placed. a power supply container disposed on the freight car;
13. The rail car of claim 12, wherein the power supply container includes a battery and an electrical connector configured similarly to the electrical connector of the container and electrically coupled to the battery. The railcar according to claim 13, wherein the container is disposed on both sides of the power supply container in the direction of travel on the freight car.

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