JP7670653B2 - Refrigerated storage and transportation method for items requiring cooling - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a refrigerator. The refrigerator of the present invention is suitable for transporting medicines, blood, plasma, other organs, frozen foods, and other items that require cooling.
The present invention also relates to a method for transporting an object that needs to be cooled.

Some biopharmaceuticals and vaccines must be stored at low temperatures and transported to the point of consumption while maintaining that low temperature. Blood for transfusions and plasma may also need to be stored at low temperatures and transported to the point of consumption while maintaining that low temperature.

The coolers used for these purposes include those equipped with a refrigeration device and those that use a cooling storage material.
A refrigerator equipped with the former type of refrigeration device maintains the temperature inside the refrigerator at a low temperature using the refrigeration device.
The latter refrigerator maintains a low temperature inside the refrigerator using ice packs.

JP 2019-190753 A

The former type of cooler equipped with a refrigeration unit needs to have a power source when it is transported. Therefore, the vehicles that transport the cooler are limited to those that have a power source. Therefore, there are cases where a cooler equipped with a refrigeration unit cannot be transported by a truck or the like that does not have a power source.
The latter type of cooler that uses a cold storage material to cool the interior of the cooler has the advantage of not requiring a power source during transportation, but it is necessary to refill the cold storage material every time it is transported. For example, the cold storage material must be cooled in an external freezer beforehand, and the cold storage material must be filled with the cold storage material before transportation. Therefore, a cold storage that uses a cold storage material needs to be refilled every time it is transported, which is a hassle.

The inventors therefore considered a cool storage unit equipped with a refrigeration unit and a cold storage material. That is, before transportation, the cool storage unit is placed in a location with a power source, and the refrigeration unit is operated to cool the cold storage material. On the other hand, during transportation, the refrigeration unit is stopped, and the temperature inside the unit is kept low using the internal cold storage material.

However, this type of cooler has a new problem to be solved. In this type of cooler, it is desirable to place the evaporator and the cold storage material in the same space in order to cool the cold storage material with the cold heat of the evaporator, but in this case, the cold heat inside the cooler may be absorbed by the evaporator when the refrigeration device is stopped.
Specifically, when the refrigeration device is stopped, the cooling function of the evaporator is lost, but since the evaporator is connected to external equipment (e.g., a compressor or condenser) through piping, heat may transfer from the outside through the piping, causing the surface temperature of the evaporator to rise. Therefore, after the refrigeration device is stopped, the evaporator placed inside the refrigerator may become a heat source, causing the temperature inside the refrigerator to rise. As a result, the time that the refrigerator can maintain a low temperature may be shorter than expected.

The present invention is devised to solve problems caused by a newly discovered phenomenon, and aims to provide a refrigerator that does not require a power source during transportation, does not require the trouble of refilling the refrigerator with cold storage material every time it is transported, and can maintain a low temperature for a long period of time.
The present invention also proposes a transportation method that does not require a power source during transportation, does not require the trouble of refilling a cooling storage with a cold storage material every time transportation is performed, and can transport the items to be cooled while maintaining the temperature thereof at a low temperature for a long period of time.

An embodiment for solving the above-mentioned problems is a cool storage unit having an outer casing that forms an internal storage space for storing items to be cooled, and a refrigeration unit, wherein a cold storage material holding section for holding a cold storage material is provided within the outer casing, the refrigeration unit has an evaporator and a storage member for housing the evaporator, the storage member is disposed outside the outer casing, the space within the storage member is connected to the storage space within the outer casing by a communication section, and the cool storage unit has an opening/closing means for opening and closing the communication section.
A specific embodiment for solving the above-mentioned problems is a cool storage unit having an outer casing forming an internal storage space for storing items to be cooled, and a refrigeration unit, wherein a cold storage material holding section for holding a cold storage material is provided within the outer casing, the refrigeration unit has an evaporator and a storage member for accommodating the evaporator, the storage member is disposed outside the outer casing, a communication section connects a space within the storage member to the storage space within the outer casing, the cool storage unit has an opening/closing means for opening and closing the communication section, the communication section is an air passage, and air within the insulated casing and air within the storage member flow in and out through the air passage.

The cool storage of this embodiment is a cool storage equipped with a refrigeration device and a cold storage material. The cool storage of this embodiment has a communication part between an accommodating member that accommodates an evaporator and an accommodating space in an outer casing, and has an opening/closing means for opening and closing the communication part.
In the cold storage of this embodiment, the cold storage material can be cooled by the refrigeration device. When the opening and closing means is opened to cool the cold storage material, the air cooled by the evaporator flows through the communication part to the cold storage material side, and the cold storage material can be cooled efficiently.
When the cooler is moved, the opening and closing means is closed. As a result, the housing member housing the evaporator is separated from the housing space inside the outer casing. Therefore, even if the surface temperature of the evaporator rises, it is unlikely to affect the temperature inside the cooler.

In the above-mentioned aspect, it is desirable that the device further has an insulated housing inside the outer housing, the cold storage material holding section is arranged inside the insulated housing, the storage space is formed, and the opening and closing means is provided in the insulated housing.
A specific aspect for solving the above-mentioned problems is a cool storage container having an outer casing that forms an internal storage space for storing items to be cooled, and a refrigeration device, wherein a cold storage material holding section that holds a cold storage material is provided within the outer casing, the refrigeration device has an evaporator and an accommodating member that houses the evaporator, the accommodating member is arranged outside the outer casing, a space within the accommodating member and a storage space within the outer casing are connected by a communication section, and the container has an opening/closing means for opening and closing the communication section, and further has an insulated casing inside the outer casing, wherein the cold storage material holding section is arranged inside the insulated casing and the storage space is formed, and the opening/closing means is provided in the insulated casing.

According to this embodiment, the storage space for storing the object to be cooled is doubly insulated by the walls of the insulated housing and the walls of the outer housing.

In the above-mentioned aspect, it is desirable that the top wall of the outer casing has an outer casing side opening, the top wall of the insulated casing has an insulated casing side opening, the inner surface of the outer casing is in contact with the top surface of the insulated casing, the housing member is installed on the outer casing, and the space within the housing member and the housing space formed in the insulated casing communicate with each other via the outer casing side opening and the insulated casing side opening, thereby forming the communication section.

According to this embodiment, no wasted space is created between the inner surface of the outer housing and the top surface of the heat-insulating housing. In addition, since the inside of the storage member and the inside of the heat-insulating housing are directly connected, no member is required to connect the two.

In the above aspect, it is desirable that there is a space between the inner surface of the outer casing and at least one of the outer surfaces of the insulating casing.

According to this embodiment, there is a space between the inner surface of the outer housing and the insulating housing, and this space functions as an insulating layer of air.

In the above-mentioned aspect, it is desirable that the communication part is a single air passage, and that the air in the insulating housing and the air in the storage member flow in and out through the air passage.

In this type of cooler, the air in the insulated housing and the air in the storage member flow in and out through a single air passage. Therefore, heat exchange occurs between the cooled air that travels from the storage member into the insulated housing and the air that returns from the insulated housing to the storage member, making it difficult for cold energy to go to waste.

In the above aspect, it is preferable that the opening and closing means is a detachable and/or movable closing plate.

The opening and closing means used in this embodiment has a simple structure, yet can effectively isolate the space between the inside of the storage member and the inside of the insulated housing.

In the above-mentioned aspect, it is preferable that the closure plate is inserted into the communication portion to close the communication portion, and that a contact surface between the closure plate and the communication portion has an uneven shape.
That is, in the above-mentioned aspect, the closure plate closes the communication portion by being inserted into the communication portion, and it is preferable that the contact surface between the closure plate and the communication portion has an uneven shape.

When the closure plate is attached, the remaining space connecting the inside of the storage member and the inside of the insulated housing is the gap at the contact surface between the closure plate and the communication part. In this embodiment of the cooler, the contact surface between the closure plate and the communication part is uneven, so the distance connecting the inside of the storage member and the inside of the insulated housing is effectively longer, increasing the thermal resistance and reducing the amount of heat dissipation between the inside of the storage member and the inside of the insulated housing.

The invention relates to a method for transporting items that need to be cooled, which uses a cool storage cabinet that has an outer casing that forms an internal storage space for storing the items that need to be cooled, and a refrigeration device, and a cold storage material holding section that holds a cold storage material is provided within the storage space, the refrigeration device has an evaporator that cools air to be sent to the storage space, and is equipped with an opening and closing means for blocking the flow of air into the storage space, and is characterized in that the method includes placing the cool storage cabinet at a predetermined position, driving the refrigeration device with the opening and closing means open to cool the cold storage material using the evaporator, a blocking step for stopping the refrigeration device and closing the opening and closing means, and a moving step for moving the cool storage cabinet.
That is, the invention of a method for transporting items that need to be cooled uses a cool storage cabinet that has an outer casing that forms an internal storage space for storing the items that need to be cooled, and a refrigeration device, wherein a cold storage material holding section that holds a cold storage material is provided within the storage space, the refrigeration device has an evaporator that cools air to be sent to the storage space, and is equipped with an opening and closing means for blocking the flow of air into the storage space, and is characterized in that the method includes carrying out a cold storage material cooling process in which the cold storage cabinet is placed at a predetermined position, and the refrigeration device is driven with the opening and closing means open, causing air cooled by the evaporator to flow into the storage space and cool the cold storage material, a blocking process in which the refrigeration device is stopped and the opening and closing means is closed, and a moving process in which the cold storage cabinet is moved.
The invention for a method for transporting items requiring cooling is a method for transporting items requiring cooling that uses a refrigerator described in any of the above, and is characterized by carrying out a cold storage material cooling process in which the refrigerator is placed at a predetermined position, and the refrigeration device is driven with the opening/closing means open, causing air cooled by the evaporator to flow into the storage space and cool the cold storage material, a blocking process in which the refrigeration device is stopped and the opening/closing means is closed, and a moving process in which the refrigerator is moved.

The cooler of the present invention does not require a power source during transportation, does not require the trouble of refilling the cooler with a cold storage material every time it is transported, and can maintain a low temperature for a long period of time.
In addition, the method of transporting items requiring cooling according to the present invention does not require a power source during transportation, does not require the trouble of refilling a cooling storage unit with a cold storage material each time the items are transported, and can transport the items requiring cooling while maintaining the temperature of the items at a low temperature for a long period of time.

1 is a perspective view of a refrigerator according to an embodiment of the present invention with the door open; 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 along line AA. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator of FIG. 2 with the closure plate removed. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the refrigerator shown in FIG. 1 along line B-B. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the cooler of FIG. 1 . 1A is an enlarged view of the insulating housing and the closing plate, and FIG. 1B is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the joint between the insulating housing and the closing plate when the closing plate is attached to the insulating housing side opening of the insulating housing.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
As shown in Figs. 1 to 5, the cooler 1 of this embodiment is composed of an outer casing 2, a heat-insulating casing 3, a refrigeration device 5, and a closing plate (opening/closing means) 6.
The outer housing 2 is a box having a door 10. That is, the outer housing 2 is composed of a main box 11 and the door 10. The main box 11 and the door 10 constituting the outer housing 2 each contain a material having heat insulating properties. The outer housing 2 has a framework and reinforcing members (not shown). In addition, the surface is covered with a metal plate or a resin plate. Therefore, the outer housing 2 has considerable rigidity.

The main body box 11 of the outer housing 2 is a box body with an open front and a top wall 12, a bottom wall 15, a rear wall 17, and left and right side walls 18. That is, the main body box 11 has a cavity 8 surrounded by the top wall 12, the bottom wall 15, the rear wall 17, and the left and right side walls 18.
Four wheels 20 are attached to the bottom wall 15 of the main body box 11.
An opening (outer shell side opening) 21 is provided in the top wall 12 of the main body box 11. The opening (outer shell side opening) 21 connects the inside and outside of the main body box 11.

The door 10 is attached to the front side of the main body box 11 by a hinge (not shown) so as to be able to swing. The door 10 opens and closes an opening on the front side of the main body box 11.
4, an operation panel 16 is provided on the door 10. The operation panel 16 is used to start and stop the refrigeration device 5, which will be described later.
A battery and a control device are built into the operation panel 16. The control device may be provided with a storage means for recording the temperature history inside the cool storage 1. Also, the operation panel 16 may be provided with a display device for displaying the temperature history inside the cool storage 1.

1 and 5, a rectangular projection 73 is provided on the inner surface of the door 10. That is, the projection 73 is located at the center of a main body 75 on the inner surface of the door 10.
The size and shape of the projection 73 are such that it can fit into the opening on the front side and generally coincide with the edge of the opening on the front side of the heat-insulating housing 3 described below.
The protrusion 73 of the door 10 functions as an inner lid that closes the front of the heat-insulating housing 3, which will be described later. That is, the door 10 of this embodiment functions as a door for the outer housing 2 and a door for the heat-insulating housing 3.
Although it is preferable that the protrusion 73 is provided on the door 10, the door 10 may be configured not to have the protrusion 73.

The insulated housing 3 is a box made of a heat insulating material. The material of the insulated housing 3 is not limited, but it is preferably a vacuum insulation material or a foamed resin. In this embodiment, the insulated housing 3 is made of a vacuum insulation material. Note that each part has reinforcing members (not shown), and the insulated housing 3 has a certain degree of rigidity. The rigidity of the insulated housing 3 is lower than that of the outer housing 2.

The heat-insulating housing 3 has a top wall 22, a back wall 27, and left and right side walls 28, and is open at the front and bottom. Note that the heat-insulating housing 3 may have a bottom wall.
An opening (insulating housing side opening) 31 is provided in the top wall 22 of the insulating housing 3. The opening (insulating housing side opening) 31 is cut out and has a U-shape in plan view.
That is, as shown in Figures 5 and 6 (a), the opening 31 has two parallel side edges 32, 33 facing each other, and a rear edge 45 connecting the rear sides of the side edges 32, 33, and is a cutout with an open front side.
The vertical walls 37 that define each side of the opening 31 are provided with grooves 40 that extend in the longitudinal direction.

The inner surface of the thermally insulated housing 3 has a cold storage material holding section 42 that holds a large number of cold storage materials 41. That is, the inner surfaces of the back wall 27 and the left and right side walls 28 that constitute the thermally insulated housing 3 have engagement sections (not shown), and the cold storage materials 41 are held in the engagement sections. Therefore, the three surfaces of the thermally insulated housing 3 are substantially covered with a large number of cold storage materials 41. In this embodiment, it can be said as if the inside of the thermally insulated housing 3 is covered by a wall of the cold storage materials 41.
The area inside the heat-insulating housing 3 that is covered with the cold storage material 41 becomes an item storage space 43 .

The outer width A of the insulated housing 3 is smaller than the inner width B of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2. The outer dimension depth C of the insulated housing 3 is smaller than the depth D of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2. The height E of the insulated housing 3 is approximately equal to the height F of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2.

A refrigeration device 5 for cooling the inside of the cooler 1 is provided on the outside of the outer casing 2.
As shown in FIG. 4, the refrigeration device 5 has a compressor 50, a condenser 51, an expansion means 52, and an evaporator 53, which are connected in a ring shape by piping 55, and a phase-changing refrigerant is sealed inside.
By driving the compressor 50, the gaseous refrigerant is compressed, and the refrigerant is cooled and liquefied in the condenser 51. The liquid refrigerant then passes through the expansion means 52 and enters the evaporator 53, where it vaporizes. At that time, it absorbs heat of vaporization, lowering the surface temperature of the evaporator 53. The vaporized refrigerant returns to the compressor 50 and is compressed again.

In this embodiment, the refrigeration device 5 is divided into two areas as shown in Fig. 4. That is, the compressor 50, the condenser 51, and the expansion means 52 of the refrigeration device 5 are arranged in a machine box 57, and the evaporator 53 is arranged alone in a housing member 60. In addition, a blower 56 is provided below the evaporator 53.
The storage member 60 is a box with an open bottom and is made of a heat insulating material.
In the housing member 60, the evaporator 53 and the blower 56 are placed to one side as shown in FIG.

The closing plate (opening/closing means) 6 is a rectangular plate made of a heat insulating material. The closing plate (opening/closing means) 6 is attached to an opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 provided in the top wall 22 of the heat insulating housing 3, and the shape and size of the closing plate 6 are approximately the same as those of the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 provided in the top wall 22 of the heat insulating housing 3. The thickness of the closing plate 6 is approximately equal to the thickness of the top wall 22 of the heat insulating housing 3.
The closure plate 6 is provided on three side surfaces 38 with ridges 36 extending in the longitudinal direction.

Next, the positional relationship of each member constituting the cooler 1 will be described.
In the cooler 1 of this embodiment, a heat-insulating housing 3 is built into a main body box 11 of an outer housing 2 .
Here, since the outer width A of the insulated housing 3 is smaller than the inner width B of the hollow portion 8 of the outer housing 2, there are spaces 63a and 63b between the inner side surfaces 61a and 61b of the outer housing 2 and the outer side surfaces 62a and 62b of the insulated housing 3, respectively.
Since the external dimension depth C of the insulating housing 3 is smaller than the depth D of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2 , there is also a space 67 between the inner back surface 65 of the outer housing 2 and the outer back surface 66 of the insulating housing 3 .
In this embodiment, the heat-insulating housing 3 is disposed slightly behind the opening on the front side of the outer housing 2 .
Since the height E of the insulating housing 3 is equal to the height F of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2 , the top wall 22 of the insulating housing 3 and the ceiling surface 70 of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2 are in close contact with each other.
Further, the opening (outer shell side opening) 21 provided in the top wall 12 of the outer shell housing 2 and the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 provided in the top wall 22 of the insulated housing 3 largely coincide with each other and communicate with each other.

The insulated housing 3 is fixed in the hollow portion 8 of the outer housing 2 by temporary fastening elements such as screws (not shown).

The refrigeration device 5 is placed on the outside of the outer housing 2 and on the top wall 12. The accommodating member 60 that accommodates the refrigeration device 5 is installed on the top wall 12 of the outer housing 2 in a position that covers an opening (outer housing side opening) 21 provided in the top wall 12.
Therefore, as shown in Figure 3, the inside of the accommodating member 60 and the inside of the insulated housing 3 are connected via an opening (outer shell side opening) 21 provided in the top wall 12 of the outer shell housing 2 and an opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 provided in the top wall 22 of the insulated housing 3, via a communication section 72.
However, the closure plate (opening/closing means) 6 is removable, and when the closure plate 6 is attached to the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 on the insulated housing 3 side, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the communication section 72 is sealed off, and communication between the inside of the storage member 60 and the inside of the insulated housing 3 is blocked, as shown in Figures 2 and 4.

As described above, the shape and size of the closing plate 6 are approximately the same as those of the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 provided in the top wall 22 of the thermally insulated housing 3 .
6, three side surfaces 38 of the closing plate 6 are provided with ridges 36 extending in the longitudinal direction. Meanwhile, a vertical wall 37 of the opening (opening on the thermally insulated housing side) 31 provided in the top wall 22 is provided with a groove 40 extending in the longitudinal direction.
Therefore, the closure plate 6 can be attached to the opening 31 by engaging the longitudinally extending protrusions 36 on the three sides 38 of the closure plate 6 with the grooves 40 of the opening 31 and pushing the closure plate 6 toward the back of the opening 31.
Furthermore, by pulling the closing plate 6, the closing plate 6 slides along the groove 40, and the closing plate 6 can be removed from the opening 31.

6B, the convex strip 36 of the closure plate 6 fits into the groove 40 of the opening 31. Therefore, in the top wall 22 of the thermally insulated housing 3, the only space communicating between the inside and outside is the gap between the vertical wall 37 of the opening 31 and the side surface 38 of the closure plate 6.
In this embodiment, since the joint surface between the closure plate 6 and the opening 31 is an uneven surface, the distance connecting the inside of the accommodating member 60 and the inside of the insulated housing 3 is effectively longer, the thermal resistance increases, and the amount of heat dissipation between the inside of the accommodating member 60 and the inside of the insulated housing 3 decreases.
In this embodiment, the closure plate 6 has one protruding strip 36 on each of the three side surfaces 38 and one groove 40 on the opening 31 side, but the number of stripes may be greater. Also, the closure plate 6 may have a groove and a protruding strip on the opening 31 side.

In the storage member 60, the evaporator 53 and the blower 56 are positioned to one side as shown in FIG. 3, so that the evaporator 53 and the blower 56 are positioned to one side from the center of the communication portion 72.

4, the opening at the front of the outer housing 2 is sealed. That is, the main body 75 of the door 10 contacts the edge of the opening at the front of the outer housing 2, sealing the inside of the outer housing 2.
Furthermore, when the door 10 is closed, the protrusion 73 of the door 10 comes into contact with the edge of the opening on the front side of the thermally insulated housing 3, sealing the inside of the thermally insulated housing 3. In this manner, in this embodiment, the protrusion 73 of the door 10 functions as a door for the thermally insulated housing 3.

Next, a method of using the cooler 1 will be described.
The cool storage 1 of the present embodiment is used for transporting objects that need to be cooled, such as vaccines. For example, as a preparation process for transporting the objects that need to be cooled, a cool storage material cooling process for cooling the cool storage material 41 in the cool storage 1 is performed.
In the cold storage material cooling process, a cold storage cabinet is placed inside a house such as a warehouse, and the closure plate (opening/closing means) 6 is removed from the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 on the insulated housing 3 side to open the communication part 72, thereby connecting the inside of the storage member 60 to the inside of the insulated housing 3.
In this state, the refrigeration device 5 and the blower 56 are driven.

As a result, the surface temperature of the evaporator 53 drops. As shown in FIG.
In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 3, the evaporator 53 and the blower 56 are located to one side from the center of the communication part 72, so that the air blown by the blower 56 passes through the position to one side from the center of the communication part 72 as shown by the arrow and enters the inside of the insulated housing 3.
The air inside the heat-insulating housing 3 passes through a position closer to the other side of the communication portion 72 and returns to the containing member 60, and is sucked into the evaporator 53 by the suction force of the blower 56 and cooled.

In this embodiment, air flows between the inside of the storage member 60 and the inside of the thermally insulated housing 3 through the communication part 72. That is, the air inside the storage member 60 passes through a position on one side of the center of the communication part 72 and enters the inside of the thermally insulated housing 3, and the air inside the thermally insulated housing 3 returns to the storage member 60 by passing through a position on the other side of the communication part 72.
Therefore, the inflow and outflow air come into contact with each other within one communication portion 72, and heat is exchanged between the two. As a result, the cold heat is prevented from being transferred to the outside, and the cold heat is less likely to be wasted.

When the cold storage material 41 is sufficiently cooled, the door 10 is opened and the object to be cooled is placed in the object storage space 43 of the heat-insulating housing 3 .
Before or after this operation, the refrigeration device 5 is stopped, and a shutoff step is carried out in which the closing plate (opening/closing means) 6 is attached to the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 on the insulated housing 3 side to close the communication part 72 .
The disconnecting step closes the communication portion 72, and disconnects the interior of the storage member 60 from the interior of the thermally insulated housing 3.
In this state, the cooler 1 is pushed and placed onto a vehicle such as a truck or a container.
The vehicle is then driven to transport the items requiring refrigeration, such as vaccines, to their destination.

During transportation, the inside of the heat-insulating housing 3 is maintained at a low temperature by the internal cold storage material 41 .
That is, the object to be cooled, such as a vaccine, is inside the thermally insulated housing 3. The thermally insulated housing 3 is accommodated in the hollow portion 8 of the outer housing 2, and the outer housing 2 also has a considerable degree of thermal insulation. Furthermore, there are spaces 63a, 63b, and 67 between the outer housing 2 and the thermally insulated housing 3, and the spaces 63a, 63b, and 67 have air layers.
Therefore, the external heat is blocked by the outer casing 2 and further insulated by the air layer, so the outside of the insulated casing 3 is hardly affected by the external heat. Furthermore, the object to be cooled is placed in a position surrounded by the cold storage material 41 inside the insulated casing 3. Therefore, the temperature of the object to be cooled is kept low.

On the other hand, since the refrigeration device 5 is stopped, the refrigerant does not evaporate in the evaporator 53, and the evaporator 53 has no cooling capacity. Therefore, heat is conducted from the outside through the pipe 55, and the temperature of the evaporator 53 gradually rises.
However, a closure plate (opening/closing means) 6 is attached to the opening (insulated housing side opening) 31 on the insulated housing 3 side, the communication portion 72 is closed, and the interior of the storage member 60 is isolated from the interior of the insulated housing 3.
Therefore, even if the surface temperature of the evaporator 53 rises, it has little effect on the inside of the heat-insulating housing 3. As a result, the temperature of the object to be cooled is kept low for a long period of time.

The cooler 1 of this embodiment can be carried in a vehicle without a power source. It can also maintain a low temperature inside even in a place without a power source. That is, even if the object to be cooled is transported to a place without a power source, it can maintain a low temperature inside. Moreover, since the inside of the housing member 60 that houses the evaporator 53 is isolated from the inside of the heat-insulating housing 3, the amount of cold storage material required to maintain a low temperature can be reduced compared to when the evaporator and the cold storage material are placed in the same space.
The cooler 1 of this embodiment does not require refilling of the cold storage material, and is easy to operate.
The cooler 1 of this embodiment has a double structure consisting of an outer casing 2 and an insulated casing 3, and there is an air layer between the outer casing 2 and the insulated casing 3, so that the heat insulation performance is high, the influence of outside air can be minimized, and the cooling time can be extended.
The cooler 1 of this embodiment has a structure separated into an outer casing 2 and an insulated casing 3, so that the outer casing 2 ensures rigidity, and the insulated casing 3 ensures high thermal insulation.
In the cool storage 1 of this embodiment, the refrigeration device 5 and the blower 56 are driven with the communication part 72 open, so that the internal cold storage material 41 can be efficiently cooled. Also, by closing the communication part 72, heat radiation can be suppressed.
The cool storage 1 of this embodiment can cool the cold storage material 41 and keep the object to be cooled cold by the cold storage material 41 by itself.
The refrigerator 1 of this embodiment has excellent efficiency in maintaining low temperatures, which contributes to energy conservation and ultimately reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
The size of the cool storage box 1 and the amount of the cold storage material 41 contained therein are arbitrary, and the cool storage box 1 can be designed according to the application.

When the cooler 1 is used for a long period of time, each part may deteriorate. In the cooler 1 of this embodiment, the insulated housing 3 is made of a vacuum insulation material. Although the vacuum insulation material has high insulation performance, if it is damaged, the degree of vacuum inside the material may decrease, and the insulation performance may also decrease. Therefore, it is desirable to replace the insulated housing 3 periodically.
In this embodiment, the heat-insulating housing 3 is fixed in the hollow portion 8 of the outer housing 2 with screws or the like, and can be easily removed by removing the screws or the like. Furthermore, spaces 63a, 63b, and 67 are provided between the heat-insulating housing 3 and the outer housing 2. Therefore, the heat-insulating housing 3 can be easily removed.

In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the air inside the storage member 60 and the air inside the insulated housing 3 travel back and forth through a single communication part 72. However, the present invention is not limited to this configuration, and the communication passage on the forward side and the communication passage on the return side may be separate.

A sensor may be provided to detect when the closing plate (opening/closing means) 6 is closed. Safety measures may also be taken, such as automatically stopping the refrigeration device 5 when the closing plate 6 is closed, or displaying a message urging the user to stop the refrigeration device 5.

In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the opening and closing means is plate-shaped and is slidably attached and detached, but it may be a swinging opening and closing means such as a damper. In the refrigerator 1 of this embodiment, the opening and closing means is removable, but it may not be removable and may open and close the communication part 72 by moving or changing its position.
It is also possible to adopt a configuration in which the opening and closing means is operated by power.
In the cooler 1 of this embodiment, the plate-shaped opening and closing means is fitted into the top wall 22 of the insulated housing 3 , but the mounting position of the opening and closing means is not limited to the insulated housing 3 .
For example, the opening/closing means may be fitted into an opening (outer shell side opening) 21 provided in the top wall 12 of the outer shell 2. The opening/closing means may be provided inside the storage member 60 or inside the heat-insulating shell 3.

In the cool storage 1 described above, the door 10 has a square protrusion 73, which comes into contact with the edge of the front opening of the insulated housing 3 to seal the inside of the insulated housing 3. In the cool storage 1 described above, the surface of the protrusion 73 abuts against the edge of the front opening of the insulated housing 3, but the protrusion 73 may be inserted into the insulated housing 3 to close the front opening of the insulated housing 3.
It is also possible to omit the rectangular projection 73 of the door 10 and have the main body 75 of the door 10 directly contact the edge of the front opening of the thermally insulated housing 3 to seal the inside of the thermally insulated housing 3. When this configuration is adopted, it is preferable to have a layout in which the front opening of the thermally insulated housing 3 and the front opening of the main box 11 are on the same plane.

The cool storage 1 described above has a double structure having an insulated housing 3 inside the outer housing 2, and inside the insulated housing 3, a cold storage material holding section 42 is arranged and a storage space (item storage space 43) for storing items to be cooled is formed, and a closure plate (opening/closing means) 6 is provided on the insulated housing 3.
The cooler 1 described above has a double structure constituted by the outer casing 2 and the insulated casing 3, but it may have a single-layer structure insulated only by the outer casing 2. When a single-layer structure using the outer casing 2 is adopted, the opening/closing means is attached to the opening (outer casing side opening) 21.
As a modified example of the cooler, the cooler may have a single-layer structure consisting of only the insulated housing 3 of the above-described embodiment. In this case, the insulated housing 3 of the above-described embodiment functions as the outer housing of the present invention. In the case of a single-layer structure consisting of the insulated housing 3, it is necessary to increase the rigidity of the insulated housing 3.
Furthermore, it may have a multi-layer structure.
It is not always necessary to provide all of the spaces 63a, 63b, and 67 between the outer housing 2 and the heat-insulating housing 3. Moreover, the spaces 63a, 63b, and 67 between the outer housing 2 and the heat-insulating housing 3 may not be provided at all.
There may be a distance between the top wall 22 of the heat-insulating housing 3 and the ceiling surface 70 of the cavity 8 of the outer housing 2 .

In the cooler 1 described above, the entire refrigeration device 5 is placed on the top wall 12 of the outer casing 2, but part or all of the refrigeration device 5 may be placed in another location.
For example, only the accommodating member 60 of the refrigeration device 5 may be placed on the top wall 12 of the outer casing 2 , and the other devices may be placed on the back side of the outer casing 2 .
Furthermore, the accommodating member 60 of the refrigeration device 5 may be placed on the lower or rear surface side of the outer casing 2 .

The cool storage 1 of the embodiment described above has an outer casing 2 and a refrigeration device 5, and the inside of the storage member 60, which is the space in which the evaporator 53 is placed, and the inside of the insulated casing 3 or the outer casing 2, which is the area in which the cold storage material 41 is placed, are connected by a communication section 72, and has a closure plate 6, which is an opening/closing means for opening and closing the communication section 72.
In the cooler 1 described above, there is a space outside the outer casing 2 in which the evaporator 53 is placed, but there may also be a space inside the insulated casing 3 or inside the outer casing 2 in which the evaporator 53 is placed.
A cool storage unit having an evaporator 53 disposed inside the outer casing 2 is, for example, as follows. A cool storage unit having this configuration is, for example, a cool storage unit equipped with an outer casing and a refrigeration device having an evaporator, and a partition is provided inside the outer casing to separate the space in which the evaporator is placed from an area in which the cold storage material is placed. A communication part is provided between the space in which the evaporator is placed and the area in which the cold storage material is placed, and an opening and closing means is provided in the communication part.
In the refrigerator having this configuration, a partition is provided between the space in which the evaporator is placed and the area in which the cold storage material is placed, and a communication part is formed in the partition. Also, there is an opening and closing means for opening and closing the communication part. It is preferable that the partition is a heat-insulating wall.

A cool storage unit having an evaporator 53 disposed inside a thermally insulated housing is, for example, as follows. A cool storage unit having this configuration is, for example, a cool storage unit having a thermally insulated housing inside an external housing, and a partition is provided inside the thermally insulated housing to separate the space in which the evaporator is placed from an area in which the cold storage material is placed. A communication part is provided between the space in which the evaporator is placed and the area in which the cold storage material is placed, and an opening and closing means is provided in the communication part.
In the refrigerator of this configuration, a partition is provided between the space in which the evaporator is placed and the area in which the cold storage material is placed, and a communication part is formed in the partition. Also, there is an opening and closing means for opening and closing the communication part. It is preferable that the partition is a heat-insulating wall.
Even in the case of a cool storage having the evaporator 53 disposed in the outer casing 2 or the insulated casing described above, it is possible to adopt a usage method similar to that of the cool storage 1 of the above embodiment. That is, the refrigeration device is driven with the opening/closing means open to cool the cold storage material by the evaporator, and the refrigeration device is stopped and the opening/closing means is closed to move the cool storage.

1 Refrigerator 2 Outer casing 3 Insulated casing 5 Refrigeration device 6 Closing plate (opening/closing means)
12 Top wall 21 Opening (outer shell side opening)
22 Top wall 31 Opening (opening on the thermal insulation housing side)
36 ridge 40 groove 41 cold storage material 42 cold storage material holding portion 43 item storage space 53 evaporator 56 blower 60 storage member 63a, 63b, 67 space 72 communication portion

Claims (6)

The cooling system has an outer casing that defines an accommodation space for accommodating an object to be cooled therein, and a refrigeration device.
A cold storage material holding section that holds a cold storage material is provided in the outer casing,
The refrigeration device has an evaporator and a housing member that houses the evaporator,
the housing member is disposed outside the outer casing, a space within the housing member communicates with a housing space within the outer casing through a communication part, and an opening/closing means is provided for opening and closing the communication part;
A cool storage container further comprising an insulating housing inside the outer housing, the cooling material holding section being arranged inside the insulating housing and the storage space being formed inside the insulating housing, and the opening/closing means being provided in the insulating housing. an outer shell side opening is provided in a top wall of the outer shell housing, an insulating housing side opening is provided in a top wall of the insulating housing, and an inner surface of the outer shell housing and a top surface of the insulating housing are in contact with each other;
The housing member is installed on the outer casing,
The cooler according to claim 1, characterized in that the space within the storage member and the storage space formed within the insulated housing are connected via the outer shell side opening and the insulated housing side opening, thereby forming the communication portion . 2. The cooler according to claim 1 , wherein a space is provided between an inner surface of the outer casing and at least one of the outer surfaces of the heat-insulating casing. 4. The refrigerator according to claim 1 , wherein the opening and closing means is a detachable and/or movable closing plate. The closing plate is inserted into the communication portion to close the communication portion,
5. The refrigerator according to claim 4 , wherein a contact surface between the closure plate and the communication portion has an uneven shape. A method for transporting items requiring cooling using the cooler according to any one of claims 1 to 3 ,
a cooling material cooling process in which the cooling box is placed at a predetermined position, the opening/closing means is opened, and the refrigeration device is driven to cause air cooled by the evaporator to flow into the storage space and cool the cooling material;
a shutoff step of shutting off the refrigeration device and closing the opening and closing means;
A method for transporting items that require cooling, comprising carrying out a moving step of moving the cooler.

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