The present disclosure relates to a cooling unit, including but not limited to, a refrigerator, a freezer or a refrigerator and freezer combination. A cooling unit has been in use for decades to keep food fresh and cold. One of the drawbacks of a cooling unit is it relies on electricity. When the electricity is cutoff, the cooling unit fails to work and the food is spoiled. Food spoils especially quickly during transportation if the power supply is cutoff. Even when the cooling unit is disconnected for a short period of time to be transferred from one truck to another truck or be briefly stored to be loaded onto a truck or a cart. The problem of food soilage is exasperated when there is electrical power outage and even the standing cooling unit may not maintain a desired temperature for an extended period of time.
Accordingly, there has been a long felt need for a cooling unit that is able to maintain the internal temperature of the cooling unit at a desired level for a long period of time without continuous external electrical power. The disclosure presented herein is directed to solve these problems and satisfy the long-felt need.
The disclosure presented is to provide a cooling unit that is able to maintain the internal temperature for an extended period of time without an outside electrical power. The cooling unit uses a combination of a battery (or one or more battery backs) and one or more phase change materials (“PCM” or “phase change materials”). In addition, the cooling unit uses one or more airpaths to force cooled air over a group of PCM to maintain the PCM for the event when an external electrical power is discontinued and the power from the battery pack is also depleted. The forced air through one of more airpaths may be always used or only when the cooling unit is operated by only the battery power.
The cooling unit has an inner chamber. The inner chamber has a top side, a front side, a right side, a left side, a rear side and a bottom side. The cabinet has one or more refrigeration compartments as a part of the inner chamber and one or more mechanical compartments. Conventionally, one refrigeration compartment may be used as a refrigeration section and another refrigeration compartment may be used as a freezer section, but the number of the refrigeration compartment is subject to design choice. The one or more mechanical compartments house a battery (or a group of batteries or a battery pack) and a refrigeration unit with a coolant.
The cooling unit also has one or more phase change materials installed on one or more of the top side, the front side, the right side, the left side, the rear side or the bottom side. It is preferred to have the PCM on the rear side, if only one side is used to have the PCM; however, any or all of the other sides may also have PCM installed on it.
The refrigeration unit cools the inner chamber and the one or more phase change materials. It is preferred that the refrigeration unit cools the PCM first, then the inner chamber. It is a design choice to have more than one cooling chambers.
The battery is charged when an outside electricity is supplied to the cooling unit so that the batter can be used to power the refrigeration unit or as a backup power source when the outside electricity is discontinued. As the one or more phase change materials are always kept at low temperature, PCM help maintaining a predetermined temperature of the inner chamber all times, especially when the outside power source is disconnected or interrupted and when the battery is depleted.
The refrigeration unit uses the coolant passing through a cooling loop. Although it is not necessary that the cooling loop is attached to the one or more phase change materials to cool the one or more phase change materials, it is preferred so that PCM is effectively cooled. As the PCM is always cooled when the cooling loop is directly attached to the PCM, when there is electricity supplied, either by an external source of by the battery, temperature of the one or more phase change materials are maintained at lower temperature than the predetermined temperature of the inner chamber. It is a design choice to have more than one cooling loops so that one cooling loop is assigned to each set of PCM or one or more cooling loop is assigned to one or more inner chambers.
The cooling unit uses one or more blow fans that circulate air inside the inner chamber. The one or more blow fans may circulate air inside the inner chamber by directly blowing the air into the one or more refrigeration compartments or circulate air inside the inner chamber by first blowing the air onto the one or more phase change materials and then flow into the one or more refrigeration compartments.
To guide airflow over the PCM, the cabinet may have one or more separating panels mounted front of the one or more phase change materials, such that the one or more separating panels do not completely cover the one or more of the top side, the front side, the right side, the left side, the rear side or the bottom side. The one or more separating panels mounted front of the one or more phase change materials form one or more airpath in between the separating panel and the PCM. When the one or more or all of the blow fans are directed to blow into the airpath, then the air is forced over the PCM first and then let out into the refrigeration compartment.
An airpath may be formed in between the rear-separating panel and the PCM mounted on the rear side, in between the right-separating panel and the PCM mounted on the right side, and/or in between the left-separating panel and the PCM mounted on the left side. In addition, an airpath may be formed also in between the top-separating panel and the PCM mounted on the top side, in between the bottom-separating panel and the PCM mounted on the bottom side and in between the front-separating panel and the PCM mounted on the front side. The airflow may be designed to flow from the blow fans first to any one of the airpath thus formed. Also, the airflow may be directed from the blow fans to any sequence of the airpaths formed. For example, first through the airpath on the rear side, then through the airpath on the bottom side, then through the airpath on the left side and the right side. Also, it is optional to have the fan draw out air from the airpath, especially from the airpath on the rear side so the airflow is reverse of what is described.
Moreover, it is designers choice to form airpaths with no PCM mounted on one or more sides, especially on the front side which is often used as a door. Moreover, the cabinet may have a bottom-separating panel mounted on the bottom side. The bottom-separating panel does not have to completely cover the entirety of the bottom side, so that the bottom-separating panel mounted on the bottom side form a bottom airpath through which the air blown from the one or more blow fans flows through. In this configuration, it would be a design choice to mount the PCM on the bottom side or just have an airpath without the PCM.
The cooling unit also has a base unit attached below the bottom side. The base unit has a plurality of openings so that a pair of forks from a forklift may be inserted for easy lifting and transportation.
Although the present invention is briefly summarized, a better understanding of the invention can be obtained by the following drawings, detailed description and appended claims.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
The inner chamber 15 has a top side 20, a front side 25 (shown in
The cooling unit 10 also has one or more phase change materials (“PCM”) 50 installed on one or more of the top side 20, the front side 25, the right side 30, the left side 35, the rear side 40 or the bottom side 45. It is preferred to have the PCM on the rear side 40, if only one side is used to have the PCM; however, any or all of the other sides may also have PCM installed on it. In
It is a design choice to have one or more separating panels 55 to cover or mounted front of the one or more of the tip side 20, the front side 25, the right side 30, the left side 35, the rear side 40 and the bottom side 45. When one or more separating panels 55 cover their respective sides and their respective sides have PCM mounted on them, the one or more separating panels 55 do not completely cover the one or more of the top side 20, the front side 25, the right side 30, the left side 35, the rear side 40 or the bottom side 45 so that air blown over the PCM 50 may escape. Although not all separating panels 55 are shown on
The one or more separating panels 55 mounted front of the one or more phase change materials 50 form one or more airpath 90 (shown in
When the one or more or all of the blow fans 95 are directed to blow into the airpath 90, then the air is forced over the PCM 50 first and then let out into the refrigeration compartment 13.
The battery 130 (or a group of batteries or a battery pack) is charged when an outside electricity is supplied to the cooling unit 10 so that the batter 130 can be used to power the refrigeration unit 135 or as a backup power source when the outside electricity is discontinued. As the one or more phase change materials 50 are always kept at low temperature, PCM 50 help maintaining a predetermined temperature of the inner chamber 15 all the time, especially when the outside power source is disconnected or interrupted and when the battery 130 is depleted.
The cooling unit 10 uses one or more blow fans 95 that circulate air inside the inner chamber 15. The one or more blow fans 95 may circulate air inside the inner chamber 15 by directly blowing the air into the one or more refrigeration compartments 13 or circulate air inside the inner chamber 15 by first blowing the air onto and over the one or more phase change materials 50 and then flow into the one or more refrigeration compartments 13.
To guide airflow over the PCM 50, the cabinet may have one or more separating panels 55 mounted front of the one or more phase change materials 50, such that the one or more separating panels 55 do not completely cover the one or more of the top side 20, the front side 25, the right side 30, the left side 35, the rear side 40 or the bottom side 45. The one or more separating panels 55 mounted front of the one or more phase change materials 50 form one or more airpath 90 in between the separating panel 55 and the PCM 50 or in between the separating panel 55 and the respective side (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45). When the one or more or all of the blow fans 95 are directed to blow into the airpath 90, a rear airpath 91 in this Fig., then the air is forced over the PCM 55 first and then let out into the refrigeration compartment 13. It is a design choice to have one or more or all of the blow fans 95 are directed to blow into the airpath 90, but it is preferred to have at least one blow fan 95 is directed to blow into the airpath 90 and at least one blow fan 95 is directed to blow into the inside chamber 15.
AS shown in
The airflow 90 may be designed to flow from the blow fans 95 first to any one of the airpaths 90 thus formed. Also, the airflow may be directed from the blow fans 95 to any sequence of the airpaths 90 formed. For example, the air is blown first through the rear airpath 91 on the rear side 40, then through the bottom airpath 94 on the bottom side 45, then through the left airpath 93 on the left side 35 and the right airpath 92 on the right side 30. Also, it is optional to have the blow fan 95 to have reverse airflow direction to draw out air from the airpath 90, especially from the rear airpath 91 on the rear side 40 so the airflow is reverse of what is described.
Moreover, it is designers choice to form airpaths 90 with no PCM 50 mounted on one or more sides (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45), especially on the front side 25 which is often used as a door 47. Moreover, the cabinet 12 may have a bottom-separating panel 85 mounted on the bottom side 45. The bottom-separating panel 85 does not have to completely cover the entirety of the bottom side 45, so that the bottom-separating panel 85 mounted on the bottom side 45 to form a bottom airpath 94 through which the air blown from the one or more blow fans 95 flows through. In this configuration, it would be a design choice to mount the PCM 50 on the bottom side 45 or just have the bottom airpath 94 without the PCM 50; or any one of the airpaths 90 to not have any PCM 50 mounted in it.
Another embodiment may have the right-separating panel 70, not having any air vents 145, fully covering the right side 30 except at the ends 146 to have one or more airpaths 90 to its adjacent airpaths 90 of the adjacent sides, such as the rear side 40, the bottom side 45 and/or the top side 20, so that the airpaths 90 is continuous from the blow fans 95 to the refrigeration compartment 13. It is noted that the flow of air through one or more airpaths 90 of one or more sides (20, 25, 30, 35, 40, 45) may be interconnected in any combination to fit the design requirement of the cooling unit 10.
As shown, mounted on the left side 35, the right side 30 and the rear side 40 are a plurality of posts 150 that securely attach the left-separating panel 75, the right-separating panel 70 and the rear-separating panel 80. The posts 150 elevates each of the separating panels 55 off the PCM 50, forming the airpaths 90, so that air may flow over the PCM 50 through the airpaths 90.
As an alternate design, the bottom-separating wall is separated by the bottom-separating posts 151 that has air vents 145 allowing some air to escape to the refrigeration compartment 13. The air vents 145 may be placed anywhere along the airpaths 90 (91, 92, 93, 94) to regulate the amount of air exited into the refrigeration compartment 13 to match the cooling requirement.
While the preferred embodiment has been shown and described with reference to additional embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that variations in form, detail, compositions and operation may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure as defined by the accompanying claims.