1. Field
This application relates generally to thermally-conditioned devices, and, more specifically, to thermally-conditioned beverage holders and bins.
2. Description of the Related Art
Vehicles can include one or more thermally-conditioned beverage holders and/or bins. Such devices receive and store beverages (e.g., contained in cups, bottles, cans, other containers, etc.), food and the like, and selectively cool and/or heat such items.
According to some embodiments, thermally-conditioned device comprises a receptacle configured to receive an item, the receptacle comprising a wall, the wall comprising an exterior surface, wherein the receptacle comprises at least one thermally conductive material. The thermally-conditioned device further comprises a thermoelectric device secured to the exterior surface of the wall of the receptacle, and a liquid-loop heat exchange system comprising a cold plate adjacent the thermoelectric device, wherein the thermoelectric device is positioned between the wall of the receptacle and the cold plate, wherein the thermoelectric device is thermally conductive with both the receptacle and the cold plate.
According to some embodiments, the device comprises a beverage holder or cupholder for receiving a beverage container. In other embodiments, the device comprises a bin. In one embodiment, the receptacle is at least partially open to the surrounding environment. In some embodiments, the receptacle is configured to define an enclosed space (e.g., comprises one or more doors and/or other closable features). According to some embodiments, the wall of the receptacle comprises at least one of a side wall and a bottom wall.
According to some embodiments, the cold plate includes an inlet and an outlet, and a liquid channel extending between the inlet and the outlet. In some embodiments, the cold plate comprises a unitary or monolithic construction. In one embodiment, the cold plate comprises at least two portions that are configured to mate with one another. In one embodiment, the cold place includes a lid or cover as part of a multi-piece construction or design.
According to some embodiments, the liquid channel comprises a serpentine or tortious shape. In some embodiments, the liquid channel comprises a non-linear shape. In one embodiment, the liquid-loop heat exchange system additionally comprises a secondary heat exchanger, a pump, a fluid conduit and/or a blower or other fluid transfer device. In one embodiment, the secondary heat exchanger is separate from the cold pack. In some embodiments, the secondary heat exchanger comprises an air-type heat exchanger.
According to some embodiments, the thermoelectric device is secured directly to the exterior surface of the wall of the receptacle. In some embodiments, the thermoelectric device is secured indirectly to the exterior surface of the wall of the receptacle, wherein at least one intermediate member is positioned between the thermoelectric device and the wall of the receptacle, the at least one intermediate member being thermally conductive. In one embodiment, the at least one intermediate member comprises a thermal grease, a thermal foil, a thermal pad and/or solder. In one embodiment, the at least one intermediate member comprises a thermally conductive spacer block or other thermally connecting member or feature.
According to some embodiments, a thermal insulation layer is positioned along at least a portion of the exterior of the wall. In one embodiment, a thermal insulation layer is positioned along at least a portion of the exterior of the wall around the spacer block, wherein the spacer block allows the thermal contact between the thermoelectric device and the wall of the receptacle despite the presence of the thermal insulation layer.
According to some embodiments, the wall comprises at least one feature for securing at least one of the thermoelectric device and the cold pack directly to the wall. In some embodiments, the at least one feature comprises at least one opening (e.g., screw or bolt opening, recess, etc.) or feature (e.g., tab, clamp, other protruding member, etc.) for receiving a fastener. In one embodiment, the cold pack is directly coupled to the wall using at least one attachment method, wherein the thermoelectric device is positioned between the wall and the cold pack when the cold pack is coupled to the wall. In some embodiments, wherein the at least one attachment method comprises at least one of a screw, a bolt, another fastener, another mechanical connection and an adhesive.
According to some embodiments, the device further comprises at least one blower configured to pass air across or near a portion of the secondary heat exchanger. In some embodiments, the at least one thermally conductive material of the receptacle comprises a metal, an alloy, a thermally conductive thermoplastic and/or any other thermally conductive material. In some embodiments, the at least one thermally conductive material comprises aluminum, copper or steel. In some embodiments, the at least one thermally conductive material comprises thermally-conductive plastic.
According to some embodiments, a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprises a receptacle configured to receive a beverage container, the receptacle comprising sidewalls and a bottom wall, wherein the sidewalls and the bottom wall form a monolithic structure, and wherein the receptacle comprises at least one thermally conductive material (e.g., aluminum, copper, highly conductive plastic, etc.). The beverage holder additionally comprises a recess located within a portion of the sidewalls or the bottom wall of the receptacle, and a thermoelectric device secured within the recess, wherein the thermoelectric device is configured to conductively cool or heat the receptacle.
According to some embodiments, the beverage holder further comprises at least one heat exchange assembly configured to transfer heat away from the thermoelectric device. In one embodiment, the heat exchange assembly is incorporated within the monolithic structure of the receptacle. In one embodiment, the heat exchange assembly comprises an air-based heat exchange system. In some embodiments,
the heat exchange assembly comprises a plurality of fins, pins or similar heat exchangers. In some embodiments, the fins are formed from the monolithic structure of the receptacle along the bottom wall or along the sidewall of the receptacle.
According to some embodiments, the heat exchange assembly comprises a liquid-loop heat exchange system. In some embodiments, the heat exchange assembly comprises at least one liquid channel,
wherein the at least one liquid channel is configured to receive a liquid for removal of heat from the thermoelectric device during use, and wherein the at least one liquid channel comprises an opening located within a wall of the receptacle.
According to some embodiments, the at least one liquid channel is oriented in a serpentine pattern. In some embodiments, each of the recess and the at least one liquid channel is located within a bottom wall of the receptacle. In some embodiments, the at least one thermally conductive material comprises a metal, an alloy, a thermally conductive thermoplastic and/or the like. In some embodiments, the at least one thermally conductive material comprises aluminum, copper or steel. In some embodiments, the at least one thermally conductive material comprises thermally-conductive plastic.
According to some embodiments, the thermoelectric device is permitted to expand and retract within the recess in response to temperature variations. In one embodiment, the heat exchange assembly is manufactured by removed portions of the monolithic structure of the receptacle. In some embodiments, the removed portions are in the shape of fins or an internal channel.
According to some embodiments, the heat exchange assembly is a different member from the monolithic structure of the receptacle, wherein the heat exchange assembly is at least partially embedded within the receptacle. In some embodiments, the heat exchange assembly comprises a metal, and the receptacle comprises a thermally conductive plastic.
According to some embodiments, a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprises a receptacle configured to receive a beverage container, the receptacle comprising at least one sidewall and a bottom wall, wherein the sidewalls and the bottom wall form a monolithic structure, wherein the receptacle comprises at least one thermally conductive material and thermoelectric device secured to an exterior surface of the receptacle along the sidewall or the bottom wall.
According to some embodiments, the beverage holder further comprises a liquid-loop heat exchange system, the liquid-loop heat exchange system comprises a cold plate adjacent the thermoelectric device, wherein the thermoelectric device is positioned between the receptacle and the cold plate, wherein the thermoelectric device is thermally conductive with both the receptacle and the cold plate. In some embodiments, the cold plate includes an inlet and an outlet, and a liquid channel extending between the inlet and the outlet. In one embodiment, the liquid channel comprises a serpentine shape. In one embodiment, the liquid channel comprises a non-linear shape. In some embodiments, the liquid-loop heat exchange system additionally comprises an air-type heat exchanger, a pump and a fluid conduit.
These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present application are described with reference to drawings of certain embodiments, which are intended to illustrate, but not to limit, the concepts disclosed herein. The attached drawings are provided for the purpose of illustrating concepts of at least some of the embodiments disclosed herein and may not be to scale.
a schematically illustrates a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprising a liquid-loop heat exchange system according to one embodiment;
b schematically illustrates a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprising an air-based heat exchange system according to one embodiment;
c schematically illustrates a detailed view of a portion of a beverage holder according to one embodiment;
a and 6b schematically illustrate different embodiments of thermally-conditioned beverage holders;
a illustrates a perspective view of one embodiment of a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprising a liquid-loop heat exchange system;
b to 8d illustrate embodiments of various components of the liquid-loop heat exchange system used in the beverage holder of
a illustrates a perspective bottom view of one embodiment of a beverage holder;
b illustrates one embodiment of a cold plate of a liquid-loop heat exchange system secured to the bottom of the beverage holder of
c illustrates embodiments of a heat exchanger unit and a cold plate of a liquid-loop heat exchange system;
a and 10b illustrate top and perspective views, respectively, of a dogbone-shaped thermally-conditioned beverage holder;
a illustrates a side view of one embodiment of a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprising a single thermoelectric device;
b illustrates a side view of one embodiment of a thermally-conditioned beverage holder comprising two thermoelectric devices;
a and 12b illustrate different views of a thermally-conditioned bin comprising a liquid-loop heat exchange system according to one embodiment; and
a to 13c illustrate different views of a thermally-conditioned bin comprising a liquid-loop heat exchange system according to one embodiment.
Likewise, each of the beverage holders 10 schematically depicted in
The various features and concepts included in the beverage holder embodiments disclosed herein can be incorporated into thermally-conditioned bins (and vice versa). Additional details regarding thermally-conditioned beverage holders and bins are provided in U.S. application Ser. No. 11/669,117, filed Jan. 30, 2007 and issued as U.S. Pat. No. 8,104,295 on Jan. 31, 2012, the entirety of which is incorporated by reference herein and made a part of the present application. In addition, although the various beverage holder and configurations provide herein use conduction-based thermal conditioning, one or more of the disclosed concepts may be incorporated into convection-based holders and bins.
The beverage holder 10a schematically illustrated in
With continued reference to
The beverage holder 10b illustrated in
Accordingly, in some embodiments, a monolithic receptacle 20a, 20b is both the main side heat exchanger and the waste side exchanger. Traditional thermoelectric systems have thermal gaps or other thermal discontinuities to ensure that the targeted level of thermal conditioning occurring along the main side of a thermoelectric device is not offset or otherwise negatively impacted by opposite type of thermal conditioning occurring along the waste side. However, in the beverage holder embodiments disclosed in
a and 6b schematically illustrate embodiments of a thermally-conductive unitary receptacle 20c, 20d of a beverage holder 10c, 10d that incorporates, at least partially within the receptacle's structure, a separate heat transfer assembly 150c, 150d. For example, in
One embodiment of a thermally-conditioned beverage holder 210 comprising a liquid-loop heat exchange system is schematically illustrated in
With continued reference to
a to 8d illustrate an embodiment of a thermally-conditioned cup holder 210 comprising a liquid-loop heat exchange system similar to the one discussed above with reference to
With reference to
a illustrates a bottom surface of a thermally conductive beverage receptacle 220 configured to receive a thermoelectric device 100. The thermoelectric device 100 can be secured to an exterior surface of the beverage receptacle 200 (e.g., along the shaded area 102 in
As shown in
a and 10b illustrate one embodiment of a beverage holder 310 having two receptacles 320. In the depicted arrangement, the beverage holder 310 comprises a dogbone shape. As with other embodiments disclosed herein, the beverage receptacles 320 of the holder 310 can include a monolithic or unitary structure comprising one or more thermally conductive materials. In the depicted arrangement, a single thermoelectric device 100 is positioned along a portion of the sidewall (e.g., in the area located generally between the two receptacles 320). Accordingly, a single thermoelectric device 100 can be used to conductively cool or heat two beverage receptacles 320. A side view of a similarly configured beverage holder 310a with a single thermoelectric device 100 is illustrated in
A liquid-loop heat exchange system can be similarly incorporated into a thermally-conditioned bin or other enclosed container. One embodiment of such a bin 410 is illustrated in
As illustrated in
With continued reference to
To assist in the description of the disclosed embodiments, words such as upward, upper, bottom, downward, lower, rear, front, vertical, horizontal, upstream, downstream have been used above to describe different embodiments and/or the accompanying figures. It will be appreciated, however, that the different embodiments, whether illustrated or not, can be located and oriented in a variety of desired positions.
Although several embodiments and examples are disclosed herein, the present application extends beyond the specifically disclosed embodiments to other alternative embodiments and/or uses of the inventions and modifications and equivalents thereof. It is also contemplated that various combinations or subcombinations of the specific features and aspects of the embodiments may be made and still fall within the scope of the inventions. Accordingly, it should be understood that various features and aspects of the disclosed embodiments can be combine with or substituted for one another in order to form varying modes of the disclosed inventions. Thus, it is intended that the scope of the present inventions herein disclosed should not be limited by the particular disclosed embodiments described above, but should be determined only by a fair reading of the claims that follow.
While the inventions are susceptible to various modifications, and alternative forms, specific examples thereof have been shown in the drawings and are herein described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the inventions are not to be limited to the particular forms or methods disclosed, but, to the contrary, the inventions are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the various embodiments described and the appended claims. Any methods disclosed herein need not be performed in the order recited. The ranges disclosed herein also encompass any and all overlap, sub-ranges, and combinations thereof. Language such as “up to,” “at least,” “greater than,” “less than,” “between,” and the like includes the number recited. Numbers preceded by a term such as “about” or “approximately” include the recited numbers. For example, “about 10 mm” includes “10 mm.” Terms or phrases preceded by a term such as “substantially” include the recited term or phrase. For example, “substantially parallel” includes “parallel.”
This application claims the priority benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/798,022, filed Mar. 15, 2013, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61798022 | Mar 2013 | US |