BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to coolers and heaters for bottles, cups and other such devices. Particularly, the present invention relates to thermoelectric container coolers and heaters.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Thermoelectric-based cup coolers and heaters as well as bottle coolers and other such devices are currently available for various applications including car consoles, furniture consoles, after market accessories, desk/table top units as well as those powered by a computer via a USB connection. Devices that use convection to transfer heat to or from a container sacrifice the heat transfer efficiency of conduction due to the difficulty in achieving large surface area contact. Devices that use conduction have a rigid interface which limits the amount of surface contact the thermal interface of the cooling/heating mechanism has with the container to be heated or cooled.
Some currently available container cooler/heater devices based on thermoelectric technology utilize a rigid cooling/heating interface with the container to be cooled. The interface can be tailored to a specific container design such as the standard soda can bottom or that of a provided container. However, a container with an alternate design will not have the same amount of surface in contact with the rigid cooling/heating interface, which will lessen the effectiveness of the cooler/heater. Even devices that have rigid cooling/heating interface that are designed to accept multiple sizes sacrifice surface contact due to varying container shapes. Purely convective type devices allow for multiple container shapes and sizes but sacrifice heat transfer efficiency.
Therefore, what is needed is a container cooler/heater that has improved surface contact with multiple container designs and sizes. What is also needed is a container cooler/heater that has a cooling/heating surface interface that enables good heat transfer to a variety of common containers such as cans, mugs, and bottles.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a Thermoelectric-based container holder that has improved surface contact with multiple container designs and sizes. It is a further object of the present invention to provide a Thermoelectric-based container holder that has a cooling/heating surface interface that enables good heat transfer to a variety of common containers. It is another object of the present invention to provide a Thermoelectric-based container holder that has a variable surface interface for cooling or heating. It is yet another object of the present invention to provide a Thermoelectric-based container holder that has a variable surface interface that can conform to the surface of various types of containers.
The present invention achieves these and other objectives by providing a Thermoelectric-based container holder for receiving a container to be heated or cooled that has a receptacle, a variable surface interface and a thermoelectric assembly. The receptacle has a recess for receiving the container to be heated or cooled. The variable surface interface is disposed within the receptacle and is configured to flexibly contact and form itself to an outside surface of the container. The thermoelectric assembly is thermally connected to at least the variable surface interface.
In one embodiment of the present invention, the Thermoelectric-based container holder includes a heat interface block connected to the thermoelectric assembly and a heat transfer device such as, for example, a heat pipe that extends to the outside surface of the receptacle. This allows the thermoelectric assembly to be located a predefined distance from the receptacle but still allow efficient thermal transfer to occur.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the Thermoelectric-based container holder incorporates two or more receptacles to be cooled/heated using a single thermoelectric assembly. In such an embodiment, a heat interface block is configured with two or more heat transfer devices where at least one of each of the heat transfer devices is attached to one of the receptacles.
In still another embodiment of the present invention, the Thermoelectric-based container holder incorporates a thermoelectric assembly that is in direct thermal contact with either the receptacle, the variable surface interface or both.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the Thermoelectric-based container holder uses a variable surface interface that is sufficiently flexible to form to the outside surface of the container to be cooled/heated but rigid enough to be part of or the entire receptacle for receiving the container to be cooled/heated. In this embodiment, it is preferable, but non-mandatory, that the inner surface of the “receptacle” be metallized for better heat distribution and durability but remain sufficiently flexible and resilient to form to the outside surface of the container to be cooled/heated.
In any embodiment of the present invention, the opposite side of the thermoelectric assembly that is not in contact with either the heat interface block, the variable surface interface or the receptacle can be cooled by way of convection or forced convection from ambient air, or possibly from the HVAC system of a home, auto, or other environment. It is conceived that some applications could use conductive cooling or a combination of conductive and convective. It is further conceived that a liquid-cooled heat sinking assembly could be used.
The present invention can be a stand-alone unit or fit into existing console enclosures. It can also be made to fit into existing cup holders. The receptacle is preferably equipped with a mechanism that provides forced contact between the variable surface interface and the container to be cooled/heated. Examples of such a mechanism includes, but is not limited to, spring loaded tangs, a lever-fulcrum device, etc.
An important component of the present invention is the variable surface interface. It is important that the variable surface interface be capable of conforming to the outside surface of various containers whose size is within a specified or predefined design range. The variable surface interface may be a flexible envelope that contains a heat transfer material. The heat transfer material flows around the container being cooled/heated with the constraints of the envelope. This provides the large area of contact that enhances heat transfer. The heat flow path is between the variable surface interface and the thermoelectric assembly through an interface plate or block. It is also contemplated that the variable surface interface can be directly attached to the thermoelectric assembly or distanced from the variable surface interface through a heat transfer method such as, for example, one or more heat pipes. Other structures that are useful as a variable surface interface includes, but is not limited to, a pin grid structure, a resilient foam material, etc. It should be understood that the variable surface interface can also be used in the bottom of the receptacle where is would conform to the bottom of the container to be cooled/heated or both the bottom and sides of the container to be cooled/heated.
It should be noted that the present invention can be configured as a portable unit, a console unit, a single receptacle unit, or multiple receptacle unit. The present invention can also be configured with an electrical polarity switch to change the operating mode between either a cooling mode or a heating mode. It is further contemplated that power to thermoelectric assembly can be variable to control the amount of heating or cooling being transferred from the thermoelectric assembly to the container to be cooled/heated. Further, power to the thermoelectric assembly of the present invention can be provided by different methods. These methods include but are not limited to a USB port, a solar panel, vehicle battery, household service, and the like.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the present invention showing a container to be cooled/heated within the receptacle and biased against the variable surface interface and the thermoelectric assembly.
FIG. 2 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1.
FIG. 3 is a top plan view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a smaller-sized container to be cooled/heated within the receptacle and biased against the variable surface interface and the thermoelectric assembly thermally.
FIG. 4 is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 3.
FIG. 5 is a top plan view of an embodiment of the present invention showing a multiple receptacle unit accommodating two different sized containers to be cooled/heated.
FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing an alternative automatic biasing mechanism to provide forced contact between the container to be cooled/heated and the variable surface interface prior to the container activating the biasing mechanism.
FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the automatic biasing mechanism shown in FIG. 6A after the container has activated the biasing mechanism.
FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing an alternative automatic biasing mechanism to provide forced contact between the container to be cooled/heated and the variable surface interface prior to the container activating the biasing mechanism.
FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment of the automatic biasing mechanism shown in FIG. 7A after the container has activated the biasing mechanism.
FIG. 8 is a perspective view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a variable surface receptacle.
FIG. 9A is a partial cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a variable surface interface in the bottom of the receptacle prior to insertion of the container to be cooled/heated.
FIG. 9B is a partial cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9A after the container to be cooled/heated is inserted within the receptacle.
FIG. 10A is front view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a simplified structure of the thermoelectric-based container holder.
FIG. 10B is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 10A with container 1 positioned onto the thermoelectric-based container holder.
FIG. 11A is a front view of another embodiment of the present invention showing a variable surface interface with a ring-type structure.
FIG. 11B is a front view of the embodiment shown in FIG. 11 A with container 1 inserted into the ring structure of the variable surface interface.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT
The preferred embodiment(s) of the present invention is illustrated in FIGS. 1-9. FIG. 1 shows a top plan view of the Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 of the present invention, which is configured for receiving a container 1 to be cooled or heated. It should be understood that container 1 is not part of the present invention. Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 includes a receptacle 20, a variable surface interface 40 and a thermoelectric assembly 50. Receptacle 20 has a recess 22 for receiving the container 1 to be heated or cooled. Receptacle 20 has at least a portion 21, which is in thermal contact with variable surface interface 40, made of a thermally conductive material having good heat transfer characteristics. Portion 21 is preferably made of aluminum or copper. Variable surface interface 40 is disposed within receptacle 20 and is configured to flexibly contact and form itself to an outside surface of container 1. Receptacle 20 may optionally include a slot 27 in a portion of the receptacle 20 that accommodates a handle on a container.
In this embodiment, thermoelectric assembly 50 is thermally connected to an outside surface 24 of receptacle 20, which is in intimate thermal contact with variable surface interface 40; the outside surface 24 being either the bottom or the side, or both, depending on the preferred configuration. Thermoelectric assembly 50 includes a thermoelectric module 52 where one side is thermally connected to a heat source, which is receptacle 20 in this embodiment, and the other side is thermally connected to a heat sink 54. An air moving mechanism 56 is typically mounted to move convection air over heat sink 54 to remove waste heat from Thermoelectric-based container holder 10. Arrows 3a, 3b and 3c indicate the flow of air but it should be understood that any configuration of the air moving mechanism 56 that moves air across heat sink 54 can be used. Air moving mechanism 56 is preferably a low voltage fan with a high air moving efficiency. It is further contemplated that additional thermal efficiency could be obtained by incorporating a mechanism to move the air within the space between container 1 and receptacle 20 not occupied by variable surface interface 40.
It is noted that in this embodiment, thermoelectric module 52 is directly connected to receptacle 20. There is also illustrated one embodiment of a biasing mechanism 28 that provides the forced contact of container 1 to variable surface interface 40. More specifically, biasing mechanism 28 may be spring-loaded tangs that automatically force container 1 against variable surface interface 40.
Variable surface interface 40 is a material that has the ability to adapt to the shape of the outside surface of container 1 and further exhibits good heat transfer properties. One example of such a material is a variable surface interface 40 having an outer envelope or casing of a flexible, resilient and/or elastic material that is filled with a thermally conductive gel or other thermally conductive fluid or other matter. The thermally conductive material flows around container 1 within the constraints of the envelope as biasing mechanism 28 provides forced contact of container 1 against variable surface interface 40. This action provides a large area of contact of variable surface interface 40 with container 1, which enhances conductive heat transfer.
FIG. 2 shows a front view of the embodiment in FIG. 1. Thermoelectric assembly 50 has an air moving mechanism 56 that is typically a low power, high efficiency fan. A power line 58 connects to thermoelectric assembly 50 to power both air moving mechanism 56 and thermoelectric module 52. Power line 58 may be connected to any power source that provides the required power to operate Thermoelectric-based container holder 10. Examples of acceptable power connections include a USB port, a solar panel, one or more batteries, household service, and vehicle power source, etc. Power may be DC or AC with the appropriate power control circuit. Air moving mechanism 56 is not necessary but relying on unassisted convection to move air over the heat sink will provide less efficient thermal cooling/heating than using forced convection. Instead of forced convection with ambient air, air moving mechanism 56 may also be connected to an HVAC system of a home, auto or other environment, or other fluid or conductive means available. As can be seen from FIG. 2, variable surface interface 40 covers a large portion of the outside surface of container 1 that is to be cooled/heated. Receptacle 20 may also be configured with a receptacle bottom extension 30 that would fit into existing cup holders. This embodiment would convert an existing cup holder to a thermoelectrically cooled or heated cup holder by simply connecting the Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 to a power source.
Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown a top plan view of another embodiment of the Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 of the present invention. Like the embodiment in FIG. 1, Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 includes a receptacle 20, a variable surface interface 40 and a thermoelectric assembly 50. Receptacle 20 has a recess 22 for receiving a container 1′ to be heated or cooled. Variable surface interface 40 is disposed within receptacle 20 and is configured to flexibly contact and form itself to an outside surface of container 1′. As can be seen in FIG. 3 when compared to FIG. 1, container 1′ has a smaller diameter than container 1, yet, variable surface interface 40 conforms to the outside surface of container 1′. It is the biasing mechanism 28 that automatically forces container 1′ against variable surface interface 40 and further accommodates various sizes of the container to be cooled/heated.
In this embodiment, thermoelectric assembly 50 is thermally connected to the outside surface 24, which is in intimate thermal contact with variable surface interface 40. Unlike FIG. 1, thermoelectric assembly 50 is directly thermally connected to a heat or thermal interface block 60, which is optionally connected to a heat transfer component 62, which, in turn, may also be optionally connected to a heat interface plate 64 that has good lateral thermal properties and is thermally connected to either receptacle 20, variable interface surface 40 or both. It should be noted that the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 3 is not restrictive but could have thermal interface block 60 directly connected to receptacle 20 or connected to heat interface plate 64, etc.
Thermoelectric assembly 50 includes a thermoelectric module 52 where one side is thermally connected to a heat source, which is thermal interface block 60 in this embodiment, and the other side is thermally connected to a heat sink 54. An air moving mechanism 56 is typically mounted to move convection air over heat sink 54 to remove waste heat from Thermoelectric-based container holder 10. As in FIG. 1, arrows 3a, 3b and 3c indicate the flow of air.
FIG. 4 shows a front view of the embodiment in FIG. 3. Thermoelectric assembly 50 has an air moving mechanism 56 that is typically a low power, high efficiency fan. A power line 58 connects to thermoelectric assembly 50 to power both air moving mechanism 56 and thermoelectric module 52. Power line 58 may be connected to any power source that provides the required power to operate Thermoelectric-based container holder 10. Examples of acceptable power connections have been previously disclosed. As previously discussed, air moving mechanism 56 is not necessary but relying on unassisted convection to move air over the heat sink will provide less efficient thermal cooling/heating than using forced convection. As can be seen from FIG. 4, variable surface interface 40 covers a large portion of the outside surface of container 1 that is to be cooled/heated. Receptacle 20 may also be configured with a receptacle bottom extension 30 that would fit into existing cup holders.
FIG. 5 shows a multiple receptacle thermoelectric cooler 100 of the present invention. In this embodiment, Thermoelectric-based container holder 100 includes a housing 110 containing two receptacles 20 where each receptacle has a variable surface interface 40 and a biasing mechanism 28, and a single thermoelectric assembly 50. Thermoelectric assembly 50 has a thermoelectric module 52 where one side is thermally connected to a heat sink 54 and the other side is thermally connected to a thermal interface block 60. A heat transfer component 62 thermally connects thermal interface block 60 to heat transfer plate 64, which is in thermal contact with either receptacle 20 which is in direct thermal contact with variable surface interface 40, or directly with variable surface interface 40 itself. As illustrated, heat transfer plate 64 is thermally connected between receptacle 20 and heat transfer component 62. Heat transfer plate 64 may be, for example, a metalized coating, a formable metal plate and the like. Heat transfer component 62 is preferably a heat pipe for its ability to be conformed to the outer surface of the holder to transfer heat over a wide area but may be any material with good heat transfer properties.
As illustrated, two containers 1 and 1′ having different diameters can be used with Thermoelectric-based container holder 100. It is anticipated that each receptacle 20 may have its own thermoelectric assembly 50 for cooling/heating a container 1 that is placed within recess 22, or that any multiple of receptacles and thermoelectric assemblies are within the scope of the present invention. It is further anticipated that a thermal switch could be incorporated to disconnect one or more of the receptacles 20.
Turning now to FIGS. 6A and 6B, there is illustrated another embodiment of the biasing mechanism 28. FIG. 6A shows receptacle 20 with variable surface interface 40 disposed within recess 22 and a pivotable biasing mechanism 28. Pivotable biasing mechanism 28 has a lever component 29 with a first lever end 29a and a second lever end 29b. First lever end 29a extends from a pivot point 29c toward a bottom portion 22a of recess 22 and positioned to receive contact from a bottom portion of container 1. Second lever end 29b extends from pivot point 29c toward a top portion 22b of recess 22 and positioned to contact and force container 1 into intimate thermal contact with variable surface interface 40. FIG. 6B illustrates the position of lever component 29 and container 1 after container 1 has been inserted into recess 22 of receptacle 20. As can be seen, container 1 contacts first lever end 29a causing lever component 29 to pivot about pivot point 29a which causes second lever end 29b to force container 1 against variable surface interface 40, which then “flows” around a portion of the outside surface of container 1 as shown in FIG. 1. It should be understood that a two-piece, spring-loaded lever could be used to eliminate artificial container size limitations by using a lever described above.
Turning now to FIGS. 7A and 7B, there is illustrated another embodiment of the biasing mechanism 28. FIG. 7A shows receptacle 20 with variable surface interface 40 disposed within recess 22 and a fulcrum biasing mechanism 28. Fulcrum biasing mechanism 28 has a fulcrum activating component 29 that is mechanically connected to a plurality of fulcrum arm extensions 29a that connect to receptacle 20. Receptacle 20 in this embodiment is a receptacle having at least one movable portion 20a even though the embodiment illustrated has two movable portions. Fulcrum activating component 29 is preferably spring loaded and configured for the weight of container 1. FIG. 7B illustrates the position of fulcrum activating component 29 and container 1 after container 1 has been inserted into recess 22 of receptacle 20. As can be seen from FIG. 7B, container 1 engages fulcrum activating component 29 causing the plurality of fulcrum arm extensions 29a to force receptacle portions 20a and variable surface interface 40 against the outside surface of container 1 and making intimate thermal contact between variable thermal interface 40 and container 1. Arrows 29b indicate the relative action of plurality of fulcrum arm extensions 29a that are connected to receptacle portions 20a.
Turning now to FIG. 8, there is illustrated another embodiment of the Thermoelectric-based container holder of the present invention. In this embodiment, Thermoelectric-based container holder 210 includes a variable surface receptacle 220, which is a combination component that combines the features of the variable surface interface and the receptacle, and a thermoelectric assembly 250. Variable surface receptacle 220 may be a semi-flexible, resilient and/or elastic casing containing a thermally conductive fluid or gel or it may be a foam material with or without an outer layer of more rigid foam or other material to provide the support structure for the Thermoelectric-based container holder 210. Further, the casing may be made of a combination of materials where the outside material provides relative structure to the holder while material within the receptacle is more flexible/resilient to allow the variable surface receptacle to conform to the outside surface of the container to be cooled/heated.
Variable surface receptacle 220 is configured with a recess 230 for receiving a container 1 to be cooled/heated. Optionally, the surface 223 of recess 230 may be metallized to enhance lateral thermal spreading. A thermoelectric assembly 250 as previously described is thermally connected to variable surface receptacle 220 and a cup holder adapter may optionally be connected to the bottom of variable surface receptacle 220. Variable surface receptacle 220 may also be formed of a foam material having the required thermally conductive characteristics along with the structural resiliency and rigidity to perform the functions required (e.g., an expandable/stretchable receptacle capable of receiving various sizes of a container to be cooled/heated within a predefined size range).
FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate the present invention showing another embodiment Thermoelectric-based container holder 310. Thermoelectric-based container holder 310 includes a receptacle 320, a variable surface interface 340, and a thermoelectric assembly 350. The difference with this embodiment is that variable surface interface 340 is positioned on the bottom of receptacle 320. Variable surface interface 340 may optionally include a wall portion that accommodates the flow of the variable surface interface up and around the side walls of container 1. FIG. 9B illustrates the change in variable surface interface 340 and how it flows around the side walls of container 1 when container 1 is fully inserted into receptacle 320. In this type of embodiment, it is beneficial to have the thermoelectric module 352 thermally connected to the bottom of receptacle 320. It should be understood that variable surface interface 340 may form the bottom of the receptacle 320 and be directly connected to thermoelectric module 352.
FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate the thermoelectric-based container cooler in its most simplest configuration. Thermoelectric-based container holder 410 includes a variable surface interface 440 and a thermoelectric assembly 450. As can be seen, this is primarily a bottom container heater. FIG. 10B illustrates the forming capability of the variable surface interface 440 to conform to the bottom of container 1 even when container 1 has a concave portion.
FIGS. 11A and 11B illustrate a configuration of thermoelectric-based container holder 510. Thermoelectric-based container holder 510 includes a variable surface interface 540 in the form of a ring where a portion of the outside surface of variable surface interface is thermally connected to a side portion 521 of a support structure 520. Even though support structure 520 is shown as a cylindrical can, it should be understood that support structure 520 may be a plate with a curved portion to accommodate the “ring” structure of the variable surface interface 540, or a curved wall, or a cylinder with out a bottom, etc. A thermoelectric assembly 550 is thermally connected to support structure 520 where the thermoelectric module 552 is directly or indirectly thermally connected to support structure 520. It should be understood that thermoelectric module 552 may also be directly thermally connected to variable surface interface 540. FIG. 11 B shows the container inserted into the variable support interface 540 and is supported by it since the inside diameter of the ring structure is smaller than the outside diameter of container 1.
The Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 of the present invention has a thermally conductive interface that can conform to the surface of various containers and can be configured as a stand-alone unit or as a device that fits into existing console enclosures. It is versatile in that it can be adapted for use is various applications including, but not limited to, car consoles, furniture consoles, after-market accessories, desk/table top units, etc. The Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 can also be configured as a portable unit, a console unit, a single receptacle unit, or a multiple receptacle unit. It is further contemplated that the variable surface interface 40 may optionally form a portion of the inner surface to the receptacle 20 with the other side of variable surface interface 40 being in direct or indirect thermal contact with the thermoelectric assembly 50. It is further contemplated that the Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 may optionally be configured to operate in either a cooling mode or a heating mode by using a switch to change the electrical polarity supplied to the thermoelectric module 52. It is also further contemplated that the Thermoelectric-based container holder 10 may optionally include a temperature control unit or a variable temperature control unit to control the amount of thermal heating or cooling being transferred.
Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described herein, the above description is merely illustrative. Further modification of the invention herein disclosed will occur to those skilled in the respective arts and all such modifications are deemed to be within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.
Patent Application
20090038317
