HEATING AND COOLING CUP HOLDER

Abstract

A cooling and heating cup holder featuring: an inner body (100) having an open upper portion for receiving a beverage container, the inner body (100) being cylindrical to surround the beverage container, and the inner body (100) having a blower opening (101) formed on a side surface thereof into which air is introduced, a heat exchanger (300) having a front surface covering the blower opening (101) on an outer side of the inner body (100) and an inlet opening (301) formed on a first side surface thereof, and discharging the air introduced through the inlet opening (301) into the inner body (100) through the blower opening (101), Heat exchange pins (303) provided in the heat exchanger (300), each heat exchange pin (303) being formed in a direction parallel to a direction of the air introduced through the inlet opening (301), and the heat exchange pins (303) having different thicknesses, a thermoelectric element (400) having a first surface adhered to a rear surface of the heat exchanger (300), a heater (500) connected to a second side of the thermoelectric element (400), an outer body (200) surrounding a lower surface and a side surface of an outer side of the inner body (100) to form a circulation space (201) for circulating air between the inner body (100) and the outer body (200), and a fan (600) provided in the circulation space (201) for transferring air in the circulation space (201) to the inlet port (301) of the heat exchanger (300).

Description

Background of the inventionField of the invention

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating and cooling cup holder for a vehicle designed to make cold drinks and hot drinks in the vehicle, more particularly, it relates to a heating and cooling cup holder that improves user convenience due to quick response characteristics and improvement in efficiency, and that increases material value according to improved comfort. Description of related technology

[0002] Generally, a cup holder is provided in a vehicle for holding a beverage container. Conventional cup holders only function to hold a beverage container, but a cup holder capable of heating and / or cooling the beverage container is installed in the vehicle according to a vehicle model.

[0003] However, a conventional cup holder generally cools or warms the beverage through thermal conduction via contact. Cooling and heating performance that uses only thermal conduction is insufficient to meet consumer demand.

[0004] When the conventional cup holder uses a thermoelectric element, a body of the cup holder is cooled and / or heated by conduction (e.g., thermal conduction, heat conduction), and the beverage container is also cooled and / or heated by conduction. However, when a contact area between the beverage container and the cup holder body is small, cooling and / or heating due to conduction is not properly performed. Namely, a size of a beverage container does not always correspond to a size of the cup holder, a shape of a bottom surface of the beverage container varies, and, when the beverage container is formed of a material having low thermal conduction (e.g., low thermal conductivity), such as a paper cup, thermal transfer by conduction is hardly generated, so a temperature of the beverage container is the same as the ambient temperature.

[0005] State-of-the-art cooling and heating cup holders are known from DE 10 2014 221 119 A1, DE 10 2014 115 058 A1, DE 10 2013 103 982 A1, DE 10 2013 206 786 A1 and DE 10 2013 110 393 A1. Brief summary of the invention

[0006] Various aspects of the present invention are directed to providing a cooling and heating cup holder that improves user convenience due to quick response characteristics (e.g., the quick response / action characteristic) and due to improvement in efficiency and increases tangible value corresponding to improved convenience.

[0007] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a design for improving a heat exchange efficiency of a heat exchanger to improve quick response characteristics and efficiency enhancement, and to reduce manufacturing costs.

[0008] In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the above and other objects can be achieved by providing a cooling and heating cup holder comprising: an inner body having an open top portion for receiving a beverage container, the inner body having a cylindrical (e.g., circular cylindrical) shape (including an inverted frusto-conical shape) to surround the beverage container, and the inner body having a blower opening formed on a side surface thereof into which air is introduced, a heat exchanger having a front surface covering the blower opening 101 on an outer side of the inner body, and an inlet opening formed on a first side surface thereof such that air introduced through the inlet opening (e.g.,into the heat exchanger), is discharged through the blower opening into the inner body, heat exchange pins provided in the heat exchanger, each heat exchange pin being formed in a direction parallel to a direction of (the) air introduced through the inlet opening (e.g. into the heat exchanger), and wherein the heat exchange pins have different thicknesses, a thermoelectric element having a first surface that is wholly (e.g. wholly) adhered (e.g. attached in abutment) to a rear surface of the heat exchanger, a heater (e.g.a heater (heat radiator) connected to a second side of the thermoelectric element, an outer body surrounding a lower surface and a side surface of an outer side of the inner body to form a circulation space for circulating air between the inner body and the outer body, and a fan provided in the circulation space to transfer air in the circulation space to the inlet port of the heat exchanger.

[0009] As each heat exchange pin extends from a central portion to both ends thereof, the thickness thereof may become thin (e.g., the thickness of each heat exchange pin may decrease from a central portion toward both ends) to form an inclined surface.

[0010] The heat exchange pin that overlaps the fan opening may have a thickness that is smaller than that of the heat exchange pin that does not overlap the fan (e.g., the fan opening). For example, the portion of a (e.g., each) heat exchange pin that overlaps the fan opening may have a greater thickness than the portion of the (respective) heat exchange pin that does not overlap the fan opening.

[0011] The heat exchange pin that overlaps with the fan opening may have a thickness that is smaller / less than that of the heat exchange pin that does not overlap with the fan (e.g., the fan opening).

[0012] The blower opening may have a slit shape (e.g., a shape of an elongated opening) formed in a vertical direction of the inner body, and an upper portion of the blower opening may extend toward the upper end of the inner body to have an open shape.

[0013] The second side of the heat exchanger may be configured to be closed (e.g., the second side of the heat exchanger may be closed or the second side of the heat exchanger may be configured so that the heat exchanger is closed there).

[0014] The cooling and heating cup holder may further comprise a discharge opening arranged at a lower end of a second portion of the heat exchanger, the discharge opening discharging condensate condensing on the heat exchange pins.

[0015] The fan opening may be formed in a center (e.g., in a central region) between a first side and a second side of the heat exchanger.

[0016] The outer body may surround the side surface of the inner body, wherein the outer body may be cut / interrupted at a portion to which the heat exchanger is attached to be opened, and the cut / interrupted portion thereof may be connected to the radiator.

[0017] The outer body may have an upper end positioned higher than the upper end of the inner body. The cooling and heating cup holder may further include an extended cover extending from the upper end of the outer body to the upper end of the inner body to surround the circulation space, the extended cover extending toward an inner side of the inner body.

[0018] Air supplied to the heat exchanger by the fan may be supplied into the inner body through the fan opening after exchanging heat with the heat exchange pins, the air supplied into the inner body may circulate around the beverage container accommodated in the inner body, and then the air may be introduced into the circulation space through a space between the upper end of the inner body and the extended cover.

[0019] The methods and apparatus of the present invention have other features and advantages which will be apparent from or set forth in greater detail in the accompanying figures incorporated herein, and which, together with the following detailed description, serve to explain certain principles of the present invention. Short description of the characters Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling and heating cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the cooling and heating cup holder according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA of Fig. 2, which represents the cooling and heating cup holder. Fig. 4 is a view illustrating the air circulation path of a heat exchanger according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of Fig. 2, which represents the cooling and heating cup holder.

[0020] It should be understood that the attached figures are not necessarily to scale and present a somewhat simplified representation of various features illustrating the essential principles of the invention. The specific design features of the present invention disclosed herein, including, for example, specific dimensions, orientations, positioning, and shapes, will be determined in part by the intended use and application environment.

[0021] In the figures, reference numerals designate the same or similar parts of the present invention throughout the several figures of the drawing. Detailed description of the invention

[0022] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present invention(s), examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying figures and described below. While the invention(s) will be described in connection with exemplary embodiments, it will be understood that the present description is not intended to limit the invention(s) to these exemplary embodiments. On the contrary, the invention(s) is / are intended to cover not only the exemplary embodiments, but also various alternatives, modifications, variations, and other embodiments which are included within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

[0023] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a cooling and heating cup holder according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view illustrating the cooling and heating cup holder according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA of Fig. 2, which represents the cooling and heating cup holder. Fig. 4 is a view illustrating an air circulation path of a heat exchanger according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken along line BB of Fig. 2, which represents the cooling and heating cup holder.

[0024] According to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling and heating cup holder includes: an inner body 100, a heat exchanger 300, heat exchange pins 303, a thermoelectric element 400, a heater 500, an outer body 200, and a blower 600. The inner body 100 has an open top portion for receiving a beverage container, has a cylindrical shape to surround the received beverage container, and has a blower opening 101 formed on a side surface thereof and into which air is introduced. The heat exchanger 300 has a front surface covering the blower opening 101 on an outer side of the inner body, and has an inlet opening 301 formed on a first side surface thereof, so that air introduced through the inlet opening 301 (into the heat exchanger) is discharged through the blower opening 101 (through) into the inner body 100.The heat exchange pins 303 are provided in the heat exchanger 300, are formed in a direction parallel to a direction of air introduced through the inlet port 301, and have different thicknesses. The thermoelectric element 400 has a first surface that adheres entirely to a rear surface of the heat exchanger 300. The heater core 500 is connected to a second surface of the thermoelectric element 400. The outer body 200 surrounds a bottom surface and a side surface of an outer side of the inner body 100 and forms a circulation space 201 for circulating air between the inner body 100 and the outer body 200. The fan 600 is provided in the circulation space 201 to transfer air in the circulation space 201 to the inlet port 301 of the heat exchanger 300.

[0025] Fig. 1 is a perspective view illustrating a pair of cooling and heating cup holders mounted on the vehicle. Fig. Figure 2 is a plan view showing a single cooling and heating cup holder for ease of description.

[0026] The inner body 100 may be formed of a material having high thermal conductivity, including metal, so that conduction (e.g., thermal conduction, heat conduction) and convection (e.g., heat flow) occur. The inner body 100 has the open top surface to accommodate a beverage container. The blower opening 101 is configured to introduce air through the inlet opening of the side surface of the inner body 100. The blower opening 101 is disposed adjacent to a top end side of the inner body 100.

[0027] Air introduced through the blower port 101 passes through the heat exchanger 300 to condition the air, and then the treated air is discharged into the inner body 100. A detailed air conditioning process is described below.

[0028] The heat exchange pins 303 are arranged in the heat exchanger 300. Each heat exchange pin 303 has a plate shape that protrudes from the rear surface of the heat exchanger 300 to connect to the inner body 100, thereby cooling and / or heating the inner body 100. Air introduced through the inlet port of the heat exchanger 300 is cooled and / or heated by the heat exchanger 300 and then exhausted into the inner body 100 through the fan port 101.

[0029] The treated air discharged into the inner body 100 collides with a wall surface of the accommodated beverage container. The air is circulated between the inner body 100 and the wall surface of the beverage container to cool and / or heat the beverage container (e.g., also to keep it cool and / or warm) and is then reintroduced into the circulation space 201.

[0030] A configuration in which air circulating between the inner body 100 and the wall surface of the beverage container is introduced into the circulation space 201 will be described below.

[0031] According to the Fig. 1 and Fig. 2, the outer body 200 surrounds the side surface of the inner body 100 and is cut / interrupted at a portion where the heat exchanger 300 is attached to be open (here). The cut / interrupted portion is connected to the radiator 500. Here, the outer body 200 surrounds the inner body 100, the fan 600, and the heat exchanger 300 except for the upper end thereof to form the circulation space 201 configured for air circulation.

[0032] The upper end of the outer body 200 is higher than an upper end of the inner body 100. An extended cover 700 extends from the upper end of the outer body 200 to the upper end of the inner body 100 to surround the circulation space 201 and extends toward the inner body 100 by a predetermined distance.

[0033] After air supplied to the heat exchanger 300 by the blower 600 exchanges heat with the heat exchange pins 303, the air is supplied into the inner body 100 by the blower 600. The air supplied into the inner body 100 is circulated around the beverage container accommodated in the inner body 100 and then introduced into the circulation space 201 through a space between the upper end of the inner body 100 and the extended cover 700.

[0034] The cooled and / or heated air is recirculated rather than exhausted. This improves the rapid cooling and / or heating of the cup holder and the efficiency of the cooling and heating cup holder.

[0035] The blower opening 101 is / has a slit shape formed in a vertical direction of the inner body 100. An upper portion of the blower opening 101 extends to the upper end of the inner body 100 to be opened.

[0036] Discharging the conditioned air through the blower opening 101 is effective when air is discharged at the uppermost position of the accommodated beverage container. That is, in the case of cooling a beverage, conditioned air that is / is being cooled is discharged at a high position (i.e., a position higher than a predetermined position) to cool the beverage, so that the beverage is mixed by vertical convection of the beverage in the beverage container to be uniformly cooled.

[0037] Furthermore, the blower opening 101 is / has a slit shape. The reason why the upper portion of the blower opening 101 extends to the upper end of the inner body 100 to be open (there) is to integrally form (e.g., integrally cast) the (heat) exchanger 300 and the inner body 100.

[0038] Alternatively, the heat exchanger 300 and the inner body 100 are manufactured (individually), and then a subsequent process of welding the inner body 100 to the heat exchanger 300 may be performed. However, in this case, it is very difficult to manufacture the heat exchanger 300. This is because a plurality of heat exchange pins 303 are formed in the heat exchanger 300, and the heat exchange pins 303 are manufactured to have different shapes.

[0039] In detail, the heat exchange pins 303 are connected to the side surface of the inner body 100. As a diameter of the inner body 100 increases from a lower portion to the upper portion, a degree of protrusion of the heat exchange pin 303 located at the upper portion of the inner body 100 is smaller than a degree of protrusion of the heat exchange pin 303 located at the lower portion of the inner body 100. In the case where the inner body 100 has a cylindrical shape, each heat exchange pin 303 can be manufactured to have a curved central portion corresponding to a curvature of the inner body 100.

[0040] Furthermore, in the process of welding the heat exchanger 300 to the inner body 100, material properties at a welded portion are changed, and thermal conductivity efficiency is reduced. In addition, precise machining of the heat exchanger 300 and the subsequent welding process cause the manufacturing cost to increase.

[0041] Furthermore, in the case where the heat exchanger 300 and the inner body 100 are integrally formed by a process method including die casting / injection molding, manufacturing costs are reduced, manufacturing speed is increased due to the absence of the post-process, and thermal conductivity between the heat exchanger 300 and the inner body 100 is excellent. Accordingly, thermal conductivity efficiency is increased.

[0042] In the blower port 101 formed on the inner body 100, the blower port 101 penetrates the side surface of the inner body 100, so a path through which a part of a mold (e.g., a casting mold) for forming the blower port 101 is separated is necessary. At this time, the blower port 101 is formed to have the open top portion, so that the open top portion is provided as a removal path of the mold (e.g., the casting mold) for forming the blower port 101.

[0043] A thickness of the heat exchange pin 303 that overlaps with the fan opening 101 may be smaller than a thickness of the heat exchange pin 303 that does not overlap with the fan opening 101.

[0044] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the cooling and heating cup holder, as described above, performs cooling and heating functions by conduction and convection of air. Cooling and heating by conduction (e.g., heat conduction) are respectively performed by transferring cooling air and heating air generated by the thermoelectric element 400 to the inner body 100 through a portion that communicates (e.g., contacts) with the heat exchanger 300 and the inner body 100. Accordingly, when a contact area of ​​the inner body 100 and the heat exchanger 300 is large and when the heat exchanger 300 is formed of a metal (e.g., a metal mass) having high thermal conductivity, cooling air and / or heating air generated by the thermoelectric element 400 are easily (e.g.,directly / efficiently) to the inner body 100. Furthermore, the heat exchanger 300 is configured to cool and / or heat air by conduction (e.g., heat conduction) and (thus) condition air to be supplied into the inner body 100, so that an area of ​​the heat exchanger 300 is adjusted by a size of a flow path through which conditioned air passes to be supplied to the blower opening 101.

[0045] Therefore, the area of ​​each heat exchange pin 303 is adjusted by adjusting its thickness according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, if the heat exchange pins 303 are adjusted to have equal thicknesses, the fan opening 101 may be blocked by the heat exchange pins 303. Accordingly, the heat exchange pin 303 that overlaps with the fan opening 101 is thinner than the heat exchange pin 303 that does not overlap with the fan opening 101 to ensure space for the fan opening 101 and maximum contact area for thermal conduction.

[0046] As each heat exchange pin 303 extends from a central portion toward both ends, the thickness thereof (e.g., toward both ends) becomes thin, so that an inclined surface (e.g., a surface inclined from a central portion toward one end) is formed thereon.

[0047] When the cooling and heating cup holder operates in a cooling mode, a temperature of each heat exchange pin 303 (generated) by the thermoelectric element 400 is very low. Moisture in the air can be condensed on the surface of the heat exchange pins 303. As shown in Fig. 3 and Fig. As shown in Figure 4, the central portion of each heat exchange pin 303 is thick, and the heat exchange pin 303 becomes thin toward both edges (e.g., both ends, e.g., the right and left ends in the figures) thereof to form the inclined surface. Accordingly, the condensed moisture can flow naturally. The condensed moisture is discharged to an outside through a discharge port 305 located at a lower end of the other surface of the heat exchanger 300.

[0048] Both ends of each heat exchange pin 303 may be configured to be spaced apart from one side and / or the other side of the heat exchanger 300. The other side of the heat exchanger 300 may be configured to be closed.

[0049] Referring to Fig. 4, one side of the heat exchanger 300 is open to introduce air through the fan 600, and the other side thereof (e.g., of the heat exchanger 300) is closed to exhaust the introduced air entirely / mostly through the fan opening 101. At this time, since both ends of the heat exchange pin 303 are formed to be spaced apart from one side and the other side of the heat exchanger 300, air can circulate around the heat exchange pins 303.

[0050] Specifically, in the case where the flow path between the heat exchange pins 303 is a lower flow path that is not directly in contact with the blower port 101, and when the heat exchange pin 303 is in contact with the other side of the heat exchanger 300, the flow path is blocked. Accordingly, it is impossible to process air through the heat exchange pin 303 located at the lower portion. Accordingly, if both ends of each heat exchange pin 303 are spaced apart from the other side of the heat exchanger 300, the air flow path is secured, and therefore the lower heat exchange pin 303 can be used for air processing.

[0051] The blower opening 101 may be formed in a center of / between one side and the other side of the heat exchanger 300.

[0052] When the blower opening 101 is located at a center of the heat exchanger 300, a pair of inner bodies 100 can be used without distinguishing between left and / or right cooling and heating cup holders. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that manufacturing costs can be reduced.

[0053] As is apparent from the above description, according to a cooling and heating cup holder, thermal resistance at a connecting portion between components is reduced to increase thermal conduction efficiency, thereby improving the efficiency of the entire cooling and heating cup holder. Furthermore, in the case of a pair of cup holders, the cup holders can be used without distinguishing between left and / or right components to reduce manufacturing costs.

[0054] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying figures, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention can be implemented in various other embodiments without changing the technical ideas or features thereof.

Claims

[1] A cooling and heating cup holder comprising: an inner body (100) having an open upper portion for receiving a beverage container, the inner body (100) being cylindrical to surround the beverage container, and the inner body (100) having a blower opening (101) formed on a side surface thereof into which air is introduced, a heat exchanger (300) having a front surface covering the blower opening (101) on an outer side of the inner body (100) and an inlet opening (301) formed on a first side surface thereof, and discharging the air introduced through the inlet opening (301) into the inner body (100) through the blower opening (101), Heat exchange pins (303) provided in the heat exchanger (300), each heat exchange pin (303) being formed in a direction parallel to a direction of the air introduced through the inlet opening (301), and the heat exchange pins (303) having different thicknesses, a thermoelectric element (400) having a first surface adhered to a rear surface of the heat exchanger (300), a heater (500) connected to a second side of the thermoelectric element (400), an outer body (200) surrounding a lower surface and a side surface of an outer side of the inner body (100) to form a circulation space (201) for circulating air between the inner body (100) and the outer body (200), and a fan (600) provided in the circulation space (201) for transferring air in the circulation space (201) to the inlet port (301) of the heat exchanger (300). [2] The cooling and heating cup holder according to claim 1, wherein as each heat exchange pin (303) extends from a central portion to both ends thereof, a thickness thereof decreases to form an inclined surface. [3] The cooling and heating cup holder according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the heat exchange pin (303) overlapping with the blower opening (101) has a thickness smaller than that of the heat exchange pin (303) not overlapping with the blower opening. [4] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein both ends of each heat exchange pin (303) are formed to be spaced apart from a first side and a second side of the heat exchanger (300). [5] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the blower opening (101) has a slit shape formed in a vertical direction of the inner body (100), and an upper portion of the blower opening (101) extends to the upper end of the inner body (100) to have an open shape. [6] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein a second side of the heat exchanger (300) is formed to be closed. [7] The cooling and heating cup holder according to one of claims 1 to 6, further comprising a discharge opening (305) arranged at a lower end of a second portion of the heat exchanger (300), the discharge opening (305) discharging a condensate condensed on the heat exchange pins (303). [8] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the blower opening (101) is formed in a middle between a first side and a second side of the heat exchanger (300). [9] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the outer body (200) surrounds the side surface of the inner body (100), the outer body (200) is cut to be open at a portion to which the heat exchanger (300) is attached, and the cut portion thereof is connected to the heating body (500). [10] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the outer body (200) has an upper end located higher than the upper end of the inner body (100), further comprising an extended cover (700) extending from the upper end of the outer body (200) to the upper end of the inner body (100) to surround the circulation space (201), the extended cover (700) extending toward an inside of the inner body (100). [11] The cooling and heating cup holder according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein air supplied to the heat exchanger (300) by the blower (600) is supplied into the inner body (100) through the blower opening (101) after exchanging heat with the heat exchange pins (303), the air supplied into the inner body (100) circulates around the beverage container accommodated in the inner body (100), and then the air is introduced into the circulation space (201) through a space between the upper end of the inner body (100) and the extended cover (700).

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