Medical storage and transportation device

Abstract

A medical storage and transportation device is provided, which includes storage units 200, refrigeration units 300, and first and second refrigerant storage units that store a first 301 and second 302

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE APPLICATION 1. Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to medical apparatuses, and more particularly to a medical storage and transportation device. 2. Description of Related Art

[0002] Medicines or organismic tissues usually demand specific storage conditions for best preservation of their efficacy or activity. For example, active biomaterials enable repair, substitution and regeneration of tissues and form connection with tissues in biological organisms in virtue of their high biocompatibility and growth-promoting features, and therefore have been extensively used in the biomedical industry. Most active biomaterials need to be stored in dark and cold conditions under strict temperature control or they can become ineffective or even become toxic to organismic tissues. Therefore, for medicines with different physicochemical properties, the storage factors, such as low-temperature environments and exact storage temperatures, shall be set to be pertinent to their compositions and activity levels.

[0003] Particularly, in application scenarios where power supply is a problem or outdoor emergency care is required, a device used to store and transport medicines in proper conditions is crucial. Such a device shall be capable of providing easy-access, low-temperature storage adaptable to medicines with different physicochemical properties. Nevertheless, most existing portable medicine storage devices provide low-temperature storage using electric refrigeration units powered by mobile power packs and are thus subject to limited battery life. Other existing devices that simply employ cold sources to realize low-temperature storage are less designed as multi-layer or multi-compartment encirclement structures for both medicine and cold source storage that support multi-layer or multi-compartment diverse low-temperature storage, making them unable to provide low-temperature storage at medicine-specific temperatures and to maintain the desired storage temperature in applications where multiple separated accesses are performed. The existing medicine storage devices are intended for storage of medicines containing biological dressing and cytokines as recorded. In fact, different medicines may have different physicochemical properties and thus require different storage conditions. Hence, how to devise a versatile storage device for accommodating medicines with different physicochemical properties, how to achieve precise temperature control in the device according to temperature intervals of low-temperature storage required by bioactive materials, and how to adapt the device to applications such as outdoor emergency care where power supply is limited are pressing needs to address in the art.

[0004] China Patent No. CN105857933B discloses a drug storage device, which comprises: a casing, defining therein a first cavity; an insulating container, being installed in the first cavity and surrounded by a second cavity, wherein a refrigerant is sealed inside the second cavity and used to lower a temperature inside the insulating container. The known drug storage device uses the refrigerant sealed in the second cavity that encircles the insulating container formed in the first cavity defined in the case to decrease the temperature in the insulating container so as to ensure that the environment storing the drug is always maintained at a desired low temperature. The known device is described as being compact, portable and thereby suitable for applications where medicines containing biological dressing and cytokines need to be stored and transported to outdoor sites for emergency care. According to the specification of the prior patent application, the known solution is intended to be used with medicines containing biological dressing and cytokines. However, it is known that different medicines having different physicochemical properties require different storage conditions. In the event that multiple active materials having different physicochemical properties need to be transported to an outdoor emergency care site, such an existing device is incompetent to properly store and transport all required active materials because its uniform-temperature interior is unable to support storage conditions required by different active materials and tends to make the stored medicines lose their activity.

[0005] Since there is certainly discrepancy between the existing art comprehended by the applicant of this patent application and that known by the patent examiners and since there are many details and disclosures disclosed in literatures and patent documents that have been referred by the applicant during creation of the present disclosure not exhaustively recited here, it is to be noted that the present disclosure shall actually include technical features of all of these existing works, and the applicant reserves the right to supplement the application with the related art more existing technical features as support according to relevant regulations. SUMMARY OF THE APPLICATION

[0006] In view of the shortcomings of the existing art, the present disclosure provides a medical storage and transportation device, which comprises: a plurality of storage units, for storing active materials that need to be stored at low temperature, respectively; and a plurality of refrigeration units, being in one-to-one correspondence with the storage units for temperature control. Preferably, the device further comprises: a first refrigerant storage unit for storing a first refrigerant whose storage temperature is maintained at Tl, and a second refrigerant storage unit for storing second refrigerant whose storage temperature is maintained at T2. The first refrigerant storage unit and the second refrigerant storage unit are controllably communicated with the refrigeration units, respectively. Preferably, the storage and transportation device controls temperatures of the refrigeration units by adjusting phrases and proportions of the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant in the refrigeration units, so as to control temperatures of the storage units corresponding to the refrigeration units. The disclosed device is equipped with a plurality of storage units. Different from the known portable storage box using a liquid refrigerant, the device of the present disclosure can have its plural storage units store active materials requiring different low storage temperatures, respectively, rather than that they must stay in a temperature interval or range close to the temperature of the refrigerant in its liquid state. The storage units each have a separate low-temperature maintaining mechanism and allows adjustment and maintenance of different low temperatures, thereby significantly enabling the disclosed device to support low-temperature storage of various active materials with improved adaptability and pertinency.

[0007] According to a preferred mode, the device further comprises an intelligence module, which controls the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant in the refrigeration units corresponding to the storage units based on predetermined temperatures of the storage units. By combining the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant at different proportions, the range of temperature control of the storage units can be expanded as compared to the limited temperature range caused by use of the single refrigerant in the art known by the inventors. By changing the amount of the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant, the present disclosure achieves a combination of refrigerants with different temperatures based on adjustment of heat capacities and proportions, thereby increasing applicability of the refrigerants and allowing the storage units to maintain different temperature ranges required by different active materials.

[0008] According to a preferred mode, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant are in different phases. Preferably, the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant experience phase transition during refrigeration, and latent heat generated during the phase transition is used to adjust the temperatures of the refrigeration units. Differences between the two refrigerants in phase and heat capacity allow more flexible temperature adjustment for the refrigeration units. Selection of a proper refrigerant combination can be made according to the required temperature ranges and temperature-control precision. This to some extent expands the applicable temperature range. In the present disclosure, latent heat generated during phase transition of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant is used to adjust the temperatures of the refrigeration units. In addition, by changing the proportions of the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant, the temperature range of the refrigeration units can be further expanded. In use, the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant can be selected to reach the desired storage temperatures.

[0009] According to a preferred mode, in a temperature-lowering stage, the intelligence module calculationally determines the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant to be filled into the corresponding refrigeration units according to a temperature required to be maintained for at least one active material and the amount of the active material to be stored and transported, so that the storage units reach the predetermined temperatures. Preferably, in a temperature-holding stage, the device uses a monitoring unit to monitor actual temperature variations in the storage units, and the intelligence module adjusts the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant in the refrigeration units based on the collected actual temperature variations, so that actual temperatures in the storage units are maintained at the predetermined temperatures. In the present disclosure, with different stages of low-temperature storage for active materials, temperatures inside the storage units can be monitored in a real-time manner to ensure the temperatures are maintained in the ranges required by the active materials, so as to properly store active materials with different physicochemical properties. With the use of both the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant, the present disclosure eliminates the need for electric refrigeration equipment and decreases power consumption, making the disclosed device suitable for extreme applications like outdoor emergency care. Since low-temperature storage is provided directly by the cold source, the disclosed device is economical. In this way, the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant can be delivered pertinently and low-temperature storage can be ensured even in applications where multiple separated accesses to the stored active materials are performed.

[0010] According to a preferred mode, when the storage units are equipped with material cavities for accommodating the active material, and the refrigeration units are equipped with cold source cavities for accommodating the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant, the intelligence module calculationally determines a second occupancy rate of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant with respect to a said cold source cavity according to a first occupancy rate of the active material with respect to the corresponding material cavity, so that the active material in the material cavity is cooled through heat exchange with the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant in the cold source cavity and maintained at the corresponding predetermined temperature. The intelligence unit dynamically replenishes the cold source cavities with the refrigerant to offset temperature deviation, so as to maintain desired low-temperature storage of the active materials, making the disclosed device suitable for applications where multiple separated accesses to the active materials are performed.

[0011] According to a preferred mode, the cold source cavities are arranged to form encirclement or semi-encirclement around the corresponding material cavities. Preferably, the intelligence module adjusts temperature intervals for different kinds of active materials by controlling encirclement parameters with which the cold source cavities encircle the corresponding material cavities. Preferably, the encirclement parameters at least include a first encirclement parameter determined by spatial structures of the material cavity and the cold source cavity and a second encirclement parameter determined by loading proportions of the material cavity and the cold source cavity.

[0012] According to a preferred mode, the storage units correspond to the refrigeration units, respectively, and different pairs of the material cavities and the corresponding cold source cavities have different said first encirclement parameters. Preferably, the first encirclement parameter refers to a spatial encirclement extent and / or a radial dimension ratio between the storage unit and the corresponding refrigeration unit. In the present disclosure, the first encirclement parameters of the storage units may be determined during design or fabrication of the device. Alternatively, the first encirclement parameters may be adjustable, so that the intelligence module of the device can adjust the first and second encirclement parameters, thereby allowing the storage units to achieve intelligent low-temperature storage for various medicines.

[0013] According to a preferred mode, with the first encirclement parameter determined, the intelligence module maintains the actual temperature of the storage unit in the corresponding temperature interval by adjusting the second encirclement parameter of the refrigeration unit. The intelligence module may adjust the second encirclement parameter to achieve a specific refrigeration temperature or maintain a constant level of refrigeration temperature instead. Particularly, as the stored medicines are consumed gradually, the filling amount of the refrigerant have to be increased accordingly in order to maintain the refrigeration temperature in a proper temperature interval or at a proper temperature, thereby ensuring stable and proper medicine low-temperature storage in terms of temperature.

[0014] According to a preferred mode, when the cold source cavity and the corresponding material cavity are arranged concentrically, the second encirclement parameter at least refers to: a ratio between a filling amount of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant with respect to the cold source cavity and a filling amount of the active material with respect to the corresponding material cavity; and / or a ratio between a filling level of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant with respect to the cold source cavity and a filling level of the active material with respect to the corresponding material cavity. The storage units in the disclosed device reach the temperatures or temperature intervals required by different medicines through controlling the encirclement parameters of the cold source cavities with respect to the corresponding material cavities in the storage units. The encirclement parameters at least include a first encirclement parameter and a second encirclement parameter. The first encirclement parameter is determined by the spatial structures of the material cavities and the cold source cavities. The second encirclement parameter is determined by the loading proportions in the material cavities and the cold source cavities. Thereby, the storage units of the disclosed device can preset temperature intervals for the storage units according to the first encirclement parameter, so as to provide the temperatures for low-temperature storage in the temperature intervals required by the stored medicines.

[0015] According to a preferred mode, the refrigeration unit further comprises a cold source configuration module, which changes the ratio between the filling amount of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant and the filling amount of the active material, and changes the proportions of the first refrigerant and the second refrigerant by controlling input and output of the first refrigerant and / or the second refrigerant. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a medical storage and transportation device according to a preferred mode of the present disclosure; and

[0017] FIG. 2 is a schematic connection diagram of an intelligence module according to a preferred mode of the present disclosure. Drawing references 100: Box Body 302: Second Refrigerant 101: Insulation Layer 303: Cold Source Cavity 200: Storage Unit 400: Intelligence Module 201: Material Cavity 401: Monitoring Unit 300: Refrigeration Unit 402: Cold Source Configuration Module 301: First Refrigerant DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE APPLICATION

[0018] The following description, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and preferred embodiments, is set forth as below to illustrate the present disclosure in detail. Embodiment 1

[0019] Medicines or organismic tissues usually demand specific storage conditions for best preservation of their efficacy or activity. For example, active biomaterials enable repair, substitution and regeneration of tissues and form connection with tissues in biological organisms in virtue of their high biocompatibility and growth-promoting features, and therefore have been extensively used in the biomedical industry. Most active biomaterials need to be stored in dark and cold conditions under strict temperature control or they can become ineffective or even become toxic to organismic tissues. Therefore, for medicines with different physicochemical properties, the storage factors, such as low-temperature environments and exact storage temperatures, shall be specifically set with consideration for their compositions and activity levels. For example, insulin is a biological product that tends to degrade under heat. To protect its potency, an insulin product packaged in an unsealed container shall be kept in cold storage of between 2°C and 8 °C no longer than 2 years. After unsealed, the insulin product kept at the room temperature (up to 30°C) will have its potency depleted over time and shall be used in 4 weeks. Vitamin C is a readily oxidizable substance, and shall be sealed and kept in a dry place. The optimal temperature range for storing Vitamin C is of between 15 °C and 25 °C. Aspirin is a highly deliquescent medicine, and shall be sealed and kept in a dry place. In a hot and humid environment, aspirin will hydrolyze into salicylic acid and ethanoic acid, while losing its potency and giving a vinegary smell. The optimal temperature range for storing aspirin is of between 15 °C and 30°C. As another example, antibodies are various in form, and require different storage temperatures. Particularly, for storage of antibody drug conjugates, a conjugate and its cryoprotectants usually have different storage requirements that need to be set pertinently. Fluorantibody conjugates, antibody-enzyme conjugates and biotin-antibody conjugates have to be packed in doses to avoid repeated freezing and thawing. Cryoprotectant-containing antibodydrug conjugates other than those have been proven to be stable in long-term -20 °C cry opreservation shall be stored at a temperature between 0°C and 4 °C. As another example, some medicines can become unstable in certain solutions. Penicillin G potassium is known to be less stable in aqueous solutions and tends to decompose in alkaline solutions, so it shall be stored in acid solutions. Solvates and hydrates can desolvate or dehydrate under certain temperatures or relative humidity levels and experience crystalline transformation or become less active, and therefore need to be stored under proper conditions of temperature and humidity.

[0020] Particularly, in applications where power supply is a problem or for outdoor emergency care, an ideal storage device for transportation of these medicines shall be able to support versatile low-temperature storage adaptable to medicines with different physicochemical properties and allow easy access of the storage medicines. However, most existing storage device for such applications provide low-temperature storage using electric refrigeration equipment powered by a mobile power pack, which is usually limited in capacity. On the other hand, most known storage devices providing low-temperature storage directly with a cold source cannot be designed for multi-level or multi-space adaptable low-temperature storage based on multi-layer or multi-compartment medicine and cold-source encirclement structures. Consequently, it is impossible to set temperatures for low-temperature storage suitable for properties of specific medicines and to ensure low-temperature storage temperature in applications where multiple separated accesses to the stored active materials are performed. The known medicine storage device as described previously is merely intended to be used with medicines containing biological dressing and cytokines, according to the related document, and is thus unable to befittingly accommodate medicines that have different physicochemical properties and require different storage conditions. To address the technical gap, the storage and transportation device of present disclosure uses plural storage units 200 to accommodate multiple kinds of medicines. The disclosed device further uses temperature sensors to enable timely and dynamic adjustment of the refrigerants inside and outside the cold source cavities across the storage units 200, so as to ensure that the interior temperatures of the storage units 200 are suitable for the medicines stored therein.

[0021] The present disclosure provides a medical storage and transportation device. As shown in FIG. 1, the device comprises: a plurality of storage units 200, for storing active materials that need to be stored at low temperature, respectively; and a plurality of refrigeration units 300, being in one-to-one correspondence with the storage units 200 for temperature control. Preferably, the medical storage and transportation device further comprises: a first refrigerant storage unit, for storing a first refrigerant 301 that has a storage temperature maintained at Tl; and a second refrigerant storage unit, for storing a second refrigerant 302 that has a storage temperature maintained at T2. Preferably, Tl is not equal to T2. Preferably, the first refrigerant storage unit and the second refrigerant storage unit are controllably communicated with each of the refrigeration units 300, respectively. Preferably, the storage and transportation device adjusts the amount of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 in every refrigeration unit 300 in order to control the temperature of every refrigeration unit 300, thereby controlling the temperature TO of the storage unit 200 corresponding to the refrigeration unit 300. Preferably, 6 the medical storage and transportation device further comprises a box body 100 for receiving an insulation layer 101 and defining an internal chamber for accommodating the storage units 200 based on the insulation layer 101, and an intelligence module 400 for regulating temperatures in the storage units 200. Preferably, where the storage units 200 are equipped with material cavities 201 for accommodating active materials and the refrigeration units 300 are equipped with cold source cavities 303 for accommodating the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302, the intelligence module 400 calculationally determines the second occupancy rate of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 with respect to the cold source cavities 303 according to the first occupancy rate indicating the ratio of the active material in respect to the corresponding material cavity 201, so that the temperature of the active material in the material cavity 201 can be lowered through heat exchange with the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the cold source cavity 303 and maintained at the corresponding predetermined temperature. Herein, the box body 100 refers to the outer shell housing the device and is internally covered by an insulation layer 101 for both thermal insulation and inner structural protection. The insulation layer 101 is made of an insulating material and serves to prevent heat transfer. It is to be noted that the storage units 200 and the refrigeration units 300 depicted in FIG. 1 are not to show their physical locations but to schematically express their one-to-one correspondence in a planar form. In the present disclosure, the storage units 200 may be in a certain plane inside the box body 100, and the refrigeration units 300 may be in another plane inside the box body 100 that is parallel to the foregoing plane.

[0022] The disclosed device is equipped with a plurality of storage units 200. Different from the known portable storage box using a liquid refrigerant, the device of the present disclosure can have its plural storage units 200 store active materials requiring different storage temperatures, respectively, and is freed from the limit formed by the temperature interval or range close to the refrigerant in its liquid state. The storage units 200 each have a separate low-temperature maintaining mechanism and allows adjustment and maintenance of different low temperatures, thereby significantly enabling the disclosed device to support low-temperature storage of various active materials with improved adaptability and pertinency.

[0023] According to a preferred mode, the intelligence module 400 is configured to control the amount of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 in the refrigeration unit 300 corresponding to a storage unit 200 according to a predetermined temperature (predetermined) for the individual storage units 200. The first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 refer to low-temperature substances for maintaining low-temperature environments, such as liquid nitrogen, dry ice, etc. Preferably, the intelligence module 400 controls the temperatures of the storage units 200 at least through changing the proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302. By combining the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 at different proportions, the range of temperature control of the storage units 200 can be expanded as compared to the limited temperature range caused by use of the single refrigerant in the art known by the inventors. To be specific, use of a single refrigerant is disadvantageous because in this case temperature regulation relies on heat conduction and the range of temperature control is limited by the temperature range of the single refrigerant. The existing approach realizes temperature control by delivering and withdrawing a single refrigerant. When an active material to be stored requires a storage temperature lower than the temperature of the refrigerant, the interior temperature of the storage unit 200 fails to reach the required storage temperature. When an active material to be stored requires a storage temperature much higher than the temperature of the refrigerant and the ambient temperature is much higher than the required storage temperature, delivery and withdrawal of the refrigerant have to be repeated or the interior temperature of the storage unit 200 cannot reach and stay at the required storage temperature. The adjustment process based on frequent delivery and withdrawal is complicated and energyconsuming. For applications where an external power supply is not available, such as wild rescue, the process can significantly shorten the available time of the device. By changing the amount of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302, the present disclosure achieves refrigerant combinations based on adjustment of heat capacities and proportions, thereby increasing applicability of the refrigerants and allowing the storage units 200 to maintain different temperature ranges required by different active materials.

[0024] While the disclosure has described use of different proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302, it is contemplable that a third refrigerant and / or a fourth refrigerant or even more refrigerants can be used in temperature control of the storage units 200. Preferably, where the first refrigerant 301 is pentafluoroethane, the second refrigerant 302 may be one of trifluoroethane, difluoromethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, with trifluoroethane being preferable. Preferably, where the first refrigerant 301 is pentafluoroethane and the second refrigerant 302 is trifluoroethane, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 form an azeotropic mixed refrigerant at predetermined proportions. The resulting azeotropic mixed refrigerant has a constant boiling point that is lower than the boiling point of the first refrigerant 301 and the boiling point of the second refrigerant 302. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 may alternatively be a zeotropic mixed refrigerant composed of pentafluoroethane, trifluoroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane, and the second refrigerant 302 is preferably trifluoromethane. By changing proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302, different refrigeration effects can be achieved. For example, when the mass fraction of the zeotropic mixed refrigerant composed of pentafluoroethane, trifluoroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and the mass fraction of trifluoromethane are 0.8 and 0.2, the evaporation temperature is -80°C. When the mass fraction of the zeotropic mixed refrigerant composed of pentafluoroethane, trifluoroethane and 1,1,1,2-tetrafluoroethane and the mass fraction of trifluoromethane are 0.6 and 0.4, the evaporation temperature is -100 °C. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 may alternatively be propane, and the second refrigerant 302 is preferably isobutane. When the mass fraction of propane and isobutane are 0.7 and 0.3, the evaporation temperature is -10°C. When the mass fraction of propane and isobutane are 0.5 and 0.5, the evaporation temperature is -20 °C. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 may alternatively be ammonia, and the second refrigerant 302 is preferably carbon dioxide. When the mass fraction of ammonia and carbon dioxide are 0.9 and 0.1, the evaporation temperature is -40°C. When the mass fraction of ammonia and carbon dioxide are 0.8 and 0.2, the evaporation temperature is -50°C.

[0025] The first refrigerant 301, the second refrigerant 302 and / or the further refrigerants combined at the foregoing proportions can achieve more preferable freezing temperature, gaseous specific volume and liquid specific volume, thereby creating environments that satisfy refrigeration ranges and refrigeration conditions needed to be achieved in the storage units 200. Different proportions of the first refrigerant 301, the second refrigerant 302 and / or the further refrigerants lead to different thermodynamic properties, heat transfer performance and chemical stability of the refrigerant mixture, and in turn affect efficiency of refrigeration circulation. In the present disclosure, proportions of the first refrigerant 301, the second refrigerant 302 and / or the further refrigerants are adjusted by the intelligence module 400 according to the needs of the storage units 200 and slip factors (i.e., the slip phenomenon, caused by inconsistence of gaseous and liquid components) of different refrigerants, thereby achieving the optimal refrigeration performance. Changes in the proportions alter the refrigerant mixture in terms of evaporating pressure, evaporating latent heat, critical temperature, condensing pressure, freezing temperature, gaseous and liquid specific volume and density and so on, so as to ensure chemical stability and thermal stability while preventing decomposition, degradation, corruption, etc. during refrigeration. Moreover, the first refrigerant 301, the second refrigerant 302 and / or the further refrigerants may be such selected that they are refrigerants low in both GWP (global warming potential) and ODP (ozone depletion potential), so as to reduce adverse effects on the atmospheric layer and climate change.

[0026] According to a preferred mode, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 are different substances, and the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 are separated from each other in the refrigeration units 300. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 are different substances having different temperatures. The two substances are also different in terms of heat capacity. These differences allow more flexible temperature adjustment for the refrigeration units 300. Selection of a proper refrigerant combination can be made according to the required temperature ranges and temperature-control precision. This somehow expand the applicable temperature range. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 are separated so as to prevent temperature adjustment from being affected by the combined thermal effects and to facilitate recycling of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302.

[0027] According to a preferred mode, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 are in different phases. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 experience phase transition during refrigeration, and the latent heat generated during phase transition is used for temperature adjustment for the refrigeration units 300. Preferably, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 are in different phases, and this enlarges the list of candidate refrigerants. The phases of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 may be decided according to the desired storage temperatures. For easy transportation, where the first refrigerant 301 or the second refrigerant 302 is solid refrigerant, it is preferably in the form of pellets or particles.

[0028] According to a preferred mode, the intelligence module 400 is configured to further adjust the amount of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the refrigeration units 300 according to the actual temperatures (Tactual) of the individual storage units 200. Preferably, the intelligence module 400 adjust the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the refrigeration units 300 in terms of phrase and proportion according to the actual temperatures in the storage units 200, so as to hold the actual temperatures inside the storage units 200 in the corresponding threshold ranges. In the present disclosure, the latent heat generated during phase transition of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 is used to adjust the temperatures in the refrigeration units 300. This plus the dynamically configured proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 significantly expands the temperature spectrum of the refrigeration units 300. In use, the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 according to the targeted temperature threshold ranges.

[0029] According to a preferred mode, the first refrigerant storage unit is configured to recover the first refrigerant 301 from the refrigeration units 300. Preferably, the second refrigerant storage unit is configured to recover the second refrigerant 302 from the refrigeration units 300. Since the present disclosure adopts the solution where cold sources are used for refrigeration directly, the disclosed storage and transportation device eliminates the need for electric refrigeration equipment. This decreases the burden and costs for integrating large batteries and electric refrigeration equipment into the device and allows the device to be made light and compact, thereby ensuring good portability and functional stability of the disclosed device during transportation and emergency care use.

[0030] According to a preferred mode, good thermal conductivity is maintained between every storage unit 200 and its corresponding refrigeration unit 300, while thermal insulation exists between the storage units 200, and between the refrigeration units 300, and between any storage units 200 and a refrigeration unit 300 not corresponding thereto.

[0031] In order to ensure accuracy and automation for low-temperature storage, the medical storage and transportation device of the present disclosure achieves low-temperature storage of an active material through a temperature-lowering stage and a temperature-holding stage. In the temperature-lowering stage, for the active material to be stored in the storage units 200, according to the storage temperature it requires and its amount to be stored, the amount of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 needing to be filled into the corresponding refrigeration unit 300 are determined through calculation, so that refrigeration unit 300 can reach the predetermined temperature range to be maintained. In the temperature-holding stage, the actual temperature variations in the storage unit 200 are monitored, and the amount of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the refrigeration unit 300 are further adjusted according to the collected actual temperature variations, so that the temperature in the storage unit 200 can be maintained at the predetermined temperature. Preferably, in the temperaturelowering stage, the intelligence module 400 calculationally determines the phrases and proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 to be filled into the corresponding refrigeration unit 300 according to a temperature required to be maintained for at least one active material and the amount of the active material to be stored and transported, so that storage unit 200 achieves the predetermined temperature. Preferably, in the temperatureholding stage, the monitoring unit 401 monitors the actual temperature variations in the storage unit 200, and the intelligence module 400 further adjusts the phrases and proportions of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the refrigeration unit 300 based on the collected actual temperature variations, so that the actual temperature in the storage unit 200 can be maintained at the predetermined temperature. FIG. 2 illustrates communication between the intelligence module 400 and the monitoring unit 401. The monitoring unit 401 may comprise a temperature sensor for monitoring the actual temperatures in the storage units 200 and the temperature variations in the refrigeration units 300. In the present disclosure, with different stages of low-temperature storage for active materials, temperatures inside the storage units 200 can be monitored in a real-time manner to ensure the temperatures are maintained in the ranges required by the active materials, so as to properly store active materials with different physicochemical properties. With the use of both the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302, the present disclosure eliminates the need for electric refrigeration equipment and decreases power consumption, making the disclosed device suitable for extreme applications like outdoor emergency care. Since low-temperature storage is provided directly by the cold source, the disclosed device is economical. In this way, the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302 can be delivered pertinently and low-temperature storage can be ensured even in applications where multiple separated accesses to the stored active materials are performed.

[0032] According to a preferred mode, heat exchange between an active material and the refrigerants in a storage unit 200 is achieved by lowering the temperature in the material cavity 201 to the predetermined temperature when the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 absorb heat and then get heated to the heat-conduction temperature. Preferably, the first occupancy rate in the material cavity 201 refers to the ratio between the filling amount of the active material and the capacity of the material cavity 201. Preferably, the second occupancy rate of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the cold source cavity 303 refers to the ratio between the filling amount of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 and the capacity of the cold source cavity 303. Preferably, the intelligence module 400 determines the second occupancy rate of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the cold source cavities 303 according to the first occupancy rate of the active material in the material cavity 201 in the manner that the heat generated by the medicine at the first occupancy rate when being cooled to the predetermined temperature is equal to or proportional to the heat absorbed by the cold source at the second occupancy rate. When the storage unit 200 of the device has a fixed structure, the filling amount of the active material and the filling amount of the refrigerants are determined according to the first occupancy rate and the second occupancy rate. The first occupancy rate and the second occupancy rate may be obtained using capacity or liquid level that can be automatically measured. With the kind of the active material, the kinds of the refrigerants, and their corresponding initial states given, the heat value given up by the active material at the first occupancy rate for changing the active material from the initial state to the target state is equal or proportional to the heat value taken in by the refrigerants at the second occupancy rate for changing the refrigerants from their initial states to their target states, so that intelligence module can set the optimal low-temperature storage temperature and predetermined temperature on the basis of the physicochemical properties of the active material, and the refrigerants held at the heat-conduction temperature can perform long-term low-temperature maintenance.

[0033] According to a preferred mode, the storage units 200 are such arranged that their cold source cavities 303 form encirclement or semi-encirclement around the material cavities 201. With heat exchange balance between the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 in the cold source cavities 303 and the active materials in the material cavities 201, predetermined temperatures of the active material are such set to be different from the heat-conduction temperatures of the refrigerants by heat conduction temperature differences. When the material cavities 201 of the storage units 200 are subject to multiple separated accesses, for different active materials requiring low-temperature storage to be stored, the storage units 200 are such assigned that the degrees of the predetermined temperatures are negatively correlated to their corresponding heat conduction temperature differences with respective to the storage units 200. The storage units 200 are arranged based on different heat conduction temperature differences for storing different medicines. Specifically, with the ideal state of heat exchange balance, the greater the heat conduction temperature difference is, the greater the gap between the predetermined temperature of the active material and the heat-conduction temperature of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 is. When the predetermined temperature is deviated after long-term storage or due to multiple separated accesses, the gap between the temperature of the active material and the temperature of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 increases. At this time, the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 can absorb the heat increasing in the active material with enhanced efficiency. To be specific, the storage unit 200 uses a greater “low-temperature maintaining inertia” to cope with the active material requiring a lower storage temperature, and thereby reliably maintaining a low temperature the active material requires while rapidly offsetting any deviation from the desired storage temperature. Embodiment 2

[0034] The present embodiment provides further improvements on Embodiment 1, and repeated details are omitted from the description thereof.

[0035] According to a preferred mode, for an active material filled in a material cavity 201 at a first occupancy rate, the intelligence module 400 configures the refrigerants at a second occupancy rate according to the current state and the desired state of the active material, so that the temperature of the active material in the material cavity 201 can be lowered through heat exchange with the refrigerants in the cold source cavity 303 and maintained at the corresponding predetermined temperature. At this time, the refrigerants in the cold source cavity 303 absorb the heat and come to a temperature slightly lower than the predetermined temperature. Thereby the temperature of the active material is effectively lowered to the predetermined temperature corresponding to its desired state. Then the refrigerants in the cold source cavity 303 holds the lowered temperature steady. In the temperature-holding stage, the intelligence unit monitors the active materials in the material cavities 201, and when an active material deviates from its respective desired storage state, or the temperature of the active material is higher than the predetermined temperature, the intelligence unit dynamically replenish the cold source cavities 303 with the refrigerant to offset temperature deviation. Thereby, desired low-temperature storage of the active material can be maintained for long, and the disclosed device is suitable for applications where multiple separated accesses to the active materials are performed.

[0036] According to a preferred mode, storage units 200 are equipped with a plurality of material cavities 201 for storing different kinds of medicines. The refrigeration units 300 have plural cold source cavities 303 that are arranged into encirclement or semi-encirclement around the material cavities 201, so that the disclosed device can control the encirclement parameters of the material cavities 201 in the storage units 200 through the cold source cavities 303 of the refrigeration units 300 to achieve the temperatures or temperature intervals for storing different kinds of medicines. Preferably, the encirclement parameters at least include a first encirclement parameter determined by the spatial structures of the material cavities 201 and the cold source cavities 303, and a second encirclement parameter determined by the loading proportions of the material cavities 201 and the cold source cavities 303.

[0037] According to a preferred mode, with the second encirclement parameter determined, the intelligence module 400 set the first encirclement parameters of the storage units 200 to be different so as to provide plural predetermined temperature intervals that correspond to storage temperatures of different kinds of active materials. Preferably, the predetermined temperature intervals may be set to be at least partially overlapped and / or at least partially spaced. Preferably, when the first encirclement parameter is determined, the intelligence module 400 performs regulation by adjusting the second encirclement parameter of the storage units 200, so as to hold the refrigeration temperature in the corresponding temperature interval.

[0038] According to a preferred mode, when cold source cavities 303 and the corresponding material cavities 201 are arranged concentrically, the step of setting the first encirclement parameters for the storage units 200 differently at least means that the spatial encirclement extents of the cold source cavities 303 around the material cavities 201 are set to be different and / or the ratios between the radial dimensions of the cold source cavities 303 and the material cavities 201 are set to be different. Preferably, the term “spatial encirclement extent” refers to the ratio between the solid angle ranges covered by the relative centers of the cold source cavities 303 and the material cavities 201. Preferably, the medical storage and transportation device of the present disclosure is further equipped with a structure configuration unit for adjusting the first encirclement parameters, so that the first encirclement parameters can be adjusted by changing the relative spatial locations of the cold source cavities 303 and the material cavities 201 of the storage units 200. Preferably, the intelligence module 400 changes the relative spatial locations between the material cavities 201 and the cold source cavities 303 by means of mechanical transmission. Alternatively, the first encirclement parameters may be set fixedly. In this case, the individual storage units 200 in the disclosed medical storage and transportation device correspond to the respective refrigeration units 300. The refrigeration units 300 corresponding to different storage units 200 have different first encirclement parameters, and different active materials can be selectively placed into suitable storage units 200. By referring that the refrigeration units 300 corresponding to different storage units 200 have different first encirclement parameters, it means that the refrigeration units 300 corresponding to different storage units 200 are different in terms of the spatial encirclement extent and / or the ratio of the radial dimension. The first encirclement parameters between the storage units 200 and the corresponding refrigeration units 300 may form a gradient, so that different active materials can be stored in different storage units 200 suitable for their respective storage conditions. For example, where the active material to be stored is a liquid, the spatial encirclement extent above the corresponding storage unit 200 can be reduced. In this case, the storage unit 200 uses a relatively small first encirclement parameter because temperature control of the corresponding material cavity 201 can be achieved as long as the bottom of the material cavity 201 is covered. In another example, where the active material to be stored are solid articles that have a smooth surface and are to be stored in small quantity, the corresponding storage unit 200 also uses a relatively small first encirclement parameter. This is because refrigeration required by the active material can be achieved as long as the cold source cavity 303 cover the four walls of the corresponding material cavity 201 or at the end of the medical storage and transportation device opposite to the forward end of the device. In another example where the best storage temperature of the active material is slightly lower than the room temperature, it is not necessary to cover the entire material cavity 201. Instead, a relatively small first encirclement parameter of the corresponding material cavity 201 can be selected to satisfy the temperature requirements of the active material. The material cavities 201 so selected are competent to match the physicochemical properties of the active material and facilitate reliable temperature control with less power consumption while preventing waste of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302. In the present disclosure, the first encirclement parameter of a storage unit 200 may be determined in the design or manufacturing / loading stage or may be made controllable so that the intelligence module 400 of the device can adjust the first encirclement parameter and the second encirclement parameter in use to provide intelligent low-temperature storage at the storage units 200 for various medicines.

[0039] According to a preferred mode, when the cold source cavity 303 and the corresponding material cavity 201 are arranged concentrically, adjustment of the second encirclement parameter by the refrigeration unit 300 at least includes: changing a ratio between a filling amount of the cold source in the cold source cavity 303 and a filling amount of the active material in the material cavity 201; and / or changing a ratio between a filling level of the cold source in the cold source cavity 303 and a filling level of the active material in the material cavity 201. Preferably, the refrigeration units 300 are each equipped with a cold source configuration module 402 for controlling input and / or output of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 to and / or from the cold source cavity 303. Preferably, the cold source configuration module 402 of the refrigeration unit 300 can change the second encirclement parameter by controlling the input and output of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302. To be specific, the cold source configuration module 402 of the refrigeration unit 300 can control the input and output of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 so as to change the ratio between the filling amount of the first refrigerant 301 and / or the second refrigerant 302 and the filling amount of the active material, and change the ratio between the first refrigerant 301 and the second refrigerant 302. The storage units 200 in the disclosed device reach the temperatures or temperature intervals required by different medicines through controlling the encirclement parameters of the cold source cavities 303 with respect to the corresponding material cavities 201 in the storage units 200. The encirclement parameters at least include a first encirclement parameter and a second encirclement parameter. The first encirclement parameter is determined by the spatial structures of the material cavities 201 and the cold source cavities 303. The second encirclement parameter is determined by the loading proportions in the material cavities 201 and the cold source cavities 303. Thereby, the storage units 200 of the disclosed device can preset temperature intervals for the storage units 200 according to the first encirclement parameter, so as to provide the temperatures for low-temperature storage in the temperature intervals required by the stored medicines. The intelligence module 400 may adjust the second encirclement parameter to achieve a specific refrigeration temperature or maintain a constant level of refrigeration temperature instead. Particularly, as the stored medicines are consumed gradually, the filling amount of the cold sources have to be altered accordingly in order to maintain the refrigeration temperature in a proper temperature interval or at a proper temperature, thereby ensuring stable and proper medicine low-temperature storage in terms of temperature.

[0040] According to a preferred mode, the intelligence module 400 is in data connection with the cold source configuration module 402, so that the intelligence module 400 controls the refrigeration temperatures of the storage units 200 to be stable in the set temperature interval or at the set temperature through the cold source configuration module 402. Preferably, the set temperature interval and the set temperature are in the temperature interval range of the storage units 200. The disclosed device may have plural storage units 200 for low-temperature storage for different kinds of medicines. The storage units 200 each have an independent low-temperature maintaining structure that allows independent adjustment and maintenance of the refrigeration temperature, thereby ensuring good adaptability and pertinency of the device low-temperature for storing different kinds of medicines.

[0041] Throughout the disclosure, any feature following the term “preferably” is optional but not necessary, and the applicant of the present application reserves the rights to withdraw or delete any of the preferred features any time.

[0042] It is to be noted that the particular embodiments described previously are exemplary. People skilled in the art, with inspiration from the disclosure of the present disclosure, would be able to devise various solutions, and all these solutions shall be regarded as a part of the disclosure and protected by the present disclosure. Further, people skilled in the art would appreciate that the descriptions and accompanying drawings provided herein are illustrative and form no limitation to any of the appended claims. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and equivalents thereof. The disclosure provided herein contains various inventive concepts, such of those described in sections led by terms or phrases like “preferably”, “according to one preferred mode” or “optionally”. Each of the inventive concepts represents an independent conception and the applicant reserves the right to file one or more divisional applications therefor.

Claims

1. A medical storage and transportation device, comprising:a plurality of storage units (200), for storing active materials that need to be stored at low temperature, respectively, anda plurality of refrigeration units (300), for being in one-to-one correspondence with the storage units (200) for temperature control,characterized in that the medical storage and transportation device further comprises:a first refrigerant storage unit, for storing a first refrigerant (301) that has a storage temperature maintained at Tl, anda second refrigerant storage unit, for storing a second refrigerant (302) that has a storage temperature maintained at T2, wherein the first refrigerant storage unit and the second refrigerant storage unit are controllably communicated with the refrigeration units (300),wherein the storage and transportation device controls temperatures of the refrigeration units (300) by adjusting phrases and proportions of the first refrigerant (301) and the second refrigerant (302) in the refrigeration units (300), so as to control temperatures of the storage units (200) corresponding to the refrigeration units (300).

2. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 1, further comprising an intelligence module (400), which controls the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant (301) and the second refrigerant (302) in the refrigeration units (300) corresponding to the storage units (200) according to predetermined temperatures of the storage units (200).

3. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 2, wherein the first refrigerant (301) and the second refrigerant (302) are in different said phases, whereinthe first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) experience phase transition during refrigeration, and latent heat generated during the phase transition is used to adjust the temperatures of the refrigeration units (300).

4. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 3, whereinin a temperature-lowering stage, the intelligence module (400) calculationally determines the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant (301) and the second refrigerant (302) to be filled into the corresponding refrigeration units (300) according to a temperature required to be maintained for at least one active material and the amount of the active material to be stored and transported, so as to make the storage units (200) reach the predetermined temperatures, andin a temperature-holding stage, the device uses a monitoring unit (401) to monitor actual temperature variations in the storage units (200), and accordingly adjusts the phrases and the proportions of the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) in the refrigeration units (300), so as to maintain the actual temperatures in the storage units (200) at the predetermined temperatures.

5. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 4, wherein the storage units (200) are equipped with material cavities (201) for accommodating the active material, and the refrigeration units (300) are equipped with cold source cavities (303) for accommodating the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302), whereinthe intelligence module (400) calculationally determines a second occupancy rate of the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) with respect to a said cold source cavity (303) according to a first occupancy rate of the active material with respect to thecorresponding material cavity (201), so that the active material in the material cavity (201) is cooled through heat exchange with the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) in the cold source cavity (303) and maintained at the corresponding predetermined temperature.

6. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 5, wherein the cold source cavities (303) are arranged to form encirclement or semi-encirclement around the corresponding material cavities (201), whereinthe intelligence module (400) adjusts temperature intervals for different kinds of active materials by controlling encirclement parameters with which the cold source cavities (303) encircle the corresponding material cavities (201), whereinthe encirclement parameters at least include a first encirclement parameter determined by spatial structures of the material cavity (201) and the cold source cavity (303) and a second encirclement parameter determined by loading proportions of the material cavity (201) and the cold source cavity (303).

7. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 6, wherein the storage units (200) correspond to the refrigeration units (300), respectively, and different pairs of the material cavities (201) and the corresponding cold source cavities (303) have different said first encirclement parameters, whereinthe first encirclement parameter refers to a spatial encirclement extent and / or a radial dimension ratio between the storage unit (200) and the corresponding refrigeration unit (300).

8. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 7, wherein with the first encirclement parameter determined, the intelligence module (400) maintains the actual temperature of the storage unit (200) in the corresponding temperature interval by adjusting the second encirclement parameter of the refrigeration unit (300).

9. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 8, whereinthe cold source cavity (303) and the corresponding material cavity (201) are arranged concentrically, wherein the second encirclement parameter at least refers to: a ratio between a filling amount of the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) with respect to the cold source cavity (303) and a filling amount of the active material with respect to the corresponding material cavity (201); and / or a ratio between a filling level of the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) with respect to the cold source cavity (303) and a filling level of the active material with respect to the corresponding material cavity (201).

10. The medical storage and transportation device of claim 9, wherein each of the refrigeration units (300) further comprises a cold source configuration module (402), which changes the ratio between the filling amount of the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302) and the filling amount of the active material, and changes the proportions of the first refrigerant (301) and the second refrigerant (302) by controlling input and output of the first refrigerant (301) and / or the second refrigerant (302).

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