Cooler with active temperature control

Abstract

A cooler container equipped with an active temperature control system is provided. [Solution] The active temperature control system operates to heat or cool a chamber large enough to accept a liquid container (e.g., a metal can such as a soda can or beer can) inside it.

Claims

1. A cooler container equipped with active temperature control, A container body having a chamber configured to receive a liquid container therein, comprising an insulated container and an inner circumferential liner having high thermal conductivity, communicating thermally with the inner surface of the insulated container, and defining the chamber, Equipped with a temperature control system, The temperature control system is A thermoelectric element that is in thermal communication with at least a portion of the inner circumferential liner on one side, A heat sink that is in thermal communication with the other side of the thermoelectric element, A fan configured to circulate air over or above at least a portion of the heatsink, The system comprises a circuit configured to control the operation of one or both of the thermoelectric element and the fan, A cooler container, wherein the temperature control system is operable to raise, lower, or maintain the temperature of the liquid container and / or at least a portion of the liquid therein by operating the thermoelectric element to receive heat from the liner, the liner then receives heat from the liquid container, the thermoelectric element is configured to transfer the heat to the heat sink, the fan is operable to dissipate the heat from the heat sink, and the heated air is discharged from the container body through one or more vents.

2. The cooler container according to claim 1, further comprising one or more batteries.

3. The cooler container according to claim 1 or 2, further comprising a thermally conductive slag in thermal communication with the liner, wherein the slag is configured to extend through an opening in the bottom wall of the container.

4. The cooler container according to claim 3, wherein the slag is configured to extend within the chamber and be in contact with at least a portion of the bottom of the liquid container.

5. The cooler container according to any one of claims 3 to 4, wherein the slag has a convex shape that substantially matches the concave shape of the bottom of the liquid container.

6. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 5, further comprising a heat pipe that provides thermal communication between the thermoelectric element and the heat sink.

7. The cooler container according to claim 6, further comprising a heat transfer block between the thermoelectric element and the heat pipe.

8. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the thermoelectric element and the heat sink are located in a ring that can be detachably connected to the upper end of the container body.

9. The cooler container according to claim 8, wherein the fan is operable to direct the air along a flow path toward the top of the container body in order to dissipate heat from the heat sink by allowing the air to flow through at least a portion of the heat sink.

10. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein at least a portion of the liner has a rib shape.

11. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the liquid container is a metal can.

12. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the liquid container is a glass beverage container.

13. The cooler container according to any one of claims 3 to 12, wherein the slag and the liner are a single piece.

14. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the heat-insulating container is a double-walled heat-insulating container having a gap between a pair of walls of a double-walled structure.

15. The cooler container according to claim 14, wherein the gap is a vacuum.

16. The cooler container according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the circuit is configured to communicate wirelessly with a remote electronic device.

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