Cooler boxes and vehicles containing cooler boxes

Abstract

To provide a refrigerated box and a vehicle housing the refrigerated box, which can reduce costs such as manufacturing costs and maintenance costs and reduce dead space when housed in the luggage compartment of a vehicle. The box body 11 is made of a heat insulating material, is slightly smaller in size than the trunk of a vehicle, and is provided so that it can be stored in the trunk and removed from the trunk. A refrigerant 13 is provided to be stored inside the box body 11.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooler box and a vehicle containing the cooler box. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, refrigerated vehicles (see, for example, Patent Document 1) and refrigerated boxes (see, for example, Patent Document 2) have been used to transport medicines, food, etc. while maintaining them at a constant temperature. Furthermore, these refrigerated vehicles and refrigerated boxes have multiple compartments that maintain different temperatures in order to store multiple types of medicines, food, etc. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Utility Model Application Publication No. 5-10026 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2015-193388 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, refrigerated vehicles such as those described in Patent Document 1 are vehicles dedicated to refrigeration, and therefore are difficult to use for other purposes, resulting in problems such as high manufacturing costs, maintenance costs, etc. Furthermore, among refrigerated boxes such as those described in Patent Document 2, those that are loaded onto vehicles for transportation are usually formed much smaller than the loading space of the vehicle, taking into consideration the ease of loading and unloading them into and out of the vehicle, resulting in a problem of large dead space when loaded onto the vehicle.

[0005] The present invention was made with a focus on these problems, and aims to provide a cooler box and a vehicle equipped with a cooler box that can reduce costs such as manufacturing costs and maintenance costs, and can reduce dead space when stored in the luggage compartment of a vehicle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the cooler box of the present invention is characterized by having a box body made of insulating material, slightly smaller in size than the trunk of a vehicle, which can be stored in the trunk and can be removed from the trunk, and an ice pack stored inside the box body.

[0007] The insulated box of the present invention can be used to store items that require temperature control during transportation and storage, such as medicines and food, inside the box body. The insulated box of the present invention has a size slightly smaller than the trunk of a vehicle, which reduces dead space when stored in the trunk, allowing for effective use of the trunk. Furthermore, the box body can be removed from the trunk, allowing the vehicle to be used for other purposes. This reduces manufacturing and maintenance costs compared to dedicated refrigerated trucks.

[0008] In the insulated box according to the present invention, the box body preferably has a ceiling, floor, and side walls all made of insulating material, with the interior being completely surrounded by the insulating material. The insulating material may be any insulating material as long as it has insulating properties. The type and number of ice packs are preferably adjustable depending on the temperature to be maintained inside the box body. The ice packs may be any type as long as they have a cooling effect. The box body preferably has an opening that can be opened and closed. Furthermore, the box body is preferably foldable when not in use to facilitate easy loading and unloading into the luggage compartment.

[0009] The insulated box according to the present invention may have a partition plate that can be attached to the inside of the box body to divide the inside of the box body into two compartments. Alternatively, the box may have multiple partition plates, dividing the inside of the box body into three or more compartments. In these cases, each compartment can be maintained at a different temperature, allowing multiple types of items to be stored at temperatures appropriate for each compartment. The partition plate is preferably made of a heat insulating material to prevent heat from entering or leaving each compartment. Each compartment preferably has an opening that can be opened or closed.

[0010] In the insulated box according to the present invention, the vehicle is a wagon-type light vehicle, and the length, width, and height of the box body are preferably 90% or more of the length, width, and height of the luggage compartment, respectively. In this case, the dead space when stored in the luggage compartment of the vehicle can be further reduced, and the luggage compartment of the vehicle can be used more effectively. Note that the vehicle is not limited to a light vehicle, but may also be a standard-sized wagon-type vehicle.

[0011] In the cooler box according to the present invention, the box body preferably has two openings communicating with the interior thereof and two opening / closing doors corresponding to the openings so that the openings can be opened and closed, and the openings are preferably located opposite one of the left and right rear doors of the vehicle and the back door of the vehicle when the box body is stored in the luggage compartment. In this case, with the box body stored in the luggage compartment, items such as medicines and food can be stored in the box body and removed from the box body through the rear door or the back door of the vehicle.

[0012] Furthermore, when the box has two openings, the box may have a partition plate that can be attached to the inside of the box body to separate the interior of the box body into a compartment on one opening side and a compartment on the other opening side, thereby allowing items to be stored in or removed from each compartment through the corresponding opening.

[0013] When the cooler box according to the present invention is divided into two compartments by a partition plate, it may have a refrigeration means detachably attached to the box body so that one of the compartments separated by the partition plate can be cooled to a temperature below 0°C. In this case, the compartment with the refrigeration means can be used to store or transport items that need to be frozen. Furthermore, by removing the refrigeration means, the compartment can be maintained at a temperature above 0°C for transportation or storage.

[0014] The cooler box according to the present invention may have a plurality of storage pockets detachably attached to the inner wall of the box body, each capable of storing the ice packs. In this case, the number of storage pockets can be easily increased or decreased to adjust the number of ice packs as needed. Each storage pocket may be detachably attached to the inner wall of the box body by any means, such as a hook-and-loop fastener.

[0015] The vehicle with a refrigerated box according to the present invention is characterized in that the refrigerated box according to the present invention is fixed to the luggage compartment.

[0016] The vehicle equipped with a refrigerator box according to the present invention can be easily converted into a refrigerator car by simply fixing the refrigerator box according to the present invention to the luggage compartment. Furthermore, by removing the fixed refrigerator box, the vehicle can be used as a normal vehicle. This allows the vehicle equipped with a refrigerator box according to the present invention to reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs compared to manufacturing a dedicated refrigerator car. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to this invention, it is possible to provide an insulated box and a vehicle equipped with an insulated box that can reduce costs such as manufacturing costs and maintenance costs and reduce dead space when stored in the luggage compartment of a vehicle. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1]1 is a perspective view showing a cooler box according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] (a) A side view showing the state where the opening / closing door of the opening on the rear door side is closed, (b) A side view showing the state where the opening / closing door of the opening on the rear door side is open, (c) A rear view showing the state where the opening / closing door of the opening on the back door side is closed, (d) A rear view showing the state where the opening / closing door of the opening on the back door side is half open, and (e) A rear view showing the state where the opening / closing door of the opening on the back door side is fully open, of an insulated box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 10 is a perspective view showing a modified example of the cooler box according to the embodiment of the present invention, which has a partition plate and a freezing means. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an experiment conducted to examine the cooling effect of the insulated box according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 5 is a graph showing the temperature changes in two compartments of the cooling box, as a result of an experiment to examine the cooling effect shown in FIG. 4. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 to 5 show a cooler box according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cooler box 10 has a box body 11, a plurality of storage pockets 12, and a plurality of ice packs 13.

[0020] The box body 11 has a rectangular parallelepiped exterior and has a storage compartment 21 inside. The ceiling, floor, and side walls of the box body 11 are all made of insulating material, and the storage compartment 21 is surrounded by the insulating material without any gaps. The cooler box 10 is slightly smaller than the luggage compartment of the vehicle and is installed so that it can be stored in the luggage compartment and removed from the luggage compartment. In one specific example, the box body 11 is 1800 mm long, 1330 mm wide, and 1150 mm high, and is configured so that it can be stored in the luggage compartment of a commercially available minicar wagon. Furthermore, the box body 11 is formed to have a size that is 90% or more of the length, width, and height of the luggage compartment of the vehicle. The insulating material has a thickness of 30 mm to 50 mm.

[0021] 2, the box body 11 has two openings 22a, 22b that communicate with the storage room 21, and two opening / closing doors 23a, 23b that are provided corresponding to the openings 22a, 22b so that the openings 22a, 22b can be opened and closed. When the box body 11 is stored in the luggage compartment of the vehicle, the openings 22a, 22b are provided at positions facing one of the left and right rear doors of the vehicle and at positions facing the back door of the vehicle.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, each storage pocket 12 is a rectangular bag made of a mesh material and has an opening at the top. Each storage pocket 12 is sized to accommodate one of the ice packs 13. In the cooler box 10, detachable hook-and-loop fasteners are attached to multiple locations on the inner wall of the storage chamber 21 of the box body 11 and to one outer surface of each storage pocket 12. This allows each storage pocket 12 to be detachably attached to the inner wall of the storage chamber 21 of the box body 11.

[0023] 1, each ice pack 13 can be stored in each storage pocket 12 through the opening of each storage pocket 12 and placed in storage chamber 21 of box body 11. The type and number of ice packs 13 can be adjusted depending on the temperature to be maintained in storage chamber 21 of box body 11.

[0024] Next, the operation will be described. The refrigerated box 10 can be used to store items that require temperature control during transportation or storage, such as medicines or food, in the storage compartment 21 of the box body 11. Because the box body 11 of the refrigerated box 10 is slightly smaller than the trunk of a vehicle, the dead space created when stored in the trunk can be reduced, allowing for effective use of the trunk. Furthermore, because the box body 11 can be removed from the trunk of the vehicle, the vehicle can be used for other purposes. As a result, the refrigerated box 10 can reduce manufacturing and maintenance costs compared to dedicated refrigerated trucks.

[0025] Furthermore, with cooler box 10, openings 22a, 22b can be opened and closed through the rear door or back door of the vehicle when box body 11 is stored in the luggage compartment of the vehicle, making it possible to store and remove items such as medicines and food inside box body 11. Furthermore, with cooler box 10, each storage pocket 12 can be attached and detached using hook-and-loop fasteners, making it possible to easily increase or decrease the number of storage pockets 12 and adjust the number of ice packs 13 as needed.

[0026] As shown in Fig. 3, the cooler box 10 may have a partition plate 31 that can be attached to the inside of the box body 11 to divide the storage chamber 21 of the box body 11 into two compartments at any position along the length of the box body 11. The partition plate 31 is preferably made of a heat insulating material to prevent heat from passing between the compartments. The partition plate 31 preferably divides the storage chamber 21 of the box body 11 into a compartment on the rear door opening 22a side and a compartment on the back door opening 22b side. The cooler box 10 may also have a plurality of partition plates 31 to divide the storage chamber 21 into three or more compartments.

[0027] With this partition plate 31, each compartment can be maintained at a different temperature, allowing multiple types of items to be stored at temperatures appropriate for each. Also, items can be stored in or removed from the corresponding compartments through the openings 22a, 22b of the rear door and back door.

[0028] 3, the refrigerated box 10 may have a refrigeration means 32 detachably attached to the box body 11 so as to be able to cool one of the two compartments separated by the partition plate 31 to a temperature below 0°C. In this case, items that need to be frozen can be stored in the compartment with the refrigeration means 32 attached thereto for transport or storage. Furthermore, by removing the refrigeration means 32, the compartment can be maintained at a temperature above 0°C for transport or storage. The refrigeration means 32 is preferably provided with an attachment position on the box body 11, and the attachment position may be configured to be attachable from inside the storage chamber 21, or may be configured to be attachable from outside the box body 11 by opening and closing a portion of the insulation on the side walls or ceiling. [Example]

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the storage compartment 21 of the cooler box 10 was divided into two compartments A and B by a partition plate 31, as in Figure 3, and an experiment to examine the cooling effect was conducted. The experiment was conducted with the cooler box 10 installed in a laboratory. In the experiment, the volumes of compartments A and B were the same. No ice packs 13 were stored in compartment B, which has opening 22b on the back door side, while 28 kg of ice packs 13 were stored in compartment A, which has opening 22a on the rear door side. The experiment began when the ice packs 13 were installed, and the outside temperature (temperature in the laboratory) at the start of the experiment was 30°C. Also, assuming that the cooler box 10 was installed in the trunk of a vehicle, the temperature in the laboratory was changed so that the outside temperature reached 50°C two hours after the start of the experiment and remained at 50°C thereafter. The experiment was conducted for eight hours from the start of the experiment, with the opening doors 23a and 23b of the two openings 22a and 22b opened 90° for approximately 10 seconds every 15 to 16 minutes. During the experiment, in compartment B, which did not contain ice packs 13, temperature measurements were taken at two locations (positions marked with stars in the figure) 30 cm and 60 cm from the floor in the center, and in compartment A, which contained ice packs 13, temperature measurements were taken at four locations (positions marked with stars in the figure) 30 cm and 60 cm from the floor near openings 22a and 22b (door side) and near the inner wall opposite openings 22a and 22b (rear side). Temperature measurements were taken every 10 minutes.

[0030] The experimental results are shown in Figure 5. As shown in Figure 5, it was confirmed that in section A containing ice packs 13, the temperature was maintained at around 5°C when the outside air temperature was between 30°C and 35°C, and at around 10°C when the outside air temperature was around 50°C. Furthermore, it was confirmed that the temperature rose by several degrees Celsius to 10°C when doors 23a and 23b were opened. From this temperature change, it is clear that it is best to open and close doors 23a and 23b as quickly as possible.

[0031] Additionally, it was confirmed that in compartment B, which does not contain ice packs 13, the temperature changes in accordance with the change in the outside air temperature, to a temperature about 5 to 8 degrees Celsius lower than the outside air temperature. This temperature difference with the outside air temperature is thought to be due to the inflow of cold air from the partition plate 31 and the insulating effect of the insulating material. [Explanation of symbols]

[0032] 10 Cooler Box 11 Box body 21 Storage Room 22a,22b opening 23a, 23b Opening and closing doors 12 storage pockets 13 Ice packs 31 Divider 32 Refrigeration means

Claims

1. a box body made of a heat insulating material, having a size slightly smaller than a luggage compartment of a vehicle, and configured to be stored in and removable from the luggage compartment; and a cooling agent stored inside the box body. A specially designed cool box.

2. 2. The cooler box according to claim 1, further comprising a partition plate that is attachable to the inside of the box body to divide the inside of the box body into two compartments.

3. The vehicle is a light vehicle wagon, The length, width, and height of the box body are 90% or more of the length, width, and height of the luggage compartment, respectively. The cooler box according to claim 1.

4. The box body has two openings communicating with the interior thereof, and two opening / closing doors provided corresponding to the openings so as to be able to open and close the openings, Each opening is provided at a position facing one of the left and right rear doors of the vehicle and at a position facing the back door of the vehicle when the box body is stored in the luggage compartment. The cooler box according to claim 3.

5. 5. The cooler box according to claim 4, further comprising a partition plate that can be attached to the inside of the box body to separate the inside of the box body into a compartment on one opening side and a compartment on the other opening side.

6. 6. The cooler box according to claim 2 or 5, further comprising a refrigeration means detachably provided on the box body so as to be able to cool one of the two compartments separated by the partition plate to a temperature lower than 0°C.

7. 2. The cooler box according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of storage pockets detachably provided on the inner wall of the box body, each capable of storing the ice pack.

8. 8. The cooler box according to claim 7, wherein each storage pocket is detachably attached to the inner wall of the box body by a hook-and-loop fastener.

9. A vehicle equipped with a cooler box, comprising: a cooler box according to any one of claims 1 to 5, fixed to a luggage compartment.

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