shipping container

Abstract

To provide a shipping container that realizes a humidity control function with a simple configuration.SOLUTION: A container 1 includes a left wall 100, a right wall, a ceiling, a bottom, a rear wall and a door, all made of metal, which surround a storage space for accommodating cargo. A portion of inner surfaces of the left wall 100, the right wall, the ceiling and the rear wall is covered with a humidity-regulating coating layer 600 exposed to the storage space and made of a coating material containing mesoporous silica and having a humidity-regulating function. For example, in the left wall 100, a covered region 170 covered with the humidity-regulating coating layer 600 and an uncovered region 180 not covered with the humidity-regulating coating layer 600 are repeatedly arranged along the inner surface in a front-rear direction.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to shipping containers. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, there is a technique for installing a humidity control member inside a container to control the humidity inside the container. Patent Document 1 is an example of such a technique, in which a humidity control member having a multilayer structure containing mesoporous silica is installed inside the container. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 7036967 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] There is a demand for simplifying the structure for humidity control as much as possible to facilitate manufacturing and reduce the weight of the entire container.

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a transport container that achieves humidity control function with a simple structure. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The transport container of the present invention has a plurality of metal walls surrounding a storage space for accommodating cargo, and a portion of the inner surface of at least one of the plurality of walls is coated with a humidity-conditioning coating layer exposed to the storage space, the humidity-conditioning coating layer being made of a coating material containing mesoporous silica and having humidity-conditioning function, and a first region coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer and a second region not coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer are repeatedly arranged horizontally along the inner surface.

[0007] According to the present invention, unlike a method of providing a humidity control function to a member separate from the wall portion and then attaching that member to the inside of the container, the humidity control function is provided by a simple structure in which a coating material with humidity control function using mesoporous silica is applied directly to the wall portion, which reduces the weight of the container and makes it easy to construct a structure with humidity control function during container manufacturing.

[0008] On the other hand, metal walls expand and contract with changes in temperature. Shipping containers are prone to expansion and contraction due to environmental changes during transport. In the above structure, where the coating material is applied directly to the walls, the coating material cannot keep up with the expansion and contraction of the walls, and there is a risk that the coating material will be damaged. Therefore, in the present invention, first regions coated with a humidity-conditioning coating layer and second regions not coated with a humidity-conditioning coating layer are repeatedly arranged horizontally along the inner surface. In this regard, if there were no second regions between the first regions and adjacent first regions were continuous, tensile or compressive stresses might be exerted from one first region to the adjacent first region due to expansion and contraction of the wall. In contrast, in the present invention, as described above, second regions are disposed between the first regions, separating adjacent first regions. This prevents the above-mentioned stresses from being exerted from one first region to the adjacent first region. This suppresses damage to the humidity-conditioning coating layer.

[0009] The wall may be further coated with a coating other than the coating material of the present invention, such as a corrosion prevention coating. In this case, instead of a structure in which "a coating material is directly applied to the wall," a structure in which "a coating material is further applied on top of the coating material on the wall" is adopted.

[0010] In the present invention, it is preferable that the wall portion on which the humidity-conditioning coating layer is formed has a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the interior of the storage space, the plurality of protrusions being aligned horizontally, the first region being between the tips of the plurality of protrusions, and the second region being at the tips of the plurality of protrusions. In this way, the first region and the second region are aligned according to the alignment of the protrusions. This makes it easy to identify the region where the humidity-conditioning coating layer is to be formed, facilitating the appropriate application of the coating material.

[0011] In the present invention, it is preferable that the lowermost portion of the inner surface of at least one of the plurality of wall portions includes the second region. According to one embodiment of the present inventors, the humidity-conditioning coating layer is prone to cracking at the lowermost portion of the wall portion. By not forming the humidity-conditioning coating layer at the lowermost portion of the wall portion, peeling of the humidity-conditioning coating layer due to cracking or the like is suppressed.

[0012] In the present invention, it is preferable that the humidity-conditioning coating layer is formed in an area of ​​at least the first surface, of the first and second surfaces that form a corner therebetween, that is spaced from the corner. According to one embodiment of the present inventors, cracks or the like may occur in the humidity-conditioning coating layer near the corner between the first and second surfaces. By forming the humidity-conditioning coating layer in an area of ​​the first surface that is spaced from the corner, peeling of the humidity-conditioning coating layer due to cracks or the like is suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic view showing the interior of a container according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 2 is a partially enlarged view of the left wall portion of FIG. 1 as viewed from the right. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along the line III-III′ in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] 3 is a schematic perspective view showing the lowermost part of the covering region of FIG. 2. FIG. [Figure 5] 2 is a partial cross-sectional view taken along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction of the ceiling portion of FIG. 1. [Figure 6]2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the rear wall portion of FIG. 1 taken along a horizontal plane. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] A container 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 6. The main body 10 of the container 1 shown in FIG. 1 is, for example, a dry container for transportation. The main body 10 may be of any size, but may be, for example, a 10-foot container, a 20-foot container, a 40-foot container, a 40-foot high cube container, or a 45-foot container according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standard. The main body 10 may be used for either marine or land transportation, and may be used for both domestic and international transportation. In the following description, the width direction of the main body 10, as shown in FIG. 1, is referred to as the left-right direction. The direction perpendicular to both the left-right direction and the up-down direction is referred to as the front-to-rear direction. In FIG. 1, the front-to-rear direction corresponds to the direction connecting the front and the back.

[0015] As shown in FIG. 1 , the main body 10 has a left wall 100, a right wall 200, a ceiling 300, a bottom 400, a rear wall 500, and a door (not shown). The left wall 100, the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, the rear wall 500, and the door (not shown) correspond to the "walls" referred to in the present invention. The left wall 100, the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, the rear wall 500, and the door enclose a storage space for storing cargo. The left wall 100, the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, the rear wall 500, and the door are made of metal such as aluminum or steel. The bottom 400 is made of wood.

[0016] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the left wall 100 has multiple protrusions 110 and multiple base surfaces 150 that protrude toward the interior of the storage space of the main body 10. The protrusions 110 and the base surfaces 150 are alternately arranged in the front-to-rear direction. The protrusions 110 have a trapezoidal shape that narrows toward the interior of the storage space. The protrusions 110 extend from the upper end to the lower end of the left wall 100. The surface of the protrusions 110 facing the storage space (hereinafter referred to as the "inner surface") is composed of a tip surface 120, a front side surface 130, and a rear side surface 140. The tip surfaces 120 (referred to as tip portions in this invention) are aligned along a plane perpendicular to the left-to-right direction and are arranged in the front-to-rear direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the front side surface 130 extends diagonally forward and leftward from the front end of the tip surface 120. The rear side surface 140 extends diagonally backward and leftward from the rear end of the tip surface 120. A base surface 150 is disposed between two adjacent protrusions 110. The base surface 150 is along a plane perpendicular to the left-right direction.

[0017] The base surface 150, the front side surface 130, and the rear side surface 140 constitute a first surface 160, which is a surface on which a humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 (described below) is formed. As shown in FIG. 4, the first surface 160 forms a corner S with the second surface 400a, which is the inner surface of the bottom portion 400. The corner S corresponds to the intersection line between the first surface 160 and the second surface 400a. On the first surface 160, a covered region 170 (referred to as the first region in the present invention) covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is a region from the upper end of the left wall portion 100 to slightly above the corner S. The lower end of the covered region 170 is preferably several centimeters to several tens of centimeters above the corner S.

[0018] On the inner surface of the left wall portion 100, the uncoated region 180 (referred to as the second region in the present invention) that is not coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is composed of the portion of the first surface 160 other than the coated region 170 and the tip surface 120. The tip surfaces 120 and the first surface 160 are arranged alternately in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the coated region 170 and the uncoated region 180 are also arranged alternately in the front-rear direction.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, the right wall portion 200 has a bilaterally symmetrical structure with the left wall portion 100. The right wall portion 200 has a plurality of protrusions 210 and a plurality of base surfaces 250 corresponding to the protrusions 110 and base surface 150. The inner surface of each protrusion 210 is composed of a tip surface 220 (the tip portion in the present invention), a front side surface 230, and a rear side surface 240. The base surface 250 is disposed between adjacent protrusions 210. The base surface 250, the front side surface 230, and the rear side surface 240 constitute a first surface 260 corresponding to the first surface 160. The first surface 260 forms a corner with the second surface 400a.

[0020] The covered region of the first surface 260 that is covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 (the first region in this invention) is the region from the upper end of the right wall 200 to slightly above the corner. On the inner surface of the right wall 200, the uncovered region that is not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is composed of the portion of the first surface 260 other than the covered region and the tip surface 220. The tip surfaces 220 and the first surface 260 are arranged alternately in the front-rear direction. Accordingly, the covered and uncovered regions of the right wall 200 are also arranged alternately in the front-rear direction.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 5, the ceiling portion 300, like the left wall portion 100, has multiple protrusions 310 and multiple base surfaces 350 corresponding to the protrusions 110 and base surface 150. The protrusions 310 have a trapezoidal shape that narrows toward the interior of the storage space. The protrusions 310 extend from the left end to the right end of the ceiling portion 300. The inner surface of the protrusions 310 is composed of a tip surface 320, a front side surface 330, and a rear side surface 340. The tip surface 320 (the tip portion in this invention) is aligned along a horizontal plane and aligned in the front-to-rear direction. The front side surface 330 extends diagonally upward and forward from the front end of the tip surface 320. The rear side surface 340 extends diagonally upward and backward from the rear end of the tip surface 320. A base surface 350 is disposed between adjacent protrusions 310. The base surface 350 is aligned along a horizontal plane.

[0022] The entire base surface 350, front side surface 330, and rear side surface 340 constitute a covered region 370 that is covered with a humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 (described below). The tip surface 320 constitutes an uncovered region 380 that is not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600. These surfaces are periodically arranged from front to rear in the order of base surface 350, front side surface 330, tip surface 320, rear side surface 340, base surface 350, etc. Accordingly, the covered regions and uncovered regions of the ceiling portion 300 are also arranged in the front-to-rear direction.

[0023] As shown in FIG. 6 , the rear wall 500, like the left wall 100, has a plurality of protrusions 510 and a plurality of base surfaces 550 corresponding to the protrusions 110 and base surface 150. The protrusions 510 have a trapezoidal shape that narrows toward the interior of the storage space. The protrusions 510 extend from the upper end to the lower end of the rear wall 500. The inner surface of the protrusions 510 is composed of a tip surface 520, a left side surface 530, and a right side surface 540. The tip surface 520 (the tip in this invention) is aligned along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction and aligned in the left-right direction. The left side surface 530 extends diagonally rearward from the left end of the tip surface 520. The right side surface 540 extends diagonally rearward from the right end of the tip surface 520. A base surface 550 is disposed between adjacent protrusions 510. The base surface 550 is aligned along a plane perpendicular to the front-rear direction.

[0024] The base surface 550, the left side surface 530, and the right side surface 540 form a first surface 560 corresponding to the first surface 160. The first surface 560 forms a corner between itself and the second surface 400a.

[0025] The covered region 570 (referred to as the first region in the present invention) on the first surface 560, where the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is formed, is the region from the upper end of the rear wall 500 to slightly above the corner. On the inner surface of the rear wall 500, the uncovered region 580, which is not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600, is composed of the portion of the first surface 560 other than the covered region and the leading end surface 520. The leading end surface 520 and the first surface 560 are arranged alternately in the left-right direction. Accordingly, the covered region and the uncovered region on the rear wall 500 are also arranged alternately in the left-right direction.

[0026] As described above, the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is formed on the inner surfaces of the left wall 100, right wall 200, ceiling 300, and rear wall 500, and is exposed to the storage space of the container 1. The humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is made of a coating material with humidity-conditioning properties. The coating material contains mesopore diatomaceous earth, aggregate, glue, slag, and a corrosion inhibitor.

[0027] Mesoporous diatomaceous earth is composed primarily of mesoporous silica and is formed by the accumulation of diatom shells. The average diameter of the mesopores is preferably 2 to 50 nm, and more preferably 10 nm. Instead of mesoporous diatomaceous earth, artificially synthesized mesoporous silica may also be used.

[0028] The aggregate used may be volcanic clay, calcium carbonate, silica stone, etc. The aggregate is used to increase the strength of the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600. Two or more types of materials may be mixed.

[0029] The glue is made from natural materials or organic synthetic resins. The glue used is one that does not block mesopores even when solidified and has durability and strength. As natural materials, thickeners for food additives made from starch, seaweed, cellulose, etc. are used. As organic synthetic resins, urethane resins, etc. are used. Two or more materials may be mixed. From the viewpoint of environmental protection, natural materials are preferred.

[0030] The reeds are made of fibrous materials such as cellulose fiber and natural pulp. The reeds are used to prevent cracks in the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600. Two or more materials may be mixed. From the viewpoint of environmental protection, natural materials are preferred.

[0031] Boric acid is used as an anti-corrosion agent. It is used to prevent decay when the paint material is mixed into a paste and left to stand. Two or more materials may be included. If there is little need for anti-corrosion, it is not necessary to use an anti-corrosion agent.

[0032] The coating material preferably contains 80 to 90 parts by mass of mesopore diatomaceous earth, 0 to 10 parts by mass of aggregate, 5 to 15 parts by mass of glue, 0 to 5 parts by mass of waste, and 0 to 5 parts by mass of anti-corrosion agent.

[0033] The humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 preferably has a thickness of 0.6 to 2.0 mm. If the thickness of the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is less than this range, the humidity-conditioning function may not be fully exerted. If the thickness of the humidity-conditioning coating layer exceeds the above range, the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 may be prone to cracking.

[0034] Next, a method for forming the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 on the main body 10 will be described. First, the coating material for forming the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is prepared as follows: Mesopore diatomaceous earth, aggregate, glue, slag, and corrosion inhibitor are stirred, and then water is gradually added while further stirring to form a paste.

[0035] Next, the paste-like coating material prepared as described above is applied to each of the areas to be covered, namely, the left wall 100, the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, and the rear wall 500, as follows. The application to the left wall 100 will be described below. Tape or the like is applied to the edges or the entire area of ​​the area to be the uncovered area 180 on the left wall 100 to protect it. The coating material is then applied to the covered area 170 to a predetermined thickness using a roller, brush, or the like. Similarly, the coating material is applied to the respective covered areas of the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, and the rear wall 500. Next, the main body 10 is left to dry the coating material. The protective tape or the like is then removed from the container 1, completing the humidity-controlling coating layer 600.

[0036] According to the container 1 described above, the humidity control function is provided by a simple structure in which a coating material having a humidity control function using mesoporous silica is applied directly to a wall portion, such as the left wall portion 100. Therefore, compared to, for example, a case in which the humidity control function is provided in a member separate from the wall portion and the separate member is attached to the inside of the container 1, the weight of the container 1 can be reduced and the structure related to the humidity control function can be easily constructed during the manufacture of the container 1. Furthermore, when a separate member such as the above is attached, there is a risk that the separate member will compress the storage space of the container 1. In contrast, in this embodiment, the coating material is applied directly to the wall portion, so the storage space of the container 1 is less likely to be compressed.

[0037] In the left wall portion 100, covered regions 170 coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 and uncovered regions 180 not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 are repeatedly aligned along the inner surface of the left wall portion 100 in the front-to-rear direction. Similarly, in the right wall portion 200, covered regions coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 and uncovered regions not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 are repeatedly aligned along the inner surface of the right wall portion 200 in the front-to-rear direction. In the rear wall portion 500, covered regions 570 coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 and uncovered regions 580 not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 are repeatedly aligned along the inner surface of the rear wall portion 500 in the left-to-right direction. In the ceiling portion 300, covered regions coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 and uncovered regions not covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 are repeatedly aligned along the inner surface of the ceiling portion 300 in the front-to-rear direction.

[0038] In this regard, if, for example, there were no uncoated regions 180 between the coated regions 170 and adjacent coated regions were continuous, there is a risk that tensile or compressive stress would be exerted from one coated region to the adjacent coated region due to expansion and contraction of the left wall portion 100. In contrast, in this embodiment, as described above, the uncoated regions 180 are disposed between the coated regions 170, separating the adjacent coated regions 170. This prevents the above-described stress from being exerted from one coated region 170 to the adjacent coated region 170. This prevents damage to the humidity-controlling coating layer 600. The same applies to the right wall portion 200, the ceiling portion 300, and the rear wall portion 500.

[0039] Furthermore, in the left wall portion 100, the covered region 170 is located between the tip surfaces 120 of the protrusions 110, and part of the uncovered region 180 is located on the tip surface 120. Therefore, the covered region 170 and the uncovered region 180 are lined up in the front-rear direction in accordance with the arrangement of the protrusions 110 in the front-rear direction. The same is true for the right wall portion 100, the ceiling portion 300, and the rear wall portion 500. In this way, the region where the humidity-controlling coating layer 600 is to be formed is easy to see, and the work of applying the coating material can be easily carried out appropriately.

[0040] Furthermore, the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 is not formed on the lowermost parts of the left wall 100, the right wall 200, and the rear wall 500. For example, the covered area 170 of the left wall 100 is spaced above a corner S (corresponding to the lowermost part of the left wall 100) formed between the first surface 160 of the left wall 100 and the second surface 400a of the bottom 400. In one example carried out by the present inventors, the covered area was extended up to the lowermost corner S of the left wall 100, etc., resulting in cracks or the like occurring in part of the corner S. Therefore, by spaced above the corner S, the covered area 170 is prevented from peeling off due to damage such as cracks.

[0041] In another example conducted by the present inventors, cracks also occurred in other corners, such as the corner formed between the inner surface of the ceiling 300 and the inner surface of the left wall 100, and the corner formed between the inner surface of the rear wall 500 and the inner surface of the ceiling 300. For this reason, when forming the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 on one of the two inner surfaces forming the corner, it is preferable to form the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 in an area separated from the corner. This prevents peeling of the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 due to cracks or the like.

[0042] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, it should be understood that the specific configurations are not limited to these embodiments. The present invention is not limited to the description of the embodiments, but is also defined by the claims, and includes all modifications within the meaning and scope of the claims. Modifications of the above-described embodiments will be described below. Furthermore, parts common to the above-described embodiments will be designated by the same reference numerals as above, and descriptions thereof will be omitted where appropriate.

[0043] In the above-described embodiment, the inner surface of the wall is directly coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600. However, it is also possible to coat the inner surface of the wall with another coating material, and then coat the coating material having humidity-conditioning function according to the present invention on top of that.

[0044] In the above-described embodiment, the humidity-controlling coating layer 600 is formed on the left wall 100, the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, and the rear wall 500. However, it is sufficient if the humidity-controlling coating layer 600 is formed on one or more of the left wall 100, the right wall 200, the ceiling 300, the bottom 400, the rear wall 500, and the door.

[0045] In the above-described embodiment, for example, in the left wall portion 100, the base surface 150, the front side surface 130, and the rear side surface 140 form the covered region 170. The uncovered region 180 is formed from the portion of the first surface 160 other than the covered region 170 and the tip surface 120. However, it is sufficient that the covered regions and uncovered regions are repeatedly arranged on the inner surface of the left wall portion 100, and for example, the covered regions and uncovered regions may be arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The same applies to the other wall portions.

[0046] In the above-described embodiment, the left wall portion 100, the right wall portion 200, and the rear wall portion 500 have the same shapes of the covered and uncovered regions. However, they may be different for each wall portion.

[0047] In the above-described embodiment, the covered area 170 formed on the first surface 160 of the left wall portion 100 is spaced upward from the lowermost corner S thereof. However, the first surface 160 may be covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 from the upper end to the lowermost corner S thereof. Alternatively, the first surface 160 may be covered with the humidity-conditioning coating layer 600 from a position slightly below the upper end thereof. The same applies to the right wall portion 200 and the rear wall portion 500.

[0048] In the above-described embodiment, no uncovered area is provided at the left end and the right end of the ceiling wall 300. However, an uncovered area may be provided at at least one of the left end and the right end. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1 container 10 Main Unit 100 Left wall 110 Protrusion 120 Tip surface 130 Front side 140 Posterior side 150 base surface 160 1st surface 170 Covered Area 180 Uncovered Areas 200 Right wall 300 Ceiling 400 bottom 400a Second Surface 500 Rear wall 600 humidity-controlling paint layer

Claims

1. The vehicle has a plurality of metal wall portions surrounding a storage space for storing cargo, a portion of an inner surface of at least one of the plurality of wall portions is covered with a humidity-conditioning coating layer exposed to the storage space and made of a coating material containing mesoporous silica and having a humidity-conditioning function; a first region coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer and a second region not coated with the humidity-conditioning coating layer are repeatedly arranged along the inner surface in the horizontal direction; the wall portion on which the humidity-conditioning coating layer is formed has a plurality of protrusions protruding toward the inside of the storage space, the plurality of protrusions are aligned in a horizontal direction, the first region is located between the tips of the plurality of protrusions, The shipping container, wherein the second region is located at the tip of the plurality of protrusions.

2. 2. The shipping container according to claim 1, wherein the second region is formed at a lowermost portion of the inner surface of at least one of the plurality of wall portions.

3. 2. The transport container according to claim 1, wherein the moisture-conditioning coating layer is formed on at least an area of ​​the first surface, of the first and second surfaces that form a corner between them, the area being spaced from the corner.

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