Variable refrigeration tower

Abstract

The present invention relates to a variable refrigeration tower and comprises: a freight horizontal loading / unloading unit that is installed at the bottom of a loading compartment of a freight vehicle and moves horizontally in a loading space inside the loading compartment to automatically load and unload freight; a partition plate that is mounted vertically in the loading space to form a partition and moves horizontally inside the loading space in conjunction with the freight horizontal loading / unloading unit; an outdoor unit installed outside the loading space; an indoor unit that is disposed on the partition plate, moves along the partition plate, and discharges cold air into a first space, partitioned by the partition plate, in the loading space, thereby forming a cold air circulation region; a cold air circulation line that connects the outdoor unit and the indoor unit and follows the movement of the indoor unit; and a line folding guide that is folded at a certain angle along the partition plate in the loading space and fixes the cold air circulation line to prevent the cold air circulation line from sagging while following the movement of the indoor unit.

Description

Variable refrigeration tower

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling structure for a cargo vehicle, and more specifically, to a variable refrigeration tower capable of dynamically securing a cold air circulation area in a loading space of a cargo vehicle for refrigerated or frozen transportation and increasing energy efficiency.

[0002]

[0003] With the rise of online delivery of fresh food, the cold chain market is experiencing rapid growth. In particular, refrigerated and frozen vehicles, which ensure product freshness during the key stages of the cold chain—production, storage, and transportation—play a crucial role in delivering safe food to consumers.

[0004] Refrigerated and freezer vehicles are generally cargo vehicles equipped with facilities to maintain temperatures below freezing to keep cargo fresh or transported. They are vehicles designed to refrigerate or freeze the interior of a conventional cargo vehicle's loading bay. The cooling device installed in refrigerated and freezer vehicles can be configured to discharge cooled air from the front to the rear of the loading bay. However, most loading spaces are excessively large compared to the cooling device's cooled air output. Consequently, the cooled air discharged from the cooling device does not reach the rear of the loading bay, resulting in reduced cooling efficiency. Furthermore, increasing the cooling output of the cooling device to cool the entire loading bay can lead to increased electrical energy consumption.

[0005] With the recent expansion of electric vehicles into refrigerated and frozen vehicles, the refrigerator can now be powered by the vehicle's battery. However, maximizing refrigerator efficiency can lead to increased battery consumption and reduced driving performance. For example, a 1-ton electric vehicle can travel over 177 km with a 100% battery charge. However, maximizing refrigerator efficiency can reduce battery efficiency and limit the vehicle's range to less than 150 km.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need to develop cooling technology for cargo vehicles that can increase cooling efficiency while reducing energy consumption.

[0007]

[0008] [Prior Art Literature]

[0009] [Patent Document]

[0010] (Patent Document 1) Korean Patent No. 10-2533081 (May 11, 2023)

[0011]

[0012] One embodiment of the present invention is to provide a variable refrigeration tower capable of flexibly securing a cold air circulation area in a loading space of a cargo vehicle for refrigerated or frozen transportation and improving energy efficiency.

[0013] One embodiment of the present invention provides a variable refrigeration tower capable of minimizing energy loss and maximizing cooling efficiency by allowing a bulkhead plate to move horizontally according to loading and unloading of cargo in a loading space of a cargo vehicle, thereby adjusting a cooling section according to the cargo transport volume.

[0014] One embodiment of the present invention provides a variable refrigeration tower in which an indoor unit is installed on a partition plate and a cold air circulation line between an outdoor unit and an indoor unit can be folded according to horizontal movement of the partition plate.

[0015]

[0016] Among the embodiments, the variable refrigeration tower includes a cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit installed on the floor of a cargo box of a cargo vehicle and horizontally moving in a loading space within the cargo box to automatically load / unload cargo; a bulkhead plate vertically installed in the loading space to form a bulkhead and horizontally moving within the loading space in conjunction with the cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit; an outdoor unit installed outside the loading space; an indoor unit disposed on the bulkhead plate to move along the bulkhead plate and discharge cold air into a first space partitioned by the bulkhead plate in the loading space to form a cold air circulation area; a cold air circulation line connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit and following the movement of the indoor unit; and a line folding guide disposed to be folded at a predetermined angle along the bulkhead plate in the loading space and fixing the cold air circulation line to prevent sagging in the process in which the cold air circulation line follows the movement of the indoor unit.

[0017] The above cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit comprises: a base plate; a drive chain belt formed of chains that are at least partially exposed to the upper portion and mutually spaced from each other on the base plate; a driven cover that is connected to both ends of the drive chain belt in a planar configuration and at least partially exposed to the lower portion, so as to surround the base plate together with the drive chain belt and have a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the drive chain belt; a drive shaft that is engaged with the drive chain belt at a first end of the base plate by a gear and transmits a driving force in a first direction to an upper portion of the drive chain belt during a loading process or a driving force in a second direction to a lower portion of the drive chain belt during an unloading process; a driven shaft that is contact-engaged with the driven cover at a second end of the base plate and is passively operated according to movement of the driven cover; and a driver that provides a driving force in the first direction or the second direction to the drive shaft.

[0018] The above drive chain belt is composed of a plurality of chain belts each connected to the gear wheel, and operates while at least a portion thereof is always exposed to the upper portion of the base plate during the process of providing the driving force in the first or second direction, and the bulkhead plate can be fixedly connected to the upper exposed portion connected to the driven cover.

[0019] The above bulkhead plate divides the loading space into a first space where cargo is loaded and unloaded and a second space where cargo is not loaded and can be gradually moved to the front of the loading space as the cargo is loaded so that the first space gradually becomes wider, and can be gradually moved to the rear of the loading space as the cargo is unloaded so that the first space gradually becomes narrower.

[0020] Among the embodiments, the variable refrigeration tower may further include a sealing member that is coupled along the edge of the bulkhead plate and adheres closely to the inner wall surface and ceiling surface of the loading space to prevent leakage of the cold air.

[0021] The above cold air circulation line may be formed to be at least longer than the length of the loading space and may be formed in the form of a hose made of a flexible material.

[0022] The above line folding guide includes two folding frames connected by a hinge bracket so as to be rotatable with each other, and both ends of the folding frames can be rotatablely connected to the loading surface on the outdoor unit side and the bulkhead plate, respectively, through the hinge brackets.

[0023] The above line folding guide can fix the cold air circulation line to the outside of the folding frame or accommodate the cold air circulation line inside the folding frame to prevent sagging of the cold air circulation line and guide the cold air circulation line to follow the indoor unit.

[0024]

[0025] The disclosed technology may have the following effects. However, this does not mean that a particular embodiment must include all or only the following effects, and thus the scope of the disclosed technology should not be construed as being limited thereby.

[0026] A variable refrigeration tower according to one embodiment of the present invention can flexibly secure a cold air circulation area in a loading space of a cargo vehicle for refrigerated or frozen transportation and increase energy efficiency.

[0027] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a variable refrigeration tower can minimize energy loss and maximize cooling efficiency by allowing a bulkhead plate to move horizontally according to loading and unloading of cargo in a loading space of a cargo vehicle, thereby adjusting a cooling section according to the cargo transport volume.

[0028] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a variable refrigeration tower has an indoor unit installed on a partition plate, and a cold air circulation line between the outdoor unit and the indoor unit can be folded according to horizontal movement of the partition plate.

[0029]

[0030] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a variable refrigeration tower according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Fig. 2 is a drawing showing the variable spatial state of the variable refrigeration tower of Fig. 1.

[0032] Figure 3 is a drawing for explaining the structure of the cargo horizontal loading / unloading section of Figure 1.

[0033] Figure 4 is a drawing for explaining the bulkhead plate of Figure 1.

[0034] Figure 5 is a drawing for explaining a process of performing a horizontal loading and unloading operation of a variable refrigeration tower according to the present invention.

[0035] Figure 6 is a drawing for explaining the cooling operation according to the spatial variation of the variable refrigeration tower according to the present invention.

[0036]

[0037] The description of the present invention is merely an example for structural and functional explanation, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited by the embodiments described in the text. That is, since the embodiments can be modified in various ways and can take various forms, the scope of the present invention should be understood to include equivalents that can realize the technical idea. In addition, the purposes or effects presented in the present invention do not mean that a specific embodiment must include all of them or only such effects, and therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be construed as being limited thereby.

[0038] Meanwhile, the meaning of the terms described in this application should be understood as follows.

[0039] Terms such as "first" and "second" are intended to distinguish one component from another, and the scope of the rights should not be limited by these terms. For example, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

[0040] When a component is said to be "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected to that other component, there may also be other components intervening. Conversely, when a component is said to be "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other intervening components. Similarly, other expressions describing relationships between components, such as "between" and "directly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted similarly.

[0041] Singular expressions should be understood to include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, and terms such as "comprises" or "have" should be understood to specify the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part or combination thereof, but not to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts or combinations thereof.

[0042] For each step, the identifiers (e.g., a, b, c, etc.) are used for convenience of explanation and do not describe the order of the steps. The steps may occur in a different order than stated unless the context clearly dictates a specific order. That is, the steps may occur in the same order as stated, may be performed substantially simultaneously, or may be performed in the opposite order.

[0043] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to be consistent with their meaning within the context of the relevant technology, and should not be interpreted as having an idealized or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined herein.

[0044]

[0045] FIG. 1 is a drawing showing a variable refrigeration tower according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a drawing showing a spatially variable state of the variable refrigeration tower of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is a drawing for explaining the structure of a cargo horizontal loading / unloading section of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is a drawing for explaining a bulkhead plate of FIG. 1.

[0046] Referring to FIGS. 1 to 4, a variable refrigeration tower (100) is installed in a loading space of a cargo vehicle to enable expansion and contraction of a cooling circulation area, and for this purpose, may include an outdoor unit (110), an indoor unit (120), a cooling circulation line (130), a line folding guide (140), a cargo horizontal loading / unloading section (150), a bulkhead plate (160), and a control section (not shown).

[0047] The outdoor unit (110) is installed outside the loading space of a cargo vehicle. The cargo vehicle is provided with a driver's seat at the front for the driver to sit in and a loading box with a loading space formed inside at the rear for loading cargo. Typically, the refrigeration tower is mounted on the body of the cargo vehicle, and each side of the loading box, which is boxed with sandwich panels, is made of insulating panels. In one embodiment, the outdoor unit (110) may be placed between the driver's seat and the loading box, but is not limited thereto, and may be placed in various locations outside the loading box, such as a wind deflector mounted on the vehicle roof. The outdoor unit (110) may include a compressor that compresses refrigerant to create a high-temperature, high-pressure gaseous refrigerant, and a condenser that is a device that condenses and liquefies the gaseous refrigerant.

[0048] The indoor unit (120) is installed in a bulkhead plate (160) of a loading space of a cargo vehicle. In one embodiment, the indoor unit (120) may be installed on one side of the bulkhead plate (160) so as to discharge cool air toward the rear where the back door of the cargo vehicle is located. The position of the indoor unit (120) within the loading space may be adjusted by the bulkhead plate (160) moving horizontally in the loading space. The indoor unit (120) may include an expansion valve that reduces the pressure of a high-pressure liquid by passing the refrigerant through a narrow capillary tube, and an evaporator (cooling coil) that allows the passed refrigerant to evaporate after contact with the indoor hot air to absorb the surrounding heat.

[0049] The outdoor unit (110) and the indoor unit (120) may be connected through a cold air circulation line (130). The cold air circulation line (130) may be composed of a first line (131) connecting between the compressor of the outdoor unit (110) and the expansion valve of the indoor unit (120), and a second line (132) connecting between the condenser of the outdoor unit (110) and the evaporator of the indoor unit (120). In one embodiment, the cold air circulation line (130) may have one side connected to the outdoor unit (110) and the other side connected to the indoor unit (120). Here, the cold air circulation line (130) may be formed in the form of a hose made of a flexible material of a specific length so as to enable the indoor unit (120), whose position changes according to the movement of the partition plate (160), to follow. The length of the cold air circulation line (130) may be formed longer than the length of the loading space.

[0050] The line folding guide (140) is arranged so as to be foldable along the movement of the partition plate (160) between the loading surface on the outdoor unit (110) side and the partition plate (160) in the loading space, and can fix the cold air circulation line (130) to prevent sagging during the process of the cold air circulation line (130) following the indoor unit (120). In one embodiment, the line folding guide (140) may be formed as a folding structure that can be folded at a certain angle around the center, as shown in FIG. 2. Specifically, the line folding guide (140) may include two folding frames (141) connected by a hinge bracket (142) so as to be rotatable with each other. The ends of the folding frame (141) on both sides are connected to the loading surface and the bulkhead plate (160) through hinge brackets (143, 144), respectively, so that the folding motion can be smoothly performed by the rotation of each of the folding frames (141) on both sides around the center hinge bracket (142). Here, the folding frame (141) may be formed in the shape of a bar made of a metal material, and in this case, the cold air circulation line (130) may be fixed to multiple locations on the outside of the folding frame (141) using a connecting member such as a tie-wrap to prevent sagging of the cold air circulation line (130). If the folding frame (141) is formed in the shape of a hollow tube, the cold air circulation line (130) may be accommodated inside.

[0051] The line folding guide (140) can prevent sagging due to load and guide the following of the cold air circulation line (130) that follows the indoor unit (12) whose position changes along the bulkhead plate (160) by performing a folding motion that unfolds or folds according to the moving direction of the bulkhead plate (160).

[0052] A cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit (150) can be installed to enable automatic loading / unloading of cargo in the loading space of a cargo vehicle. To this end, the cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit (150) can be implemented by including a base plate (310), a drive chain belt (320), a driven cover (330), a drive shaft (340), a driven shaft (350), and a drive (360), as shown in FIG. 3.

[0053] Specifically, the base plate (310) is formed in the form of a flat plate that forms the floor surface of a loading space in a cargo vehicle. The base plate (310) may correspond to the floor of a loading box.

[0054] The drive chain belt (320) is composed of chains that are spaced apart and at least some of which are always exposed to the upper portion of the base plate (310). In one embodiment, the drive chain belt (320) is arranged on the base plate (310) at a predetermined length and rotates and moves along the base plate (310). Here, the drive chain belt (320) is composed of a plurality of chain belts and operates while at least some of which are always exposed to the upper portion of the base plate (310).

[0055] The passive cover (330) is configured to be connected to both ends of the drive chain belt (320) in a planar configuration and at least a portion thereof is exposed to the lower portion to wrap the base plate (310) together with the drive chain belt (320) and have a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the drive chain belt (320). That is, the passive cover (330) may be configured to be shorter or longer than the length of the drive chain belt (320) or within a range of 20%. For example, when the length of the drive chain belt (320) is 3760 mm for a 1-ton cargo vehicle, the passive cover (330) may be configured to have a length of 3008 mm to 4512 mm. Since the driving chain belt (320) exerts different force depending on its length, the length of the driven cover (330) is set to 80% to 120% of the length of the driving chain belt (320) so that the driven cover (330) can move smoothly along the driving chain belt (320). In one embodiment, the driven cover (330) is linked to the driving chain belt (320) on both sides and moves along the driving chain belt (320). The driven cover (330) can move horizontally on the base plate (310) by the rotation of the driving chain belt (320) to load and unload cargo into and out of the loading space. Here, the driven cover (330) may be formed of a plate member made of an elastic rubber material, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and may be formed of a flexible material that can be moved along the driving chain belt (320) so that at least a portion thereof is exposed to the lower portion of the base plate (310) and at least another portion thereof is exposed to the upper portion of the base plate (310). The passive cover (330) may have a structure that is exposed on the upper part of the base plate (310) and comes into direct contact with the cargo.

[0056] The drive chain belt (320) and the driven cover (330) can be connected via a bulkhead plate (160). That is, the bulkhead plate (160) can be fixedly connected to the upper exposed portion where the drive chain belt (320) and the driven cover (330) are connected.

[0057] The drive shaft (340) is connected to the drive chain belt (320) and the gears at the first end of the base plate (310) and transmits a driving force in a first direction to the upper portion of the drive chain belt (320) during a loading process or transmits a driving force in a second direction to the lower portion of the drive chain belt (320) during an unloading process. The drive shaft (340) may provide a driving force in the first or second direction by having a plurality of chain belts of the drive chain belt (320) fastened to gears, respectively. In one embodiment, the drive shaft (340) is configured with a pair of gears, and the drive chain belt (320) passes between the pair of gears as the gears rotate. Specifically, the drive shaft (340) may include a lower gear (341) that is connected to the driver (360) and transmits the driving force provided by the driver (360), and an upper gear (343) that receives the driving force through the lower gear (341) and moves the drive chain belt (320). The lower gear (341) is fixedly connected to the first end of the base plate (310), and the upper gear (343) operates while always being exposed to the upper portion of the base plate (310) and may be fixedly connected to the bulkhead plate (160). The lower gear (341) is configured to have a diameter larger than that of the upper gear (343). The drive shaft (340) forms lower and upper gears (341, 343) along the circumference in the joining area of ​​the drive chain belt (320), and transmits a driving force in a first direction to the upper gear (343) through the lower gear (341) during the loading process, and transmits a driving force in a second direction to the upper gear (343) through the lower gear (341) during the unloading process. At this time, the upper gear (343) can receive the driving force in the first or second direction and rotate in the corresponding direction to move the drive chain belt (320).

[0058] The passive shaft (350) is in contact with the passive cover (330) at the second end of the base plate (310) and is passively operated according to the movement of the passive cover (330). The passive shaft (350) is arranged outside the loading space of the cargo vehicle and can be exposed to the outside of the loading space regardless of whether the back door of the cargo vehicle is opened or closed. Here, the passive shaft (350) rotates in conjunction with the driving shaft (340) that rotates around the axis by the driver (360). The passive shaft (350) is configured to protrude toward the rear of the cargo vehicle, thereby minimizing volume loss of the loading space and enabling connection with other cargo vehicles.

[0059] The actuator (360) provides driving force to the driving shaft (340) in a first direction or a second direction. The actuator (360) may be axially coupled to the driving shaft (340) at the first end of the base plate (310). The actuator (360) may use a hydraulic motor, but is not necessarily limited thereto, and any driving motor capable of providing driving force to the driving shaft (340) may be used. The actuator (360) may move the driving shaft (340) upwards or downwards by a specific angle during the initial process of providing the driving force and provide a relatively large driving rotational force. Here, the specific angle may be an angle of 10 degrees or less so as not to strain the support of the driving shaft (340).

[0060] The bulkhead plate (160) can be vertically installed in the loading space of a cargo vehicle to form a bulkhead. The bulkhead plate (160) has an upper exposed end of a driving chain belt (320) coupled to one side of the lower portion, and an upper exposed end of a driven cover (330) coupled to the other side of the lower portion, so that the bulkhead plate can move in the same direction as the driven cover (330) along the driving chain belt (320). At this time, the bulkhead plate (160) can support cargo loaded and unloaded on the driven cover (330) in the loading and unloading direction to ensure stable loading and unloading. In one embodiment, the bulkhead plate (160) moves horizontally within the loading space in conjunction with the cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit (150). Specifically, the bulkhead plate (160) moves horizontally within the loading space of the cargo vehicle in conjunction with the driven cover (330). The bulkhead plate (160) moves horizontally to load or unload cargo on the passive cover (330). The bulkhead plate (160) may be formed of a metal plate. The bulkhead plate (160) may divide the loading space into a space without cargo and a space with cargo. The bulkhead plate (160) may gradually move to the front of the loading space according to the loading of cargo and may gradually move to the rear of the loading space according to the unloading of cargo, thereby changing the partitioned space. At this time, the indoor unit (120) may be installed in the bulkhead plate (160) so that the cold air circulation area may be flexibly determined by the spatial division of the bulkhead plate (160). Here, the cold air circulation area may be determined as a part of the space where cargo is actually loaded, rather than the entire loading space inside the loading box.

[0061] As shown in Fig. 4, the bulkhead plate (160) may include a sealing member (161) that is joined along the edge and adheres closely to the inner wall surface of the vehicle loading compartment to prevent cold air leakage. Here, the sealing member (161) may be made of a silicone material. In one embodiment, the sealing member (161) may be joined to the bulkhead plate (160) by a fastening member such as a bolt. The sealing member (161) adheres closely to the inner wall surfaces and the ceiling surface on both sides of the loading compartment when the bulkhead plate (160) moves horizontally, thereby maintaining airtightness, thereby preventing cold air from escaping through the gap between the loading compartment and the bulkhead plate (160), and increasing the cooling efficiency.

[0062] The control unit (not shown) controls the overall operation of the variable refrigeration tower (100) according to user operation through electrical connection to perform horizontal loading and unloading of cargo, and adjusts the cold air circulation area by varying the refrigeration tower space according to the loading and unloading of cargo.

[0063]

[0064] Figure 5 is a drawing for explaining a process of performing a horizontal loading and unloading operation of a variable refrigeration tower according to the present invention.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 5, the variable refrigeration tower (100) can perform horizontal loading and unloading of cargo by operating the drive chain belt (320) by driving the drive unit (360) of the cargo horizontal loading and unloading unit (150) to provide a driving force in the first or second direction to the driving shaft (340).

[0066] When loading a cargo vehicle, first, the cargo space of the cargo vehicle is opened and the cargo is loaded onto the driven cover (330) exposed on the base plate (310). During the loading process, the driving shaft (340) is rotated by the driving device (360) to transmit the driving force in the first direction to the driving chain belt (320). The driving device (360) moves the driving shaft (340) downward by a specific angle during the initial provision of the driving force so that a relatively large driving rotational force is provided. The driving chain belt (320) is gear-coupled with the driving shaft (340) and moves as the upper gear (343) rotates by the driving force in the first direction, thereby gradually moving the driven cover (330) to the front of the loading space. The driven cover (330) can move to the front of the loading space along the driving chain belt (320) in a loaded state so as to be always exposed to the upper portion of the base plate (310). That is, the passive cover (330) is in direct contact with the cargo and moves the cargo to the front of the loading space, so that the cargo can be sequentially loaded from the front of the loading space. At this time, the bulkhead plate (160) fixedly connected to the upper exposed portion where the driving chain belt (320) and the passive cover (330) are connected moves together with the passive cover (330) according to the rotation of the driving chain belt (320) to support the cargo loaded on the passive cover (330) so that it is stably placed. When the loading of the cargo is completed, the operation of the driving unit (360) is stopped and the loading space is closed. Finally, the outdoor unit (110) and the indoor unit (120) are operated to discharge cold air into the space where the cargo is loaded, and then the transportation work is performed.

[0067] When unloading a cargo vehicle, first, the cargo space of the cargo vehicle is opened and the cargo loaded in the cargo space is unloaded. During the unloading process, a driving force in a second direction opposite to the loading process is provided to the driving chain belt (320) through the driving device (360). A driven cover (330) is coupled to the upper exposed end and the lower exposed end of the driving chain belt (320), so that the driven cover (330) moves along the driving chain belt (320). The driving chain belt (320) can horizontally pull the driven cover (330) so that the cargo loaded on the driven cover (330) moves horizontally from the base plate (310) of the loading space. The drive shaft (340) transmits the driving force of the drive unit (360) to the drive chain belt (320), thereby rotating the drive chain belt (320) to horizontally move the driven cover (330) coupled to the drive chain belt (320) so that the cargo placed on the upper portion can be discharged to the rear outside of the loading space. The drive chain belt (320) rotates due to the drive shaft (340) rotating in accordance with the rotation of the drive unit (360), and the driven cover (330) coupled to the drive chain belt (320) contacts and engages with the driven shaft (350) at least partially exposed to the rear outside of the loading space, thereby moving to the lower portion of the base plate (310). That is, when the drive chain belt (320) rotates in the second direction while cargo is loaded on the upper exposed portion of the base plate (310), a pulling force is applied to the driven cover (330) coupled to the drive chain belt (320), causing the driven cover (330) to move horizontally toward the rear exterior of the loading space. In the process of the driven cover (330) moving horizontally toward the rear exterior of the loading space, the bulkhead plate (160) moves together to support the cargo loaded on the upper portion of the driven cover (330) so that it does not fall over to the front of the loading space. The driven cover (330) is guided to move downwards of the base plate (310) by the driven shaft (350) which is at least partially exposed to the rear exterior of the loading space, and automatically discharges the cargo to the rear exterior of the loading space.Once the cargo unloading operation is completed, the operation of the drive (360) is stopped and the loading space is closed. Finally, as the cargo is unloaded, the cargo occupancy within the loading space decreases and the cooling section defined by the bulkhead plate (160) is reduced, so the cooling drive is operated accordingly to control the cooling air.

[0068]

[0069] Figure 6 is a drawing for explaining the cooling operation according to the spatial variation of the variable refrigeration tower according to the present invention.

[0070] Referring to Fig. 6, the variable refrigeration tower (100) can widen or narrow the cooling section within the loading space of the cargo vehicle according to the horizontal movement of the bulkhead plate (160). As shown in (a) of Fig. 6, the section to be cooled becomes wider as the bulkhead plate (160) approaches the front of the loading space (A1). Conversely, as shown in (b) of Fig. 6, the section to be cooled becomes narrower as the bulkhead plate (160) approaches the rear of the loading space (A2). The indoor unit (120) is installed in the bulkhead plate (160) so that it can always be positioned in the corresponding cooling section even if the cooling section widens or narrows. Here, the space within the loading box can be divided into a first space adjacent to the front of the bulkhead plate (160) on which the indoor unit (120) is installed and a second space adjacent to the rear of the bulkhead plate (160). The first and second spaces can be varied in size according to the horizontal movement of the bulkhead plate (160).

[0071] The variable refrigeration tower (100) maintains a connection between the outdoor unit (110) and the indoor unit (120) by folding or unfolding the cold air circulation line (130) according to the movement of the bulkhead plate (160) by the folding action of the line folding guide (140). When the bulkhead plate (160) moves toward the front of the loading space, the center of the double-sided folding frames (141) is folded and brought together by the hinge brackets (142, 143, 144). Conversely, when the bulkhead plate (160) moves toward the rear of the loading space, the center of the double-sided folding frames (141) is unfolded to both sides by the hinge brackets (142, 143, 144). At this time, the degree of folding of the line folding guide (140) can be determined according to the movement distance of the bulkhead plate (160).

[0072] A variable refrigeration tower (100) can circulate cold air in the first space by sending air drawn in from the first space through the indoor unit (120) to the outdoor unit (110) through the cold air circulation line (130) and discharging the air cooled through the outdoor unit (110) to the first space through the indoor unit (120). The variable refrigeration tower (100) can lower the temperature by circulating cold air in the first space.

[0073]

[0074] The variable refrigeration tower according to the present invention can increase both cooling efficiency and energy efficiency by making the refrigeration tower space narrower as cargo is unloaded from the interior space of the cargo box of a freight vehicle.

[0075]

[0076] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes may be made to the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below.

[0077]

[0078] [Explanation of symbols]

[0079] 100: Variable refrigeration tower

[0080] 110: Outdoor unit 120: Indoor unit

[0081] 130: Cooling circulation line

[0082] 131: First line 132: Second line

[0083] 140: Line Folding Guide

[0084] 141: Folding frame 142,143,144: Hinge bracket

[0085] 150: Horizontal cargo loading and unloading section 160: Bulkhead plate

[0086] 161: Sealing member

[0087] 310: Base plate 320: Drive chain belt

[0088] 330: Passive cover 340: Drive shaft

[0089] 341: Lower gear 343: Upper gear

[0090] 350: Driven shaft 360: Actuator

Claims

1. A cargo horizontal loading / unloading unit installed on the floor of a cargo vehicle's loading compartment and moving horizontally in the loading space within the loading compartment to automatically load / unload cargo; A bulkhead plate that is vertically installed in the above loading space to form a bulkhead and moves horizontally within the loading space in conjunction with the above cargo horizontal loading / unloading section; An outdoor unit installed outside the above loading space; An indoor unit disposed on the above bulkhead plate, moving along the bulkhead plate, and discharging cold air into a first space partitioned by the bulkhead plate among the loading spaces to form a cold air circulation area; A cold air circulation line connecting the outdoor unit and the indoor unit and following the movement of the indoor unit; and A variable refrigeration tower including a line folding guide arranged to be folded at a certain angle along the bulkhead plate in the above loading space and to fix the cold air circulation line to prevent the cold air circulation line from sagging in the process of following the movement of the indoor unit.

2. In paragraph 1, the cargo horizontal loading / unloading section base plate; A drive chain belt comprising chains spaced apart from each other and at least some of which are always exposed to the upper portion on the above base plate; A driven cover which is connected to both ends of the drive chain belt in a planar configuration and at least a portion of which is exposed to the lower portion, surrounds the base plate together with the drive chain belt, and is configured to have a length of 80% to 120% of the length of the drive chain belt; A drive shaft which is coupled with the drive chain belt and the gearwheel at the first end of the base plate and transmits a driving force in a first direction to the upper portion of the drive chain belt during a loading process or transmits a driving force in a second direction to the lower portion of the drive chain belt during an unloading process; A passive shaft which is in contact with the passive cover at the second end of the base plate and is passively operated according to the movement of the passive cover; and A variable refrigeration tower including a drive unit providing driving force in the first direction or the second direction to the drive shaft.

3. In the second paragraph, the drive chain belt A variable refrigeration tower characterized in that it is composed of a plurality of chain belts each connected to the gearwheel, and operates while at least a portion of the chain belts are always exposed to the upper portion of the base plate during the process of providing driving force in the first or second direction, and the baffle plate is fixedly connected to the upper exposed portion connected to the driven cover.

4. In paragraph 1, the bulkhead plate A variable refrigeration tower characterized in that the loading space is divided into a first space where cargo is loaded and unloaded and a second space where cargo is not loaded, and the first space is gradually expanded by gradually moving to the front of the loading space according to the loading of the cargo, and the first space is gradually narrowed by gradually moving to the rear of the loading space according to the unloading of the cargo.

5. In paragraph 1, A variable refrigeration tower characterized in that it further includes a sealing member that is joined along the edge of the bulkhead plate and adheres closely to the inner wall surface and ceiling surface of the loading space to prevent leakage of the cold air.

6. In the first paragraph, the cold air circulation line A variable refrigeration tower characterized by being formed in the form of a hose made of a flexible material and being at least longer than the length of the above loading space.

7. In the first paragraph, the line folding guide A variable refrigeration tower comprising two folding frames connected by a hinge bracket so as to be mutually rotatable, and characterized in that both ends of the folding frames are rotatably connected to the loading surface on the outdoor unit side and the bulkhead plate, respectively, through the hinge bracket.

8. In the 7th paragraph, the line folding guide A variable refrigeration tower characterized in that the cold air circulation line is fixed to the outside of the folding frame or the cold air circulation line is accommodated inside the folding frame to prevent sagging of the cold air circulation line and guide the cold air circulation line to follow the indoor unit.

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