Container with dehumidification function using pressure difference between inside and outside

Abstract

The present invention relates to a container with a dehumidification function, comprising: a one-way valve module (200) provided inside the container so that air flows through the inside and outside of the container; and a dehumidifying box module (300) which is connected to the one-way valve module, and in which the air having flowed in from the outside and passed through the one-way valve module flows, wherein the air flowing into the container from the outside of the container flows into the container after passing through the one-way valve module and the dehumidifying box module, and the dehumidifying box module includes a dehumidifying agent therein so that the air flowing in from the outside of the container is dehumidified while passing through the inside of the dehumidifying box module.

Description

A container with a dehumidifying function that utilizes the pressure difference between the inside and outside

[0001] The present invention is a technology for controlling the relative humidity inside a container to a certain level or lower in order to prevent condensation from occurring on cargo loaded inside the container, and more specifically, relates to a container structure in which the relative humidity inside the container is maintained below a certain level while air flows due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the container.

[0002] Generally, there are many types of cargo that can be loaded inside a container, such as rubber, leather products, household electrical appliances, plastic products, canned goods, food, medicine, chemicals, toys, office equipment, raw hides, pulp, metal products, and woodwork products. However, there are cargoes that are not suitable for loading inside a container depending on the nature, volume, weight, shape, etc. of the cargo.

[0003] Therefore, in the case of containerized cargo, information such as size, weight, volume, and properties are first identified, and based on the confirmed cargo information, the most suitable container is selected considering the safe transportation of the cargo and economic feasibility.

[0004] Meanwhile, large cargo that is difficult to load into containers or cargo that requires refrigerated or frozen transportation is specially packaged, and a number of special containers have been developed and are being used for this purpose.

[0005] For example, in the case of large cargo that is difficult to accommodate inside a container, special packaging is done using a flat rack container with the ceiling and side walls removed or an open top container with the ceiling open, and in the case of frozen or refrigerated cargo, transportation is done using a reefer container equipped with an insulated interior space and a freezer.

[0006] On the other hand, transportation of general cargo, excluding special containers such as the above, is mainly carried out by general containers called dry containers.

[0007] The above dry container is a welded-steel structure in which each part forming the internal space is individually assembled to provide structural strength and protection against corrosion and external impact.

[0008] To this end, the dry container is configured such that a plurality of steel rails, corner posts, and frames are welded to form a skeleton, and each side is formed of a corrugated steel plate having a predetermined thickness and is integrally welded to the rails, posts, and frame, thereby securing structural strength and a buffer structure against external impact.

[0009] Meanwhile, dry containers with the above-described structure are primarily used for maritime transport. Cargo transport by sea can be subject to extreme temperature fluctuations during transit, which can lead to condensation (also known as "container rain") on the container walls and cargo, potentially causing mold, corrosion, oxidation, warping, and other potentially fatal damage to the cargo.

[0010] In particular, among the cargoes accommodated inside a container, in the case of metallic cargoes, the surface temperature is relatively lower than the temperature of the air inside the container due to their relatively high heat capacity, so there is a very high possibility of condensation occurring directly on the surface of the cargo. In addition, if air containing salt causes surface condensation during maritime transport, the possibility of oxidation or corrosion of the cargo increases further.

[0011] To prevent condensation, methods such as applying an anti-corrosion coating to the product itself or incorporating preservatives to prevent mold growth have been used. However, anti-corrosion coatings have the disadvantage of requiring removal after transport. Furthermore, incorporating preservatives does not fundamentally address condensation. Furthermore, special containers pose economical challenges when transporting large quantities of low-value cargo.

[0012] In particular, shipping containers travel at sea for extended periods of time and are subjected to varying temperatures and humidity levels. To prevent condensation inside containers, a technology capable of maintaining relative humidity below a certain level was needed.

[0013] The purpose of the present invention is to maintain the relative humidity of the air inside the container below a certain level even though outside air flows into and out of the container due to a pressure difference between the inside and outside of the container.

[0014] The present invention relates to a container having a dehumidifying function, comprising: a one-way valve module (200) provided inside the container to communicate air inside and outside the container; a dehumidifying box module (300) connected to the one-way valve module and through which air that has been introduced from the outside and passed through the one-way valve module flows; wherein air introduced from the outside into the container passes through the one-way valve module and the dehumidifying box module before being introduced into the container, and a dehumidifying agent is provided inside the dehumidifying box module, so that air introduced from the outside into the container is dehumidified as it passes through the inside of the dehumidifying box module.

[0015] The above one-way valve module (200) comprises: a first member (210) attached to a container wall and having a first flow path (215) therein that is communicated with the outside; a second member (220) formed on the first member and having a second flow path (225) therein that is communicated with the first flow path of the first member; a third member (230) formed on the second member and having a third flow path (235) therein that is communicated with the second flow path of the second member; a first one-way valve (228) that is provided on the second flow path (225) of the second member and allows air inside the container to be discharged to the outside but blocks air outside the container from being introduced into the inside; And a second one-way valve (238) provided in the third flow path (235) of the third member, which allows air from outside the container to flow into the inside but blocks air from inside the container from being discharged to the outside.

[0016] The above dehumidifying box module (300) includes a body portion (310, 320) formed in an up-down direction; and a dehumidifying agent (350) provided inside the body portion; and the inside of the dehumidifying box module is connected to the third flow path (235) of the third member, so that air introduced from outside the container passes through the one-way valve module and is introduced into the body portion of the dehumidifying box module.

[0017] The present invention has the effect of always maintaining the relative humidity of the air inside the container below a certain level, even though the pressure of the air inside the container changes due to a change in the temperature around the container, and thus external air is introduced or discharged into the container.

[0018] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a container having a dehumidifying function using internal and external pressure difference energy according to the present invention.

[0019] Figures 2 and 3 are one-way valve modules provided inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention.

[0020] Figures 4 and 5 show the operating principle of a one-way valve module provided inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention.

[0021] Figures 6 and 7 are dehumidifying box modules provided inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention.

[0022] Figures 8 and 9 are conceptual drawings in which a one-way valve module and a dehumidifying box module are arranged inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention.

[0023] Figure 10 illustrates a state in which a one-way valve module and a dehumidification box module are installed at a corner post portion of a container having a dehumidification function according to the present invention.

[0024] The purpose, specific advantages, and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and preferred embodiments, which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Furthermore, the terms used are defined based on the functions of the present invention and may vary depending on the user's intentions or practices. Therefore, the definitions of these terms should be based on the overall content of this specification.

[0025] Furthermore, when describing components of the present invention, components with the same name may be given different reference numerals depending on the drawing, and the same reference numerals may be given even in different drawings. However, even in such cases, this does not mean that the components have different functions depending on the embodiment, or that they have the same function in different embodiments, and the function of each component should be determined based on the description of each component in the embodiment.

[0026] Additionally, unless specifically defined otherwise herein, the technical terms used herein should be interpreted in the same manner as generally understood by those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, and should not be interpreted in an overly comprehensive or overly narrow sense. Furthermore, singular expressions used herein include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0027] In this application, terms such as “comprises” or “comprising” should not be construed to necessarily include all of the components or steps described in the specification, and should be construed to mean that some of the components or some of the steps may not be included, or that additional components or steps may be included.

[0028] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container having a dehumidifying function using pressure difference energy between the inside and the outside according to the present invention, FIGS. 2 and 3 are one-way valve modules provided inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention, FIGS. 4 and 5 show the operating principles of a one-way valve module provided inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention, FIGS. 6 and 7 are dehumidifying box modules provided inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention, FIGS. 8 and 9 are conceptual drawings showing the arrangement of a one-way valve module and a dehumidifying box module inside a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention, and FIG. 10 shows a state in which a one-way valve module and a dehumidifying box module are installed at a corner post portion of a container having a dehumidifying function according to the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a container according to the present invention. The container (100) according to the present invention includes a lower plate (110) positioned at the bottom, an upper plate (120) spaced apart from the upper plate (110), and a side plate (130) vertically installed at the side between the lower plate (110) and the upper plate (120). In addition, the container of the present invention includes a rear panel (140) and a front panel (150) which are vertically installed between the lower plate (110) and the upper plate (120) and at the rear and front, which is similar to a general container structure. In addition, a post (P) for supporting the load of the container in the vertical direction is provided at each corner of the container. Each side of the container is formed by integrally welding corrugated steel plates having a predetermined thickness.

[0030] The present invention relates to a container having a dehumidifying function, and the features thereof are: 1) a sealed container in which the interior of the container in which cargo is located is sealed to prevent air inside the container from freely escaping to the outside or air outside from freely flowing into the interior of the container; for this purpose, gaps inside the container are sealed or welded to ensure complete sealing; 2) a sealed container configured in this manner is provided with one passage through which air inside the container and air outside can communicate; this is an air passage through a one-way valve module to be described below.

[0031] That is, when the door of the container according to the present invention is closed, the inside of the container is completely sealed, so that the inside and outside of the container are completely sealed except for the air passage through the one-way valve module. To this end, the container of the present invention is completely sealed inside by welding or sealing the areas where the lower plate (110), the upper plate (120), the side plate (130), and the rear panel (140) and the front panel (150) are in contact with each other. In this state where the inside of the container is sealed from the outside, the air inside the container communicates with the outside air only through the air passage through the one-way valve module.

[0032] The reason for configuring the air passage through this one-way valve is that when the inside and outside air of the container are completely blocked and the entire inside of the container is completely sealed, the side wall of the container will swell or collapse due to the change in air pressure according to the internal temperature. In other words, when a container is loaded onto a ship and sails the ocean, it is exposed to various temperature environments. If the internal temperature of the container drops in a sealed state, the internal pressure will decrease and the side wall will collapse, and if the internal temperature of the container rises in a sealed state, the internal pressure will increase and the side wall will bulge outward, etc. This is because problems occurred.

[0033] Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a one-way valve module (200) is disclosed that is provided inside the container of the present invention and connects the air inside and outside the container.

[0034] The above one-way valve module (200) can be attached to a container wall to form an opening in the wall and a first member (210) to be described below can be positioned at the location where the opening is formed.

[0035] The one-way valve module (200) of the present invention is composed of a first member (210), a second member (220), and a third member (230). The first member (210) has a hollow air flow passage formed therein, which is a first flow path (215) that communicates with the outside of the container (an opening formed in the wall). The one-way valve module is attached to an appropriate position on the container wall so that the first flow path (215) communicates with the outside of the container. In addition, the second member (220) is provided with a second flow path (225) formed in the first member and communicated with the first flow path of the first member. The third member (230) is provided with a third flow path (235) formed in the second member and communicated with the second flow path of the second member.

[0036] When the pressure inside the container increases, air is discharged from inside the container to the outside. At this time, the air inside the container passes through the second flow path (225) and is discharged outside the container through the first flow path (215) (the opposite air flow is blocked). This is illustrated in Fig. 4, and the arrows in Fig. 4 indicate the flow direction in which the air inside the container is discharged to the outside, with A1 indicating the air inside the container and A2 indicating the air discharged to the outside.

[0037] And, when the pressure inside the container decreases, air flows from the outside to the inside of the container. At this time, the air flowing in from the outside of the container flows into the first flow path (215) and then flows into the inside of the container through the third flow path (235) (the opposite air flow is blocked). This is illustrated in Fig. 5, and the arrows in Fig. 5 indicate the direction of flow of air outside the container into the inside, and A3 indicates air outside the container and A4 indicates air flowing into the inside.

[0038] For this selective air flow, the one-way valve module (200) is provided with first and second one-way valves (228, 238). The first one-way valve (228) is provided in the second flow path (225) of the second member (220) to allow air inside the container to be discharged to the outside, but block air outside the container from flowing in. In addition, the second one-way valve (238) is provided in the third flow path (235) of the third member to allow air outside the container to flow in, but block air inside the container from being discharged to the outside. This one-way valve may have a thin plate structure, or various shapes of technologies having a one-way valve function may be used.

[0039] And, as shown in Fig. 5, the air outside the container that is introduced contains moisture, so if it is introduced directly into the container, it will increase the relative humidity inside the container, which is problematic. To solve this problem, the present invention allows the air introduced into the container to pass through a dehumidifying box module (300) before being introduced into the container.

[0040] The dehumidification box module (300) is a space where dehumidification occurs as air that is introduced from the outside and passes through the one-way valve module flows, which is connected to the one-way valve module. The air that is introduced from the outside of the container into the inside of the container is structured to be dehumidified by a desiccant provided in the dehumidification box as it passes through the one-way valve module and the dehumidification box module. An air flow passage, such as a hose, is arranged to guide the air from the one-way valve module (200) to the dehumidification box module (300) (see H in FIG. 10).

[0041] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the dehumidifying box module (300) includes a body portion (310, 320) formed in an up-down direction, and a dehumidifying agent (350) provided inside the body portion. The inside of the dehumidifying box module is connected to the third flow path (235) of the third member, so that air introduced from outside the container passes through the one-way valve module and is introduced into the body portion of the dehumidifying box module. The body portion may be formed by combining two members.

[0042] The above dehumidifying box module (300) is preferably installed in the internal curved gap of a post (P) located at the corner of the container, considering the efficiency of the cargo storage space accommodated inside the container, while being attached to the wall inside the container. The appearance of being arranged in the internal gap of the post is illustrated in Fig. 8.

[0043] The body (310, 320) of the above dehumidifying box module may have a structure in which the upper surface is open and the sides and lower surface are closed. In addition, a dehumidifier (350) is provided throughout the interior of the body (330). A central passage (360) through which air flowing into the interior of the body flows may be formed in an up-and-down direction within the dehumidifier. The air flowing into the dehumidifying box module may be introduced into the central passage (360), and after passing through the dehumidifier, may be discharged through the upper surface of the body to be introduced into the container. Alternatively, a partition wall may be arranged between the central passage (360) and the dehumidifier (350). The partition wall may be a member having a hollow portion in the shape of a pipe, and may be provided with an air flow guide portion (370) having a plurality of openings for guiding air flow at the lower end. With this configuration, the air flowing into the body enters the upper part of the central passage (360) and then passes through the air flow guide (370) at the lower part to enter the dehumidifier (350). Then, while passing through the dehumidifier, it flows into the container through the open upper surface of the body. With this configuration, the air outside the container comes into contact with the dehumidifier more before finally entering the container, thereby enhancing the dehumidification effect.

[0044] FIG. 9 is a conceptual view showing a one-way valve module and a dehumidification box module arranged inside a container having a dehumidification function according to the present invention, and FIG. 10 shows an actual view showing a one-way valve module and a dehumidification box module of the present invention installed at a corner post portion of a container.

Claims

1. A one-way valve module (200) installed inside a container to communicate the air inside and outside the container; It includes a dehumidifying box module (300) connected to the one-way valve module and through which air that has been brought in from the outside and passed through the one-way valve module flows; Air flowing into the interior of the container from the outside of the container passes through the one-way valve module and the dehumidifying box module before flowing into the interior of the container. A container having a dehumidifying function, characterized in that a dehumidifying agent is provided inside the dehumidifying box module, so that air brought in from the outside of the container is dehumidified as it passes through the inside of the dehumidifying box module.

2. In the first paragraph, the one-way valve module (200) A first member (210) having a first flow path (215) attached to the container wall and communicating with the outside on the inside; A second member (220) formed in the first member and having a second flow path (225) therein that is connected to the first flow path of the first member; A third member (230) formed in the second member and having a third flow path (235) therein that is connected to the second flow path of the second member; A first one-way valve (228) provided in the second flow path (225) of the second member, which allows air inside the container to be discharged to the outside but blocks air outside the container from flowing into the inside; and A container having a dehumidifying function, characterized by including a second one-way valve (238) provided in the third flow path (235) of the third member to allow air from outside the container to flow into the inside but block air from inside the container from being discharged to the outside.

3. In the second paragraph, the dehumidifying box module (300) It includes a body part (310, 320) formed in an up-down direction; and a dehumidifier (350) provided inside the body part; A container having a dehumidifying function, characterized in that the interior of the dehumidifying box module is connected to the third flow path (235) of the third member, so that air introduced from the outside of the container passes through the one-way valve module and flows into the interior of the body of the dehumidifying box module.

4. In paragraph 3, A container having a dehumidifying function, characterized in that the above dehumidifying box module (300) is provided inside a post (P) located at the corner of the container.

5. In paragraph 3, The body of the above dehumidifying box module has an open top and closed sides and bottom, and a dehumidifying agent is provided throughout the body. A central passage through which air flows into the body part is formed in an up-down direction inside the desiccant, A container having a dehumidifying function, characterized in that air flowing into the dehumidifying box module flows into the central passage, passes through the dehumidifying agent, and is discharged through the upper surface of the body before flowing into the interior of the container.

6. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, The above container is composed of a lower plate, an upper plate, a side plate, a rear panel, and a front panel, and the areas where the lower plate, the upper plate, the side plate, the rear panel, and the front panel come into contact with each other are welded or sealed, so that the inside of the container is sealed from the outside. A container having a dehumidifying function, characterized in that the air inside the container is not in communication with the outside air, except for an air passage through the one-way valve module.

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