Transportable refrigerated container and method of distribution of perishable goods
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for delivering perishable goods face challenges such as increased traffic congestion, pollution, and prolonged working hours due to the need for multiple large lorries to operate during rush hours, which also prolong delivery times and complicate the return of empty containers.
Innovation Solution
A refrigerated container with subdivided compartments and secure, independently accessible doors allows for efficient distribution by transporting goods in bulk to centralized locations at night, using fewer large lorries and employing smaller vehicles for customer-specific deliveries, enabling flexible and secure delivery times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If multiple large refrigerated lorries are used to deliver goods during rush hours, then all customers can receive their orders, but traffic congestion and atmospheric pollution increase
Solution Approach 1:
The container is divided into multiple independently accessible compartments, each with its own secure door. This allows different customers to access their goods simultaneously at different locations, enabling parallel delivery operations instead of sequential visits by multiple lorries
Solution Approach 2:
The container acts as an intermediary storage unit that is transported once to a central location, then serves multiple customers through individual compartment access. This eliminates the need for multiple delivery vehicles to travel to different customer premises
2Ease of operation
If delivery is made during regular working hours, then customers can receive goods, but delivery times are prolonged and working hours are extended
Solution Approach 1:
Goods are pre-loaded into the container at the depot before transportation. The container is then transported to a central location where customers can access their compartments at their convenience, eliminating the need for drivers to wait at customer premises during working hours
Solution Approach 2:
Each customer has independent access to their designated compartment through secure doors with unique locking mechanisms. Customers can retrieve their goods at their own convenience without requiring driver presence, enabling after-hours or flexible delivery access
3Productivity
If goods are loaded in reverse order of delivery location, then loading efficiency is improved, but the lorry must be reorganized frequently to maintain driver access to undelivered goods
Solution Approach 1:
The container is segmented into multiple compartments, each dedicated to a specific customer or delivery location. Goods are loaded into their respective compartments in any order, and the partition walls maintain organization without requiring reorganization during the delivery route
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of organizing the entire container for sequential delivery, each compartment is independently organized for its specific destination. The driver accesses different compartments at different locations along the route, eliminating the need to reorganize the entire load
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach reduces traffic congestion, lowers pollution, and allows for convenient, flexible delivery times by converting serial delivery operations to parallel, independent events, enhancing efficiency for both wholesalers and customers while maintaining product freshness.
Implementation Method 1
a refrigeration unit for cooling the interior chamber
Implementation Method 2
the partitions allow free circulation of air between the compartments whereby all the compartments are maintained at the same temperature
Data Source
AI summary
A transportable refrigerated container has an interior chamber sub-divided into separate compartments by movable partitions that allow free air circulation to maintain the compartments at the same temperature and a plurality of security doors in at least one of the sides of the container, each door affording access only to a selected respective compartment or group of compartments. A method of distributing perishable goods from a supply depot to a plurality of customers utilizes such a container. At the supply depot, goods for different customers are loaded into separate compartments and the container is then transported to a location convenient to all the customers. There, delivery drivers who can each only open a door leading to a compartment containing goods intended for a specific customer, transfer the goods from the compartment onto a smaller vehicle and deliver them to their respective customer.