Environmental control unit
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Solution Overview
Problem
Perishable goods degrade during the 'last mile' of delivery due to lack of controlled environmental conditions, as large trucks with refrigeration systems cannot navigate city streets, forcing goods to be transported on smaller vehicles without environmental control, leading to quality deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A portable environmental control unit with a thermoelectric device, fan, and controller, connected to a transport container, which uses wireless communication to adjust cooling based on location, destination, and internal temperature, ensuring optimal preservation of perishable goods during transit.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If a large truck with a refrigeration system is used for transport, then the perishable goods can be kept at controlled temperature, but the truck cannot navigate city streets for last mile delivery
Solution Approach 1:
The refrigeration system is segmented from the large truck and integrated into a portable container. The container can be detached from the truck and used independently for last mile delivery, allowing the cooling function to be separated from the large vehicle body.
Solution Approach 2:
The environmental control unit is extracted as a separate removable component from the truck's refrigeration system. This extracted unit can be attached to smaller delivery vehicles or containers, enabling temperature control to be taken out from the large truck context and applied in urban delivery scenarios.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the perishable cargo is transported on smaller vehicles without environmental control, then the vehicle can navigate city streets, but the product quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The portable environmental control unit is designed to be universally applicable across different vehicle types and delivery scenarios. It can be attached to various container configurations and used in both truck-based and last mile delivery contexts, providing temperature control functionality regardless of the transport platform.
3Temperature
If a portable environmental control unit is used, then the temperature can be controlled during last mile delivery, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The environmental control unit incorporates automatic control capabilities where the system monitors temperature and adjusts cooling operations autonomously based on pre-set parameters. The controller automatically determines when cooling is needed and manages the thermoelectric device and fans without requiring manual intervention, thereby reducing operational complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The system includes temperature sensors that continuously monitor the internal environment and provide feedback to the controller. The controller uses this feedback to automatically adjust the cooling operation, creating a closed-loop control system that maintains temperature without requiring complex manual management.
4Temperature
If the cooling system operates continuously, then the temperature is maintained, but the energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system operates periodically rather than continuously. The controller monitors temperature and activates the thermoelectric device and fans only when temperature thresholds are exceeded, allowing periodic cooling cycles that maintain temperature while reducing overall energy consumption compared to continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system dynamically adjusts its operation based on real-time temperature conditions. The controller modulates the cooling intensity and timing according to the actual thermal state of the cargo, optimizing energy usage by applying cooling only when and where needed rather than operating at constant capacity.
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
The solution effectively maintains the quality of perishable goods by automatically controlling the cooling function according to external factors, thereby extending the shelf life and maintaining product quality until delivery.
Implementation Method 1
Air or an air/ gas mixture is drawn from the interior volume of the cargo space by means of the evaporator fan(s) associated with the evaporator, passed through the airside of the evaporator in heat exchange relationship with refrigerant whereby the refrigerant absorbs heat from the air
Implementation Method 2
The environmental control unit includes a thermoelectric device
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3~4
AI summary
An environmental control unit for use with a transport container is disclosed. The environmental control unit includes a thermoelectric device, a fan configured to blow air across the thermoelectric device, a cooling module, a controller in electronic communication with the thermoelectric device and the fan, and a communication module in electronic communication with the controller. The communication module is configured to transmit parameters of the environmental control unit to a computing device through wireless communication. The controller is also configured to determine a present location of the transport container, determine a destination of the transport container, evaluate an internal temperature of the transport container, and control an on or off condition of the thermoelectric device based on the present location, the destination, and the internal temperature of the transport container.