Flexible Cooling Blanket With Fold-Seam Coil Connections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional methods for maintaining the cold chain, such as refrigerated units and passive cooling technologies like Styrofoam and dry ice, are economically inefficient and can damage products or pose safety risks, especially in vehicles without refrigerated compartments.
Innovation Solution
A flexible cooling blanket with a compartmentalized cooling layer assembly and heat dissipating layer assembly, using rigid coils connected by flexible tubes, powered by a compressor, which can be easily deployed in vehicles to efficiently maintain product temperature without occupying excessive space.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If traditional refrigerated units or passive cooling technologies (Styrofoam, dry ice) are used to maintain the cold chain, then product temperature can be maintained, but economic efficiency deteriorates and safety risks increase
Solution Approach 1:
The cooling system is segmented into modular cooling blankets that can be independently deployed around individual product loads. Each blanket contains its own cooling coils and insulation layers, allowing distributed cooling rather than relying on a single centralized refrigeration unit. This segmentation improves safety by eliminating large quantities of dry ice and reduces economic inefficiency through targeted cooling only where needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses flexible fabric sheets with integrated cooling coils to create adaptable cooling blankets that can wrap around various product shapes and sizes. This flexible shell approach replaces rigid Styrofoam containers and traditional refrigerated unit enclosures, improving economic efficiency through reduced material usage and enhanced safety by eliminating the need for heavy insulation materials and large dry ice quantities.
2Use of energy by moving object
If rigid cooling coils are used in a flexible blanket, then cooling efficiency improves, but the blanket's flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges rigid cooling coils with flexible fabric sheets by encasing the rigid coils within layers of flexible material. The cooling coils are sewn or attached between fabric layers, creating a composite structure where the rigid cooling elements provide efficient heat transfer while the flexible fabric outer layers maintain blanket adaptability. This merging allows the system to achieve both high cooling efficiency and full flexibility for deployment in various vehicle configurations.
3Adaptability or versatility
If folding seams are added to enable blanket flexibility, then adaptability improves, but heat transfer continuity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses flexible tubes as intermediary connections between cooling coil segments located on either side of folding seams. These flexible tubes bridge the gap created by the seam, allowing continuous coolant flow and maintaining heat transfer continuity while permitting the blanket to fold at the seam location. The flexible tube acts as a mediator that reconciles the conflicting requirements of foldability and thermal continuity.
Solution Approach 2:
The folding seams are positioned perpendicular to the direction of heat transfer, allowing the blanket to flex in one dimension (folding) while maintaining integrity in the heat transfer path. The cooling coils are arranged in patterns that accommodate folding by placing seams at strategic locations where they intersect fewer coil segments, and using flexible connections to bridge across seam lines, effectively managing the dimensional aspects of flexibility versus thermal continuity.
4Power
If a compressor is integrated into the cooling blanket, then cooling capability improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the compressor from the main cooling blanket structure and positions it externally, connected to the cooling coils via flexible tubing. This extraction reduces the complexity within the blanket itself, making it easier to deploy and maneuver, while still providing full cooling capability through the externally mounted compressor. The compressor can be positioned in a convenient location on the vehicle or held by the operator, separating the high-complexity component from the simple flexible blanket structure.
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 flexible cooling blanket effectively maintains product temperature while minimizing energy consumption and space usage, allowing for flexible deployment in various vehicle types and reducing wear and tear, while also providing insulation when not in use.
Implementation Method 1
a first set of rigid cooling coils disposed between the first and second fabric sheets
Implementation Method 2
a first set of rigid heat dissipating coils disposed between the third and fourth fabric sheets
Implementation Method 3
heat dissipating layer assembly
Implementation Method 4
a cooling layer assembly having a first fabric sheet and a second fabric sheet
Data Source
AI summary
Exemplary embodiments provide a flexible cooling blanket including a cooling layer assembly and a heat dissipating layer assembly. The cooling layer assembly includes a first set of rigid cooling coils connected to a second set of rigid cooling coils using a first flexible tube. The heat dissipating layer assembly includes a first set of rigid heat dissipating coils and a second set of rigid heat dissipating coils connected with a second flexible tube. The first and second flexible tubes extend across the folding seams of the blanket.