Foldable Baffle Assembly for Refrigeration Container Airflow Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigeration containers experience non-uniform cooling due to undesired air flow paths created by gaps between produce and container walls, leading to spoilage and damage, and existing baffles are cumbersome or prone to damage.
Innovation Solution
A baffle assembly made from stiff planar material with a base, hingedly extendable deflector, and adjustable angle selector, allowing for customizable airflow manipulation, including height adjustment and secure anchoring to prevent airflow through gaps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If inflatable bags or flexible curtains are used as baffles to block air flow paths, then uniform cooling of produce is improved, but the baffles become cumbersome and prone to damage
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a flexible curtain made of thin film material to block air flow paths. The curtain is lightweight and easy to install while effectively preventing short-circuiting of cooled air. The flexibility of the thin film allows it to conform to the container interior and be easily manipulated during installation, resolving the contradiction between achieving uniform cooling and maintaining baffle durability.
2Ease of operation
If inflatable bags are used as baffles, then air flow paths are blocked to force air through produce, but the bags require a compressor and are susceptible to puncture
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the compressor component entirely from the baffle system. Instead of using inflatable bags that require external compression equipment, the invention employs simple flexible curtains that can be manually deployed and secured without any mechanical assistance, thereby eliminating device complexity while maintaining air flow control capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The flexible curtain is designed to be self-deploying and self-securing. It can be easily attached to the container interior and automatically positions itself to block air flow paths without requiring external equipment or complex mechanisms, making the system self-sufficient and operationally simple.
3Productivity
If rigid baffle structures are used to block air flow, then cooling efficiency is improved, but installation becomes difficult and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic, flexible curtain instead of a rigid baffle structure. The curtain can be easily folded, rolled, or adjusted during installation to fit different container configurations and positions. This flexibility dramatically reduces installation time and complexity while maintaining the ability to effectively block air flow paths and improve cooling efficiency.
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 baffle assembly effectively directs airflow through cargo, ensuring uniform cooling and preventing spoilage by blocking undesired paths, while being easy to install and durable.
Implementation Method 1
a deflector hingedly extending from the base... The baffle assembly is operable between a collapsed condition... and a deployed condition in which the angle selector extends between the base and the deflector to support the deflector at the selected angle
Data Source
AI summary
A baffle blank for a baffle assembly and a method for deploying the baffle assembly in a storage container for manipulating air flow in the container is provided. The baffle blank is made of stiff planar sheet material and has fold lines, cut lines and sulcations arranged to form a base, a deflector extending from the base along a hinge line, and an angle selector formed as cut-out in the baffle blank. The baffle blank is operable between a collapsed condition in which the base, deflector and angle selector lie in a substantially planar configuration, into a deployed baffle assembly in which the deflector is secured at a selected angle relative to the base by the angle selector with the angle selector extending between the base and deflector.