Inflatable Insulation Box with Airbag Structure
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current cold insulation equipment, such as EPP boxes and foam-filled boxes, face issues with poor thermal insulation performance, inefficient space utilization, and inconvenient storage and carrying due to their design and construction.
Innovation Solution
An inflatable insulation box with a fabric-covered outer layer and airbag-lined inner layer, featuring a waterproof zipper and reflective metallic-coated fabrics for enhanced insulation, allowing for easy inflation, deflation, and folding to minimize volume, along with bar-like airbags for reduced thickness and improved space utilization.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If EPP boxes are used for insulation, then thermal insulation is provided, but the box body becomes thick and cannot be folded, occupying too much space
Solution Approach 1:
The box body transitions from a rigid, fixed-thickness EPP structure to a dynamic, collapsible structure using fabric panels and airbags. When inflated, the airbags provide insulation; when deflated, the box collapses to minimal volume for storage, directly resolving the contradiction between insulation performance and storage space occupation
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation mechanism changes from fixed material thickness (EPP) to variable air pressure volume (airbags). By controlling the inflation/deflation state of airbags, the effective insulation thickness can be adjusted between maximum (inflated) and minimum (deflated) states, allowing the box to adapt between use and storage conditions
2Temperature
If a heavy ice plate is placed in the box to meet cold insulation requirements, then thermal insulation is improved, but space utilization becomes inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces heavy solid ice plates with lightweight inflated airbags for thermal insulation. The airbags provide comparable or superior insulation performance through trapped air pockets while occupying minimal weight and can be deflated to maximize usable space when not in use, resolving the space utilization issue
Solution Approach 2:
The insulation medium transitions from fixed-volume solid ice to variable-volume inflated airbags. The airbags can be inflated to provide insulation when needed and deflated to maximize usable space, dynamically adjusting the insulation parameter based on operational requirements
3Temperature
If the box body is made thick for insulation, then thermal performance improves, but the box cannot be folded and occupies excessive storage space
Solution Approach 1:
The box structure transforms from static thick-walled EPP to a dynamic fabric-airbag system. The fabric panels can fold and collapse, while airbags inflate to provide insulation thickness only when needed, enabling the box to switch between compact storage state and insulated operational state
Solution Approach 2:
The rigid EPP shell is replaced with flexible fabric panels that can be folded and collapsed. These thin fabric layers, when combined with inflated airbags, provide the necessary insulation without the bulk of thick solid material, enabling easy folding and compact storage
4Volume of moving object
If foam-filled boxes are used that can be compressed and folded, then storage space is reduced, but thermal insulation performance becomes barely satisfactory
Solution Approach 1:
The box employs a dynamic insulation system where airbags are inflated to provide maximum insulation during use and deflated for compact storage. This dynamic approach maintains satisfactory thermal insulation performance while achieving significant space reduction during storage, outperforming static compressed foam solutions
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 inflatable insulation box provides superior thermal insulation, convenient handling, and efficient space management by maintaining internal temperature effectively while being lightweight and easy to store and transport.
Implementation Method 1
Airbags used for thermal insulation result in a better performance
Implementation Method 2
inner surfaces of the outer layers on both the box body and the box lid are of reflective fabrics. Metallic silver is coated on surfaces of the reflective fabrics
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
Figure 4~5
AI summary
Provided is an inflatable insulation box relating to the technical field of cold insulation equipment for cold chain transportation, comprising a box body and a box lid, wherein the box body has an opening and the box lid is configured to close the opening of the box body; the box body and the box lid include fabrics on outer layers and airbags on inner layers, respectively; an air valve is provided on the box body and/or the box lid to inflate or deflate the airbags; reflective fabrics may also be used on inner surfaces of the box body and the box lid to improve thermal insulation performance. This inflatable insulation box has good thermal insulation effect, and can be conveniently inflated and deflated and conveniently folded up, reducing occupied space. (Fig. 3)