Temperature-controllable container with vacuum insulation elements
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing passive temperature-controlled transport containers require frequent replacement of melt-storage elements, limiting storage time and temperature control capabilities, especially for maintaining low or high temperatures for extended periods.
Innovation Solution
A temperature-controllable container with vacuum insulation elements and an integrated temperature control unit, powered by electrical or thermal energy, which includes a solar energy system for self-sufficiency, enabling continuous heating or cooling to maintain low or high temperatures for extended periods, and a receptacle system for efficient storage of sample bodies.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If passive cooling with melt-storage elements is used, then cooling capability is provided, but storage time is limited and temperature range is restricted
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the passive mechanical melt-storage element system with an active electrical heating/cooling unit. This substitution enables continuous temperature control through electrical energy input, eliminating the limitation of finite melt-storage capacity and extending storage time indefinitely while providing broader temperature range control.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the fundamental operating parameter from phase-change temperature (melt-storage) to electrically controllable temperature. The heating/cooling unit can adjust temperature continuously within a wide range, whereas melt-storage elements are limited to specific phase-change temperatures, thus expanding the usable temperature range.
2Loss of energy
If vacuum insulation elements are used, then thermal insulation performance is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs vacuum insulation panels with thin film barriers to achieve superior thermal insulation. These thin film structures provide effective vacuum maintenance and thermal barrier properties without requiring thick rigid insulation layers, thus improving insulation performance while controlling structural complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The vacuum insulation system uses composite construction combining vacuum-sealed panels with supporting structural elements. This composite approach achieves high insulation performance (thermal conductivity <6 W/K) by integrating multiple material functions into a unified structure that balances insulation effectiveness with mechanical integrity.
3Measurement precision
If active temperature control unit is integrated, then temperature control precision is improved, but energy consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a feedback-controlled temperature system with sensors that continuously monitor the interior temperature and adjust the heating/cooling unit accordingly. This feedback mechanism maintains temperature precision of ±0.5°C while optimizing energy consumption by activating heating or cooling only when temperature deviations occur, rather than continuous operation.
Solution Approach 2:
The integrated temperature control system automatically regulates temperature without external intervention. The control unit monitors temperature conditions and self-adjusts heating/cooling output, eliminating the need for manual temperature management and optimizing energy usage based on actual thermal conditions within the container.
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 container provides continuous temperature control, allowing for long-term storage and transport of sensitive goods by maintaining temperatures within +/-0.5°C, enhancing storage duration and temperature range flexibility compared to traditional passive cooling methods.
Implementation Method 1
container with vacuum insulation elements
Implementation Method 2
vacuum insulation elements in the wall are designed so that the container has a thermal conductivity of less than 6 W/K
Implementation Method 3
temperature control unit provides a container for transport and storage, the interior temperature of which can be controlled via a heating or cooling unit
Implementation Method 4
heating or cooling unit designed so as to bring the interior space to a predetermined temperature T
Implementation Method 5
The container further comprises a temperature control unit (e.g. driven by electrical energy or thermal energy)
Data Source
AI summary
Temperature-controllable container with vacuum insulation elements and with an interior space, which container comprises a wall with an opening for objects to be placed into the interior space, and a door element closing the opening, wherein transport elements are arranged on an outer surface of the container, which transport elements are designed to enable lifting by means of a transport vehicle, and wherein the container further comprises a temperature control unit which is designed so as to bring the interior space to a predetermined temperature T, wherein the temperature control unit comprises a heating/cooling unit operated via a solar energy device or a heating/cooling unit operated via a power supply network, and wherein a receptacle means for melt-storage elements or sample bodies is arranged in the interior space, which receptacle means is designed so as to position at least two melt-storage elements or sample bodies at a distance from each other.