Vacuum insulation material, and thermally insulating container and thermally insulating wall using same

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Solution Overview

Problem

Conventional vacuum heat insulators face challenges in maintaining high heat insulation performance over a long period due to the deactivation of gas adsorbents when exposed to atmospheric pressure before evacuation.

Innovation Solution

The proposed vacuum heat insulator includes an outer packaging material with a gas barrier property, a core material of open-cell urethane foam, and a gas adsorption device with a vacuum sealed container containing a gas adsorbing substance. The gas adsorption device features an opening pin and a load-bearing spacer to prevent premature opening of the container, ensuring the gas adsorbing substance maintains its adsorption capability.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If the gas adsorption device is installed in the vacuum heat insulator, then the heat insulation performance is improved, but the device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveheat insulation performanceVSAvoidstructure complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The gas adsorption device is nested within the vacuum heat insulator structure. The vacuum sealed container is placed inside the vacuum space, the opening pin penetrates through the outer packaging material, and the load-bearing spacer is integrated into the overall structure. This nesting approach allows the gas adsorption device to function within the existing vacuum insulation system without requiring separate external components, thereby improving heat insulation performance while controlling device complexity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #7Nested doll (Nesting)

2Reliability

If the opening pin is made long to ensure opening, then the opening reliability is improved, but the displacement control becomes difficult

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveopening reliabilityVSAvoiddisplacement control
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The load-bearing spacer is pre-installed in a fixed position within the vacuum heat insulator structure before the opening pin is activated. This preliminary positioning of the spacer creates a predetermined stop point that limits the pin's displacement. The spacer is designed with specific dimensional tolerances to ensure it engages the pin at the correct position, thereby controlling displacement precision while maintaining opening reliability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The load-bearing spacer acts as an intermediary element between the opening pin and the vacuum sealed container. Instead of the pin directly interacting with the container or external structures, the spacer mediates the force transmission and displacement control. This intermediary component provides a controlled interface that ensures reliable opening while maintaining manufacturing precision through its designed geometry and material properties.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

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

This configuration maximizes the adsorption capability of the gas adsorbent, thereby maintaining high heat insulation performance for an extended period, even in applications with complex shapes, such as refrigerators and LNG storage tanks.

Implementation Method 1

a gas adsorbing substance that adsorbs a gas

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectAdsorption: Adsorption

Implementation Method 2

a vacuum sealed container containing a gas adsorbing substance

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectVacuum sealing: Vacuum

Data Source

PatentEP4160075B1Vacuum insulation material, and thermally insulating container and thermally insulating wall using same
Publication Date: 2025.01.29 PANASONIC INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY MANAGEMENT CO LTD
  • EP4160075B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP4160075B1 patent drawingFigure 3A~3B
  • EP4160075B1 patent drawingFigure 4A~4B

AI summary

Refrigerator door (25) includes outer packaging material (55) including a resin sheet, and a core material and a gas adsorption device each contained in outer packaging material (55). The gas adsorption device includes a vacuum sealed container containing a gas adsorbing substance that adsorbs various gases, an opening pin that opens the vacuum sealed container by a physical load from an outside, and a load-bearing spacer that suppresses displacement of the opening pin to less than or equal to a predetermined amount.