EP3410045A1 - Temperature-controlled autonomous isolation container for transport and shipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) comprises an outer wall (2) which contains or consists of insulating material. The outer wall (2) is formed by a bottom (4), side walls (5) and a cover (3) which can be placed on the side walls (5) and together define an interior space (6) in the insulated container (1). The interior (6) comprises at least one by a transport chamber wall (71) limited transport chamber (7) for receiving goods to be transported, at least one control / monitoring system (81) and at least one energy source (82), such as a battery in at least one Control chamber (8), at least one cooling area (9, 91, 92) for receiving at least one cooling element (93), a ventilation system (10), which is suitable for air circulation air duct (101) and at least one in this air duct (101) arranged fan (102), at least one heating means (11) and at least one temperature sensor (12). The transport chamber (7) is closed relative to the ventilation system (10) and the air channel (102) encloses the transport chamber (7) on all sides directly or indirectly. Such an insulated container (1) is particularly suitable for the transport of pharmaceuticals.

Description

Field of the invention

The invention relates to an insulated container which is suitable for shipping and transporting temperature-sensitive goods, such as e.g. Pharmaceuticals or sensitive foods. The container can be used without external power supply, i. autonomously, to heat or cool its contents to keep it at the desired temperature range.

background

The hitherto most common solutions employ a combination of two methods: (i) isolating the container and (ii) tempering the container contents.

Provided the contents of the container are within the desired temperature range during packaging, its temperature can be maintained for some time by minimizing the exchange of heat between the contents and the environment. This is the purpose of the insulation. However, even the best insulation will allow a few watts of energy through with sufficient temperature difference, and this may be sufficient to bring the package contents (or a portion thereof) above or below the given temperature range. The capacity of the insulated container represents how much energy the interior of the insulated container and the products contained therein can win or lose. This is supplemented by the fact that most temperature-controlled shipping products themselves do not have sufficient capacity Tempered interior of the container, ie heat adds (heats) or removes (cools) as needed. How much heat can be added or removed in this way represents the capacity of the tempering system and how quickly the heat is corrected the performance of the tempering system. The uniform temperature distribution in the package contents is decisive for the quality of the temperature control system. Most talk about cooling capacity and / or heating or heating capacity, and about performance.

There are various types of cooling media known that are more or less suitable for use in insulated containers.

Heat pumps: Heat pumps are most often proposed for freely adjustable temperature control. Heat pumps are able to transfer heat from the contents of the container to the outside and in some cases vice versa. Its dominant advantage is unlimited cooling capacity, provided that (i) they receive sufficient energy input and (ii) the waste heat is sufficiently absorbed by the environment. For an autonomous container, they are not very suitable due to their energy requirements.

Passive media: In many cases, passive media offer much higher capacity than heat pumps and less dependence on the storage conditions of the insulated container, such as temperature difference between outside and inside and / or access to an external power supply.

Passive media absorbs heat from the insulated container or releases heat to it. Their latent heat (when melting, freezing or evaporating) or their high specific heat capacity is used. Although enamel media will perform well enough in the desired temperature range for many applications, inexpensive, non-hazardous and stable media are only available for certain temperature ranges. These include, in particular, water and its (eutectic) solutions. For a higher price, media are available for additional temperature ranges, but most are at most half the heat capacity of water. For the cooling elements, the heating up to the melting point poses a risk, because during this phase the minimum temperature could be undercut, if these elements were frozen at very low temperatures, which is often the case. For example, a commonly used freezing temperature is about - 24 ° C.

Although specific-capacity media can be used, they have very little capacity at a considerable weight. However, they can still be attractive for special applications due to their low cost.

Ventilation- controlled passive cooling: In certain solutions, an internal ventilation system has been used to control the heat exchange between the tank contents and a cooling medium. In this way, a melting medium can be used for temperature ranges that do not intersect with its melting point. Analogously, in other solutions an evaporating medium is used, whereby the ventilation can be replaced here by the stream of released gas.

Depending on the design, the ventilation can also help to distribute the cooling evenly. The existing solutions do this basically so that They lead the cooling gas directly through the part of the insulating container, which serves to accommodate the products to be transported. In this way, however, the uniformity of the cooling is not guaranteed, for example, if the products fill the space to be ventilated too much and / or hide certain points (especially places on the outer wall). Also, a channel may be created which provides so little resistance to the air flow that alternative, longer or narrower paths have almost no contact with the ventilation.

As a consequence, the placement of a temperature sensor is important. In the known solutions was - regardless of the size of the insulated container - always provided only a single sensor. If such a sensor is covered, it will react to the effect of ventilation late or not at all. If it is not obscured, it may shut off the ventilation, if necessary, before the entire area has been adequately tempered, e.g. because he receives no information on any hidden spots.

In order to prevent hypothermia of the products, it is also already known to provide insulated containers with a heater. Suitable heating means are known.

Heater / Chiller: Certain heat pumps and passive media can also be used to replace heat that has leaked out of the containment to maintain its internal temperature above the target minimum. Another alternative is the use of an electrical heater ie elements that convert the electrical current into heat.

Although heat pumps can be used quite efficiently as heating, they always perform somewhat worse than electric heating elements under comparable conditions with regard to capacity and / or performance. The reason is that they need a heat conduction channel, which weakens the insulation, and that this attenuation must be compensated by the heat pump.

Passive media are significantly less usable compared to cooling as a heater due to their low capacity.

With the same volume and weight, electrical heating elements with a modern power source, such as a rechargeable battery, are superior to all other heating means.

Heating media are sometimes used with coolants. Such configured containers, which have both a cooling as well as a heating function, and which can be switched on or off as needed, so as to keep the temperature of the container contents more or less constant, are already known.

Such a solution is described in WO 2014/006281 , These containers are outside, isolated from the environment, and their interior is divided into three compartments, a transport compartment for receiving the products to be transported, a cold / heat compartment, which supplies heat or cold as needed, and a third compartment, which is divided into an upper and a lower sub-compartment. In the upper sub-compartment a removable module is arranged, which on the one hand comprises a control for an air flow and on the other hand means for generating this air flow. This air flow is generated so that it passes through the cold / heat compartment and the transport compartment. The lower sub-compartment is for the flow of the air flow and ensures that it flows from the transport compartment in the direction of the heating / cooling compartment.

This container has several disadvantages. By localizing the heating and refrigerant in a common compartment for temperature control serving both as Heizwie as well as cooling air flow on the one hand the heating of the cooling is not sufficiently isolated and on the other hand, the change from heating to cooling sluggish and it is consumed relatively much energy. This solution therefore requires either a lot of energy storage medium, which increases the weight, or - for longer transport time - an external power supply. Further, in this prior art solution, the cooling or heating gas is passed directly through the package contents. In this way, the uniformity of the cooling is not guaranteed if the transport compartment is heavily filled and / or the contents of the transport compartment covered certain places (especially locations on the outer wall) and / or if a channel is formed, the air flow so little resistance offers that alternative, longer or narrower ways are hardly flowed through.

Presentation of the invention

The object of the present invention was therefore to provide, with the least possible additional volume and weight, and preferably also inexpensively, a container which can autonomously maintain the temperature of the products contained therein for a certain period of time in a desired, preferably adjustable, temperature range.

This object has been achieved by a temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container with an outer wall containing or consisting of insulating material and a bottom, side walls and a cover which can be placed on the side walls, which together define an interior space in the insulated container, the interior at least one through a Transport chamber wall limited transport chamber for receiving goods to be transported, at least one controller and at least one energy source in at least one control chamber, at least one cooling area for receiving at least one cooling element, a ventilation system which comprises an air duct suitable for air circulation and at least one fan arranged in this air duct, and at least one heating means and at least one temperature sensor, characterized in that the transport chamber is closed relative to the ventilation system and the air duct, the transport chamber on all sides directly or indirectly encloses.

In a preferred embodiment, a cooling region is arranged in the bottom and / or in the lid. If the insulated container comprises more than one cooling zone, these are preferably arranged opposite one another in order to allow uniform temperature control. a second cooling area is located in the lid or in the floor. In this embodiment it is preferred if not only the lid but also the bottom are openable and preferably removable. In three cooling regions, it may be preferable to provide two transport chambers which are separated from one another by a third cooling region, with all the cooling regions being arranged parallel to one another, two of them on opposite side walls. In four cooling areas, these are preferably arranged on all four side walls.

The required cooling capacity is preferably provided by means of cooling elements, such as cooling packages, eg cooling packages based on frozen water or its eutectic solutions. Each cooling area may contain one or more cooling elements. While it is possible to firmly integrate the cooling elements in the lid, it is preferable to design the cooling area with removable cooling elements. This has the dual advantage that the cooling elements alone occupy less space in the refrigerator and that the lid can be reused without interruption by replacing the used cooling elements with fresh ones. analog of course applies to the floor, if this alternative to the cover or additionally has a cooling area.

The air duct surrounds the transport chamber on all sides either directly and / or indirectly. Direct surrounding is understood to mean an embodiment in which the transport chamber and the air channel share a thermally weakly insulating or thermally conductive wall, whereas indirect surrounding means a surrounding in which e.g. the control chamber is arranged between the transport chamber and the air duct or in which a cooling region integrated in the air duct is partially thermally shielded by insulation from the transport chamber.

In a preferred embodiment, at least one cooling area is integrated into the air duct, ideally in such a way that the cooling elements can be flowed around on all sides as much as possible in order to optimally utilize their cooling capacity. Thus, in such an embodiment, the cooling of the cooling chamber adjacent to the transport chamber wall is not too intense when the ventilation circuit is switched off, which would lead to switching on the heater and thus consumption of the battery power is in a preferred embodiment on the common wall, between the cooling area and the transport chamber, an insulation provided. This is not intended to completely shield the cooling area, but to dampen the cooling performance. A thickness of 1 to 2 cm for Styrofoam or other expanded polymer materials, such as expanded polypropylene or polyethylene as insulating material has been found to be most suitable. When using other insulating materials, the thickness can be adjusted so - reduced when using eg vacuum plates - that their shielding or insulating force corresponds to that of a 1 to 2 cm thick polystyrene plate.

The air duct contains spacers which on the one hand serve to stabilize the air duct and on the other hand to guide the air. In the area of the cooling elements, they can also serve to fix the cooling elements within the cooling area.

Since the transport chamber should be as large as possible, the air duct is in a preferred embodiment on the one hand at least partially limited by at least part of the outer wall of the insulating container, on the other hand, at least partially through at least part of the transport chamber wall, said part of the transport chamber wall is thermally little insulating to good conductive ,

With the exception of an embodiment in which the control chamber is arranged between two transport chambers, the control chamber partially delimits the air duct.

The transport chamber wall is provided on all sides with heating means, in particular heating foils. When using heating foils with heating chambers arranged on the transport chamber side, the electrically insulating carrier foil forms one of the layers of a multi-layered transport chamber wall. Since the transport chamber is loaded and unloaded, the heating means should be secured against the transport chamber against mechanical damage. This can be done for example by attaching an electrically insulating but thermally conductive film or coating, such as a paint. A possible layer structure of a transport chamber wall seen from the transport chamber therefore comprises (i) an electrically insulating but thermally conductive film or coating, (ii) heating structures, (iii) an electrically insulating, preferably thermally conductive carrier film, (iv) a hard plastic wall core or Metal and (v) optionally an insulating layer.

In order to obtain good temperature control, usually at least 3 temperature sensors have to be provided, wherein in special situations, eg with very small transport chambers with a maximum of about 1/2 liter volume, fewer temperature sensors, such as only one temperature sensor, may be sufficient, provided that the temperature sensor is placed, for example, in the center of the transport chamber or on the wall most sensitive to temperature fluctuations.

In order to obtain optimum temperature control, however, it is preferable to equip each side with an individually controllable heating means and to provide in the area of each heating means at least one, in the case of a cubic transport container consequently at least 6, temperature sensors, for example in the middle of each side. These temperature sensors may be the same or different, i. some of the sensors may be optimal for one temperature range, another for a different temperature range.

In addition to the temperature control, which controls the fan power or the operating time of the fan and the switching on and off of the heating means, the at least one control chamber contains the at least one energy source necessary for autonomous operation. This may be any autonomous energy source, such as a fuel cell, a non-rechargeable battery, or, preferably, a rechargeable battery. It is also possible to provide a combination of such energy sources. The power source can be permanently installed or designed replaceable. For exchangeability once again speaks the lower life, during which the insulated container can not be used, because, for example, the battery must be charged. However, even when the battery is interchangeable, it is preferred that the insulating container has a connection for an external power source in its interior and / or in the outer wall.

For ease of handling, it is preferable for the cover-side and / or bottom-side transport chamber wall to be openably attached to the cover or floor as a one-sided boundary of the cooling region. The cover-side and / or bottom-side transport chamber wall is therefore also referred to as an internal cover or internal floor. These internal covers or bottoms allow good fixation of the cooling elements on the one hand without additional fixing means, on the other hand good access to the cooling elements.

So that the temperature control also receives information from an openable or removable internal cover or internal floor and can control the heating means, electrical contacts are provided in the area of contact between the lid and middle part or bottom and middle part, in particular simple contact contacts which - in order to protect against corrosion be - for example, gold plated.

As a middle part of the transport box is called without lid and bottom, the transport box only without a lid, however, as a container part.

The outer wall of the insulating container may be formed of multiple layers, such as layers of different insulating materials, or one or more insulating materials together with mechanically stabilizing materials.

As additional security, in particular for the transport of goods which may at no time be exposed to a temperature outside the predetermined temperature range, a recording device for the temperature maxima and / or temperature minima and / or the temperature profile can additionally be provided. While simple recording devices should be arranged for exceeding or falling below the predetermined temperature range within the transport chamber, recording devices for the temperature profile can be accommodated in the control chamber, connected to the temperature sensors or possibly further mounted within the transport container sensors.

The inventive design has the great advantage that the temperature takes place directly on the transport chamber wall and / or the outer wall, so that the transport compartment with respect to the outside temperature is always shielded on all sides.

The insulating container according to the invention can be designed or adapted to a very large number of different time periods, temperature ranges and external conditions. The most common conditions are a period of at least 15 hours, preferably at least 24 hours, without external assistance, e.g. Energy supply, and temperature ranges of 2 - 8 ° C and 15 - 25 ° C. The container must provide adequate protection from outside temperatures which exceed the predetermined maximum as well as below the predetermined minimum (i.e., often 10 ° C to 20 ° C difference to the desired target temperature range).

The inventive insulated containers are particularly suitable for the temperature-controlled transport or shipping of pharmaceuticals and / or donor organs.

The preparation of the insulated container is carried out essentially by known methods. The air duct can be made by the spacers are integrally formed or glued to one wall of the air duct. The pattern which the spacers are to assume is determined on the one hand by the required stability, on the other hand by the desired all-round, as uniform as possible flow around the transport chamber and is dependent inter alia on the dimensions of the air duct and the positioning of the fan within the air duct and the cooling areas.

As a fan in the context of the present invention, not only classic fans with rotors, but any means that is suitable in the sense of a fan to set an air flow in motion or to keep moving.

Brief description of the drawings

• Fig. 1: Isometrische Projektion einer ersten Ausführungsform eines erfindungsgemässen Isolierbehälters mit abgenommenem Deckel und fest integriertem Boden;
• Fig. 2A: Isometrische Projektion einer zweiten Ausführungsform eines erfinduungsgemässen Isolierbehälters mit geöffnetem Deckel und geöffnetem Boden;
• Fig. 2B: Vergrösserung des In Fig. 2A angezeigten Bereichs;
• Fig. 3: Funktionsschema des Isolierbehälters gemäss Fig. 2 und seines Kühl- und Heizsystems;
• Fig. 4: Loggeraufzeichnungen eines erfindungsgemässen Isolierbehälters bei hoher und niedriger Temperatur.

Further embodiments, advantages and applications of the invention will become apparent from the dependent claims and from the following description with reference to FIGS. Showing:

• Fig. 1 : Isometric projection of a first embodiment of an insulating container according to the invention with the cover removed and the base firmly integrated;
• Fig. 2A : Isometric projection of a second embodiment of an inventive insulating container with the lid open and the bottom open;
• Fig. 2B : Enlargement of the In Fig. 2A displayed area;
• Fig. 3 : Functional diagram of the insulated container according to Fig. 2 and its cooling and heating system;
• Fig. 4 : Logger records an inventive insulating container at high and low temperature.

Way (s) for carrying out the invention

The temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container 1 according FIG. 1 includes an insulated outer wall 2 with a lid 3, a bottom 4 and side walls 5, which enclose an interior space 6. The interior 6 is subdivided into at least one transport chamber 7, which serves to receive products to be transported, at least one control chamber 8 and at least one cooling area 9. Shown in FIG FIG. 1 is a Insulating container 1 with 1 transport chamber 7, 1 control chamber 8 and 2 cooling areas 9. The cooling areas 9 are integrated into an air duct 101 of a ventilation system 10, which also comprises a fan 102 and is stabilized by spacers 103. A first cooling area 91 is arranged between the transport chamber 7 and the control chamber 8, and a second cooling area 92 is opposite the first cooling area 91 on the outer wall 2. The cooling areas 91, 92 are preferably separated from the transport chamber 7 by insulation, so that when the ventilator is switched off Cooling area 91, 92 adjacent transport chamber wall 75 does not cool too much, or the cooling of this wall must not be compensated by much additional heating power. The arrangement of the control chamber 8 on the outer wall 2 is not absolutely mandatory, since their heat development is generally low. However, it is preferred that the air channel 101 surround the transport chamber 7 as directly as possible on all sides, as this allows a more rapid response to temperature fluctuations within the transport chamber 7. The control chamber 8 is preferably shielded by thermally insulating material with respect to the transport chamber 7 and the cooling area 9, wherein even a positioning within the ventilation system 10 is not excluded. The control chamber 8 contains the controller 81, also referred to as the control system, and the batteries 82. If more than one control chamber 8 is provided, one may contain the controller or the controller and part of the batteries, the other only batteries.

The outer wall 2 contains at least one insulating material which surrounds the insulating container insulating on all sides, or it consists thereof. The outer wall 2 can also be constructed from a plurality of insulating layers and / or comprise an outer and / or inner layer of mechanically more resistant material.

The transport chamber 7 is surrounded on all sides by a transport chamber wall 71, which separates them from the air channel 101 when the insulated container is closed. In contrast to the outer wall, the transport chamber wall - at least at the points where it is in direct contact with the air duct 101 (with the exception of the locations where shielding against the cooling areas is desired) - should be thermally non-insulating or thermally conductive as possible.

The air duct 101 includes at least one fan 102 and various spacers 103, which stabilize the dimensions of the air duct 101 and additionally serve to direct the air flow within the air duct 101 and the transport chamber 7, or their bottom and side walls, directly or indirectly fixed or detachable connect the outer wall 2. In particular, with removable floor at least firm connection of the side walls of the transport chamber with the preferably parallel to extending outer walls 2 is necessary to prevent them falling out when opening the floor.

The spacers 103 are preferably made of thermally non-conductive material. These can be integrally formed with at least one wall of the air channel 101 or glued or welded to this.

In the area of the fan 102, the air duct 101 can be enlarged so that the fan can fit into it and develop its desired effect.

By a thermally non-insulating wall connected to the air duct 101 or - preferably - integrated into this is at least one cooling area 91, 92 with at least one cooling element 93. When the fan 102 is switched on, the air through the cooling areas 91, 92, preferably at least over the both sides with the greatest extent or on all sides, around the cooling elements around, and circulating around the transport chamber 7 on all sides. At the boundaries of the cooling areas spacers 103 are also attached. These are preferably soft and flexible and adapt to the temperature-induced deformation of the cooling elements 93, but guarantee at each temperature an open air channel for air circulation 101, in particular at least one air duct 101 on the outer wall facing side of a cooling element 93rd

The transport chamber walls 71 comprise heating means 11, in particular electrical heating elements, e.g. Heaters. Heating foils are understood to mean thermally non-insulating or even thermally conductive carriers (foils) onto which heating structures are applied. The placement of the heating elements 11 or their positioning as walls of the transport chamber 7 or on the individual walls of the transport chamber 7 is chosen so that a uniform heating of the walls is ensured. Narrow heating structures are preferred, i. Heater surfaces with a high surface area, since their temperature should preferably be within the desired temperature range to avoid local overheating.

In order to prevent mechanical damage to the heating structures, it is also preferred to cover these on the transport chamber side, e.g. by means of a thermally non-insulating or even thermally conductive foil or varnish.

Each transport chamber wall 71 can be individually controlled via a corresponding temperature sensor 12 and heated via individually controllable heating means 11. For this purpose, each wall includes at least 1 heating means 11 and 1 temperature sensor 12.

The heating means 11 and the temperature sensors 12 are connected to a control / monitoring system (not shown) in the control chamber 8.

The advantage of such a design of the insulating container 1 is that it can be easily filled. Only a removable lid is needed a part of the air passage 101 and a part of the transport chamber wall 71 (internal lid 31) includes. The cooling elements can be placed directly in the provided cooling compartments. When closing the lid 3 14 contact with the control is produced via contact points between the lid 3 and middle part or container part. As contact points usual contacts are suitable, in particular corrosion-protected contacts, such as gold-plated contacts, eg spring contacts.

Another embodiment of the inventive insulating container 1 and its mode of action or properties are in the FIGS. 2 to 4 described in more detail. In this embodiment, the cooling regions 91, 92 are arranged in the optionally removable cover 3 and, if appropriate, a likewise openable or even removable bottom 4. The cover 3 has an openable or removable internal cover 31 on the transport chamber side, and the base 4 can also have an openable or removable internal bottom 41 on the transport chamber side, or the internal base 41 is formed integrally with the transport chamber side walls 75, because unlike the cover during removal the bottom of the cooling elements would not fall out of the ground but would be held by the floor outer wall. In the assembled state, the internal lid 31, the internal bottom 41 and the transport chamber side walls 75 form the transport chamber wall 71. The lid 3 including the internal lid 31 and the bottom 4 including the internal bottom 41 may be made identical. In order that the transport chamber 7 can be loaded before the cooling elements 93 are used, it is preferred if the internal bottom 41 is connected to the transport chamber side walls 75.

If lid 3 and bottom 4 are to be interchangeable, it is also possible to make the inner bottom 41 in two parts, wherein a first part is firmly connected to the transport chamber side walls 75 and a second part corresponding to the inner lid 31 is openable together with the bottom 4. The first part fixedly connected to the transport chamber sidewalls 75 should allow loadability of the transport chamber 7 prior to attaching the floor to the second part of the inner floor. For example, this first part may be a grid or a thin wall that should not be thermally insulating or well conducting.

For certain applications, a bottom-side cooling region 9 is preferred. In such embodiments, the floor is preferably designed to be openable to insert or replace the cooling elements. In embodiments in which the floor is not openable, the access to the bottom cooling area 9 can be ensured by the fact that the bottom of the transport chamber 7 is designed openable with the transport chamber side walls or that the transport chamber is designed as a whole removable, which, however, high demands the accuracy of fit, since the connection of the temperature sensors and the heating means with the control / monitoring system 81 and the power source 82 must be ensured at all times.

The interior 6 of the insulating container 1 comprises, in addition to the cooling regions, at least one and preferably a transport chamber 7 and at least one and preferably a control chamber 8 and a ventilation system 10. Between the transport chamber 7 and the insulating outer wall 2 or the boundary of another chamber, such as the control chamber 8, or another area, such as the cooling area 9, which may optionally also be designed as a chamber, as a boundary of the transport chamber 7, a further (at least partially not possible insulating) partition, the transport chamber wall 71 is provided. Between this and the outer wall or the boundary of another chamber so creates an air duct 101 with a ventilation layer, ie one Air layer which is circulated by means of fan 102 via the cooling regions 9 and all transport chamber walls.

Within the air duct 101 are in addition to the fan 102 and spacers 103. These serve to stabilize the air duct 101, the leadership of the air flow so that it is as uniformly as possible over the cooling areas 9 and all transport chamber walls 71, and optionally the holder of cooling elements 93rd when the cooling areas 9 are integrated into the air duct 101. The air duct 101 preferably has an approximately constant total thickness over its entire area (distance between, for example, the outer wall 2 and the transport chamber wall 71), but may be made thicker in the area of the fan so that the fan 102 can be sufficiently accommodated. Also, in this area, a drop in the flow rate is less critical, since active circulation takes place. In the area of the cooling elements 93, the total thickness on both sides of a cooling element may be relevant, or primarily the thickness on one side, when the cooling element 93 is primarily or exclusively in contact with the air flow with one of its sides.

The spacers 103 can also be used to connect parts of the transport compartment, in particular the side walls 75, but optionally also an integral with this internal bottom 41 directly or indirectly fixed to the corresponding outer walls 2. Indirect connection can be found e.g. via the boundary of a control chamber 8.

When integrated into the air duct 101 cooling areas 9, the air circulates with the fan on through the cooling areas 9 and around the transport chamber 7 around. On the walls of the cooling regions 9 spacers 103 are also attached. These are preferably soft and flexible, so that they can adapt to the temperature-induced deformation of the cooling elements 93, but at the same time ensure that an air channel 101 remains at least on the directed against the outer wall side of the cooling region 9.

The at least one control chamber 8 includes a control system 81 and the batteries 82. With more than one control chamber, the control system 81 and the batteries 82 may be housed in different control chambers 8.

The walls of the transport chamber 7 include electrical heating means 11 (e.g., heating foils) and temperature sensors 12 connected to the control system 81. The placement of the heating elements 11 is preferably selected to ensure uniform heating of the transport chamber walls 71. Each transport chamber wall 71 can be individually controlled and heated via the corresponding temperature sensor 12. For this purpose, each wall contains at least 1 temperature sensor.

The insulating container according to the invention can be designed or adapted to a very large number of different time periods, temperature ranges and external conditions. The most common conditions are a period of at least 15, in particular at least 24 hours without external assistance, e.g. Energy supply, and to be observed in the transport chamber 7 temperature ranges of 2 - 8 ° C and 15 - 25 ° C. The container must provide sufficient protection against outside temperatures that are above the specified maximum as well as below the specified minimum.

The insulated container should have a maximum thermal conductivity of 2W / K, preferably less than 0.5W / K, for conventional external dimensions of 40 cm × 60 cm × 50 cm. As insulating materials, the usual materials that are used for insulated containers, including Styrofoam (EPS), expanded polypropylene (EPP), expanded polyethylene (EPE) as well as polyurethane foam (PUR) are suitable. With these materials and these masses is with a Wall thickness of the outer wall 2 of at least 4 cm to ensure an acceptable insulation. Due to their reduced thickness, vacuum insulation panels allow a thermal conductivity below 0.5 W / K to be achieved without unnecessarily reducing the volume of the transport chamber 7. Especially in the case of vacuum insulation panels protection against mechanical damage is necessary.

The thermal conductivity of the insulated container 1, the expected temperature difference between outside and desired internal temperature and the expected time determines the required heat capacity of the temperature control (cooling and heating). With a temperature difference of 10 ° C, a thermal conductivity of 1W / K and a period of 24 hours, this results in a capacity of 240Wh or 864kJ, which is about the cooling capacity of 3kg of frozen water or the corresponding battery capacity for heating.

In addition to the usual masses for such insulated container 1, such can have any other measure. Smaller masses allow for the same insulation with a thinner insulated wall, thus requiring less internal capacity for equal endurance and performance. Larger ones can in turn carry thicker insulating walls or more batteries and cooling elements. Note a minimum volume, which the control chamber 8 requires.

Among other things, the cooling capacity depends on the temperature difference between the melting point of the cooling medium and the upper limit of the desired temperature range. The cooling capacity can be further enhanced by the fact that the distance which the air flow passes outside of a cooling area 9 is reduced. For greater cooling, therefore, on the one hand a lower melting medium (eg a eutectic mixture) can be used or the cooling medium can be distributed to two opposite sides of the air channel 101. The latter variant shortens the route outside the Cooling areas 9 and increases the performance as well as the uniformity of the cooling.

The core of the transport chamber wall 71 may be made of a hard material, e.g. Hard plastic or metal, or this included. Light metals such as copper, aluminum and their alloys may contribute to uniform temperature distribution or temperature control, but are preferably provided with an electrically insulating layer, e.g. the carrier foil of a heating foil, electrically insulated. The spacers 103 should be made of hard plastic or other material that is resistant, but as little as possible thermally conductive. As a result, with inactive ventilation, the air in the air duct can contribute to the insulation (especially with cold protection). Spacers 103 around the cooling elements 93 should be made of a soft, flexible material that conforms to the expansion or shrinkage of the cooling elements 93, e.g. made of expanded polyethylene foam. This is especially important when water and its mixtures are used as cooling media.

The heating elements 11 (heating foils) and temperature sensors 12 are preferably attached to the transport chamber walls on the transport chamber walls 71. Heating elements 11 and sensors 12 must be sufficiently protected against damage by corrosion (including water) and mechanical damage. It can also be covered and protected for this purpose by means of a mechanically resistant, electrically insulating and temperature-resistant cover foil or a covering lacquer.

The temperature sensor 12 should be placed so that it reacts quickly and accurately to the temperature of the heating element, and is ideally only separated from the heating element 11 by a thin electrically insulating film. In order to allow the most uniform possible heating, heating foils which cover the entire inner surface of the transport chamber 7, ie the entire inner surface of the Cover transport chamber wall 71 (including lid and bottom), preferably.

How many sensors are needed depends on the need for temperature control and on the thermal conductivity along the wall of the transport compartment. A very small transport compartment with aluminum walls could possibly manage with less than 6, such as 1 or 2 temperature sensors 12. However, for common mass at least 3, preferably at least 6 temperature sensors 12 are highly preferred, in particular sensors which are placed in the center of the respective wall and in the center of the associated heating elements 11.

As heating elements 11 are particularly suitable finely structured heating films, which distribute the heat produced evenly over its surface. Under the supervision of the control / monitoring system 81, these are heated only to a temperature just above the minimum temperature and in any case to a temperature below the maximum temperature. Suitable films are available on the market, e.g. from Thermo Flächenheizungs GmbH or Thermo Heating Elements, LLC.

Preferred temperature sensors 12 are thermistors, but it is also possible to use expansion chamber thermostat systems and bimetallic switches. The use of thermistors makes it easier to cover and set both limits of a temperature range with one sensor. The combination with a programmable microcontroller allows more accurate control of the heating system, digital calibration of the sensors, recording of the temperatures and has many more advantages. In principle, however, it is possible to control the temperature control system from heating and cooling with an electromechanical circuit (by means of a mechanical temperature switch).

As an energy source or energy storage medium are fuel cells and all types of batteries which meet the requirements of a transport container, especially low weight and stability in case of vibration, but preferred are accumulators, in particular based on lithium ions or lithium polymer. In order for these batteries to be charged without having to be removed from the insulated container, a connection 13 for an external power source can be provided internally. The internal connection has the advantage that it is better protected against damage and environmental influences than an external connection. However, it is also possible alternatively or additionally to provide a passage through the outer wall 2 for connecting the battery or the accumulator to an external power supply. This implementation can be used to charge and / or discharge the battery, for example, by the container is connected to an external power source for temporary storage. An external connection can also serve the direct supply of electricity to the control / monitoring system or the heating means. An external connection can be useful in any case, for example to extend the time during delivery delays, during which the insulated container can be kept at low outside temperatures in the desired temperature range.

The control of the heating means 11 and the at least one fan 102 may be independent, analog or digital.

The temperature differences within the cooling circuit cause some air circulation, which is actually undesirable because it can not be influenced by the cooling system and possibly increase the need for heating when more heat than desired is given to the cooling elements. The design of the components of the ventilation system 10 (air duct 101, fan 102 and spacers 103) and the cooling areas 91, 92 is preferably such that the heat exchange is prevented by spontaneous circulation. If, for example, a single cooling area 9 lies below the transport chamber 7, The cold air remains down without active ventilation and cools the rest of the air duct 101 very little. Cooling elements 93 in the lid 3, however, are preferably used when a certain degree of permanent cooling is desired, for example when the container is set at outside temperatures mainly above 10 ° C to 2-8 ° C. In embodiments with laterally placed cooling regions 9, horizontally placed spacers can prevent the predominantly vertical spontaneous circulation. In this way, the cooling depends on the active circulation of the air by means of fan 102 and can be better controlled.

For the same reason, an insulating layer between the transport compartment and the cooling compartments makes sense, the thickness or insulation is selected in proportion to the difference between the melting temperature of the cooling medium and the minimum temperature in the transport compartment. If this insulating effect is too low, the heating becomes active at the expense of the cooling elements and the battery charge. Since the primary (lower) cooling compartment is also required in the room temperature range (15-25 ° C), it is recommended to add a thicker insulating layer (for example 2cm Styrofoam). The secondary (upper) cooling compartment is filled mainly at temperature ranges such as 2-8 ° C and the 2 ° C temperature difference to the melting point of water needed depending on the nature of the lid 3 little or no additional insulation. The thin insulation allows for more effective cooling of the lid when setting room temperature.

As described, the insulating container can optionally be equipped with cooling elements on one or two (opposite) sides. The two-sided design allows a smaller distance between the maximum temperature and the melting temperature of the medium, as well as a more even cooling. Especially because of the second point, this variant is for the area 2-8 ° C recommended. For a larger temperature difference, a one-sided assembly with cooling elements is preferred.

Removable cover 3 and floors 4 not only provide easier access to the cooling areas 9, but allow - by selecting a different lid or floor - variants in the bottom / lid depths to accommodate larger, smaller or none at all cooling elements 93. By choosing the optimum lid or floor can be achieved on the one hand a higher cooling capacity, on the other hand reduction of unused volume.

In such an embodiment and a cuboid container, it is preferable for the cover 3 and the bottom 4 to select the smallest required dimensions because thus the volume fraction of the transport chamber 7 is increased based on the total volume of the insulating container. As far as this is not decisive, with a smaller cooling requirement, one of the two refrigerated compartments can also be left empty, in order to save weight but not volume.

The operation of such a container is in FIG. 3 shown.

As described above, the insulating container (without the cooling elements) may consist of 4 parts, the lid 3, the internal lid 31, the bottom 4 and the middle part 14 comprising the side walls 5, the transport chamber side walls 75 and the internal bottom 41 connected to the transport chamber side walls. and the control chamber 8. This middle part 14 further comprises a part of the ventilation system 10, in particular the fan 102, arranged in the air duct 101 between the transport chamber 7 and control chamber 8. The wider side wall (shown in the internal lid 31), which extends over the control area includes at this point contacts, which connect temperature sensor 12 and heating means 11 in the lid with the control system 81. The lid 3 (without internal lid 31) and the removable bottom 4 are identical in this embodiment. This serves the purpose that bottom or lid with different depths can be freely combined.

The cooling areas 91, 92 are formed between the lid 3 and the internal lid 31 and between the internal floor 41 (in the in Figures 2 and 3 shown embodiment formed integrally with the transport chamber side walls 75) and the bottom 4. When assembling all parts an all sides of the transport chamber 7 surrounding air channel 101 is formed. In this, the air moves in the wall in which the fan 102 sits and driven by this, vertically downwards (see circulation direction Z in Fig. 3 ). On the other walls, however, upwards. These two areas are connected by horizontal ventilation layers in the cooling areas.

When the temperature approaches one of the temperature sensors 12 (in FIG. 3 characterized as i1-i6) of the upper limit of the set range, is determined by the control circuit (in FIG. 3 characterized as e0) the fan 102 (in FIG. 3 marked as o0) and thus the cooling is switched on. If the temperature decreases sufficiently, the fan 102 is switched off. In turn, if one of the sensors 12 senses a temperature approaching the lower limit of the temperature range, the control circuits (e1-e6) activate the corresponding heating means 11 (o1-o6). The respective sensors also ensure that the heating means 11 does not heat the corresponding transport chamber wall 71 more than 1-2 degrees above the set minimum temperature.

• 1: Einstellung auf Temperaturbereich 2 bis 8°C, Aussentemperatur 25 ± 1°C
• 2: Einstellung auf Temperaturbereich 15 bis 25°C, Aussentemperatur 0 ± 1°C
  • X Achse: Zeigt, gemeinsam für beide Aufzeichnungen, die Zeit in Stunden [h] an.
  • 1.5h: Dieser Bereich zeigt im Detail die Funktion des Heiz- bzw. Kühlsystems in den ersten 90 Minuten (siehe 3, 4, 6)
  • 24h: Dieser Bereich zeigt für weitere 24 Stunden eine gröbere Übersicht der Funktion (siehe 5,6)
  • Linke Y-Achse: Temperatur der internen Temperatursensoren in °C (siehe 1 - 5)
  • Rechte Y-Achse: Energieverbrauch (kumuliert) in Wh (siehe 6)
• 3: Volle Linien repräsentieren die 6 internen Temperatursensoren dieser Isolierbox (linke Achse)
• 4: Dreiecke markieren Zeitpunkte an denen entweder Heizung oder Kühlung aktiv ist;
  • 4a: (▼) Kühlung (im gesamten Innenbereich)
  • 4b: (▲) Heizung (jenes Heizelementes, das dem jeweiligen Sensor angehöhrt)
• 5: Anzeige der Maximalwerte 5a und Minimalwerte 5b

An example of the temperature profile is in Fig. 4 shown. The temperature was recorded for more than 26 hours. In Fig. 3 mean:

• 1: Setting to temperature range 2 to 8 ° C, outdoor temperature 25 ± 1 ° C
• 2: Setting to temperature range 15 to 25 ° C, outside temperature 0 ± 1 ° C
  • X axis: Shows, in common for both recordings, the time in hours [h].
  • 1.5h: This area shows in detail the function of the heating or cooling system in the first 90 minutes (see 3, 4, 6)
  • 24h: This area shows a coarser overview of the function for another 24 hours (see 5,6)
  • Left Y-axis: Temperature of the internal temperature sensors in ° C (see 1 - 5)
  • Right Y-axis: energy consumption (cumulative) in Wh (see 6)
• 3: Full lines represent the 6 internal temperature sensors of this isolation box (left axis)
• 4: triangles mark times when either heating or cooling is active;
  • 4a: (▼) cooling (throughout the interior)
  • 4b: (▲) heating (the heating element that belongs to the respective sensor)
• 5: Display of the maximum values 5a and minimum values 5b

Basically, heating and cooling are not active at the same time. In some cases, however, the heater can correct excessive cooling. If e.g. an element fresh from the freezer is placed in the insulated container, the heater ensures that the adjacent to the cooling area 9 walls of the transport chamber still does not cool below the desired temperature range.

Another reason for the functionally divided heating is that the need for heating is not always uniform. Therefore, a minimum number of 6 temperature sensors is desirable because, if there are insufficient sensors, parts of the package may become overheated, if one side cools much more and the sensor sits on that side, and thus the heater on all sides it controls turns. Similarly, it is also possible that parts of the package are undercooled, namely, when one side cools much more, but the sensor sits on another side and therefore does not turn on the heater.

While preferred embodiments of the invention are described in the present application, it should be clearly understood that the invention is not limited to these and may be practiced otherwise within the scope of the following claims.

Legend:

1. 1 temperature-controlled, autonomous insulated container
2. 2 outside wall
3. 3 lids
   • 31 internal lid
4. 4 floor
   • 41 internal ground
5. 5 side walls
6. 6 interior
7. 7 transport chamber
   • 71 Transport chamber wall
   • 72 electrically insulating, thermally conductive support
   • 73 heating structures,
   • 74 electrically insulating, thermally conductive cover
   • 75 transport chamber side walls
   • 76 Insulation to cooling area
   • 77 carrying wall core
8. 8 control chamber
   • 81 Control system
   • 82 energy source, such as rechargeable battery
   • 83 Insulation of the control chamber
9. 9 cooling area
   • 91 first cooling area
   • 92 second cooling area
   • 93 cooling element
10. 10 ventilation system,
    • 101 air duct
    • 102 fan
    • 103 spacers
11. 11 heating means, heating element
12. 12 temperature sensors
13. 13 Connection for an external power source
14. 14 central part or container part

Claims (17)

Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulated container (1) with an outer wall (2) containing or consisting of insulating material and comprising a bottom (4), side walls (5) and a cover (3) which can be placed on the side walls (5) Inner space (6) in the insulated container (1) bounded, wherein the interior (6) at least one transport chamber by a (71) limited transport chamber (7) for receiving goods to be transported, at least one control / monitoring system (81) and at least one energy source (82) in at least one control chamber (8), at least one cooling area (9, 91, 92) for receiving at least one cooling element (93), a ventilation system (10), which is suitable for air circulation air duct (101) and at least one in this Air duct (101) arranged fan (102), at least one heating means (11) and at least one temperature sensor (12), characterized in that the transport chamber (7) gegenü Completed over the ventilation system (10) and the air channel (102) encloses the transport chamber (7) on all sides directly or indirectly. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulated container (1) according to claim 1, characterized in that at least one cooling region (9, 91, 92) in the lid (3) is arranged. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulated container (1) according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one cooling region (9, 91, 92) in the bottom (4) is arranged and that the bottom (4) is preferably removable. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that in each case two cooling regions (91, 92) are arranged opposite one another. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the at least one cooling region (9, 91, 92) is integrated in the air channel (101). Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air duct (101) contains spacers (103) which on the one hand serve to stabilize the air duct (101) and on the other hand serve to guide the air. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air duct (101) is delimited on the one hand at least partially by at least part of the outer wall (2) of the insulating container (1), on the other hand at least partially by at least a part of Transport chamber wall (71), wherein this part of the transport chamber wall (71) is little insulating to good conductive. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the air duct (101) is partially bounded by the control chamber (8). Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport chamber wall (71) is provided on all sides with heating means (11), in particular heating foils. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport chamber wall (71) is provided on all sides, in cubic form on each side of the cube, in particular centrally each side, with a temperature sensor (12). Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the transport chamber wall (71) seen from the transport chamber (7) has the following structure: (i) electrically insulating, thermally non-insulating cover, (ii) heating structures , (iii) electrically insulating, thermally non-insulating support film for the heating structures, (iv) wall core and optionally (v) insulation. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulated container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the energy source (82) is a rechargeable battery and in that the insulating container (1) in its interior (6) and / or in the outer wall (2) Having connection (13) for an external power source. Temperature - controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the cover - side transport chamber wall / internal cover (31) and / or the bottom transport chamber wall / internal bottom (41) can be opened as one - sided delimitation of the cooling region on the cover (3) or Floor (4) is attached. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the outer wall (2) is formed of several layers, such as layers of different insulating materials, or one or more insulating materials together with mechanically stabilizing materials. Temperature-controlled, autonomous insulating container (1) according to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that it has a recording device for the temperature maxima and / or temperature minima and / or the temperature profile. Use of an insulated container (1) according to one of the preceding claims for the temperature-controlled transport or shipping of pharmaceuticals and / or donor organs. Method for producing a temperature-controlled, autonomous insulated container (1) according to one of Claims 1 to 15, characterized in that the air channel (101) is produced by integrally forming or adhering spacers (103) to the one wall of the air channel (103) ,

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