Climate controlled container
AssigneeGentherm Incorporated
InventorJohn Lofy
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A cooling system comprises a container that is conductively coupled or convectively coupled to a thermoelectric device to selectively cool and/or heat the container. A climate controlled container system for a vehicle includes a container or cavity and a conduction element configured to cool the cavity. In some embodiments, the cooling system comprises a housing, a housing inlet, a fluid passage and one or more thermoelectric devices and fluid transfer devices positioned within the housing.
Claims20
A climate controlled container system for a vehicle, comprising:
- a container comprising walls that define a cavity and a conduction element configured to cool the cavity;
- and
- a cooling system that comprises:
- a housing;
- an inlet in the housing;
- a fluid passage defined at least in part by the housing;
- a thermoelectric device positioned within the housing and having a cold side and a hot side;
- the cold side of the thermoelectric device being conductively coupled to the conduction element;
- the hot side of the thermoelectric device being conductively coupled to a heat exchanger that is positioned within the fluid passage;
- and
- a fluid transfer device positioned within the housing, the fluid transfer device comprising a fan configured for rotation about an axis, the fluid transfer device configured to transfer air from the inlet to the fluid passage;
- wherein the fluid transfer device is configured such that the heat exchanger is positioned between the thermoelectric device and the fan of the fluid transfer device.
A climate controlled container system for a vehicle, comprising:
- a container that includes walls that define a cavity, an inlet into the cavity and an outlet out of the cavity;
- a thermoelectric device that comprise a cold side and a hot side;
- a hot side heat exchanger that is conductively coupled to the hot side of the thermoelectric device;
- a cold side heat exchanger that is conductively coupled to the cold side of the thermoelectric device;
- a cold side inlet passage that places the cold side heat exchanger in fluid communication with the inlet of the container;
- a fluid transfer device having a rotating fan, a cold side inlet, a cold side outlet, a hot side inlet, and a hot side outlet, the fluid transfer device being configured such that fluid entering the cold side inlet is transferred to the cold side outlet and fluid entering the hot side inlet is transferred to the hot side outlet;
- a recirculation passage that is in fluid communication with the outlet of the cavity and the cold side inlet of the fluid transfer device;
- a cold side fluid passage that is in fluid communication with the cold side outlet of the fluid transfer device and the cold side heat exchanger;
- and
- a hot side fluid passage that is in communication with the hot side outlet of the fluid transfer device and the hot side heat exchanger.
A climate controlled container system, comprising:
- a housing forming at least a first cup holder and a second cup holder, each cup holder defining a cavity having a first open end;
- a cooling system that comprises a first thermoelectric device having a first side conductively coupled the first cup holder and a heat exchanger positioned within a passage and a second thermoelectric device having a first side conductively coupled to the second cup holder and a heat exchanger positioned within the passage, and a fluid transfer device configured to transfer air through the passage and to the heat exchangers of the first and second thermoelectric devices.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.