WO2002020292A1

WO2002020292A1 - High-efficiency thermoelectric cooling and heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle

Info

Publication number: WO2002020292A1
Application number: PCT/KR2000/001154
Authority: WO
Inventors: Heonphil Ha; Dowbin Hyun; Jaedong Shim
Original assignee: Korea Institute Of Science And Technology
Priority date: 2000-09-07
Filing date: 2000-10-17
Publication date: 2002-03-14
Also published as: KR20020019787A

Abstract

Disclosed is a cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle, which can obtain a target temperature in a short time and so be utilized directly during the vehicle driving by enhancing efficiency of heat exchange. The cooling/heating box includes a cold/hot storage room, a thermoelectric module, a first heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger. The cooling/heating box further includes a tube for interconnecting the first heat exchanger and the second exchanger, and heat exchange fluid used as a heat exchange medium through the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the tube.

Description

HIGH-EFFICIENCY THERMOELECTRIC COOLING AND HEATING BOX FOR FOOD

AND DRINK STORAGE IN A VEHICLE

Technical Field The present invention relates to a vehicle cooling/heating box using a thermoelectric module, and more particularly to a cooling/heating box for use in vehicles such as automobiles, which is provided with heat exchange means capable of enhancing efficiency of cold or hot storage by use of an air conditioner or a heater installed in, a ehicle.

Background Art

A conventional cooling/heating box for general use in vehicles has employed a thermoelectric module or a compressor in order to remove heat or * cold air from inside of the cooling/heating box. In recent, taking consideration into, a limited installation space within the vehicle and environmental affinity factors, the thermoelectric module is mainly used. The vehicle cooling/heating box using the thermoelectric module is powered from a battery or a generating system of the vehicle to obtain either cold or hot storage effect in accordance with a thermoelectric conversion, and not until start of the vehicle does it begin to be used. Thus, such a cooling/heating box is characterized in that on board passengers may not use the cooling/heating box unless an inner temperature of the cooling/heating box rises or falls effectively within a certain period of time. That is, cooling or heating capability to reach a target temperature as fast as possible is required for full functioning of the cooling/heating box. The thermoelectric module in which heat absorption and heat release simultaneously take place by the Peltier effect is an exchange system between heat and electricity capable of easily shifting cooling and heating through switchover of polarity (+, -) . Cooling, however, on one side of the thermoelectric module is accompanied with heat generation on the other side thereof, and so there is a problem in that the cooling performance depends upon whether heat on the opposite side to the cooling side is effectively released or not when the thermoelectric module is used for cooling. The same problem is raised in a case of using the thermoelectric module for heating. In a similar manner, with the vehicle cooling/heating box using the thermoelectric module, this effectiveness of heat exchange becomes the most predominant factor determining performance of the cooling/heating box. The heat or cold air released from the vehicle cooling/heating box gives or takes heat to or from inside air of a passenger compartment or outdoor air, which corresponds to heat exchange with outdoor air heated in summer or cooled in winter, or heat exchange with inside air of the vehicle heated or cooled to some extent, and thus the heat exchange itself has a limitation. Also, since air circulation is poor due to narrowness of a heat exchange space within the vehicle, efficiency of heat exchange is not so high. In the long run, the conventional cooling/heating box has drawbacks in that overall efficiency of the cooling/heating box is lowered because of the above-mentioned poor heat exchange and in that the inner temperature of the cooling/heating box does not reach the target temperature.

The conventional vehicle cooling/heating box as stated above typically exhibits efficiency of cold storage as shown in FIG. 1.

As seen from FIG. 1, it takes about 100 minutes to drop an inner temperature of a cold storage room to sub-zero. Considering that a temperature of an object to be stored in the cold storage room may be higher than the inner temperature of the cold storage room, a time longer than 100 minutes will be required for using the object in a chilly state. This means that the conventional vehicle cooling/heating box functions fully only after operated for a long time. In addition, cold storage effect is limitative because the inner temperature of the cold storage room does not sufficiently fall down below zero as seen from FIG. 1.

To solve these structural problems, there has been developed a technology as disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 4,823,554, in which a duct is connected to a vehicle cooler on one side and to a vehicle indoor air conditioner on the other side so that air current of the vehicle air conditioner is directly sucked into the vehicle cooler to induce heat exchange. This technology is an attempt to solve the existing problem in heat exchange by temporarily enhancing the effectiveness of heat exchange, but there is a problem in that it still has a structural limitation when used in a vehicle cooling/heating box requiring high efficiency of heat exchange.

Disclosure of the Invention

Accordingly, the present invention has been made in consideration of the above-stated problems, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cooling/heating box for use in vehicles, which can maximize heat exchange effect of a thermoelectric module attached to the cooling/heating box to enhance efficiency of cold or hot storage.

To achieve this object, there is provided a cooling/heating box for use in vehicles in accordance with an aspect of the present invention, the cooling/heating box comprising: a cold/hot storage room being defined by heat insulating outer walls and inner walls, and being provided with a temperature sensor therein; a thermoelectric module one side of which is attached to the cold/hot storage room and the other side of which is exposed to the outside; a first heat exchanger for conducting heat exchange with the thermoelectric module, being in contact with an outer surface of the cold/hot storage room to which the thermoelectric module is attached; a second heat exchange for conducting heat exchange with the vehicle air conditioning system, being installed within a duct of a vehicle air conditioning system; a tube for interconnecting the first heat exchanger and the second exchanger; and .. : heat exchange fluid being used as a heat exchange medium through the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the tube .

, Preferably, the inner walls of the cold/hot .storage room are composed of thermal' conductive material.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, instead of using the thermal conductive inner walls*., a fan is provided within the cold/hot storage room and a .heat sink with a plurality of fins is attached to a surface of the thermoelectric module facing inside of the cold storage room.

Also, it is preferred that a pump for causing compulsory circulation of the heat exchange fluid is provided between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger, and a fluid reservoir tank for storing the heat exchange fluid is provided between the first heat exchanger and the pump.

Furthermore, the cold/hot storage room and the first heat exchanger can be formed in such a manner that they are detachably contacted with each other. Brief Description of The Drawings

The above objects, and other features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a graph representing efficiency of cold storage in a conventional vehicle cooler;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing construction of a vehicle cooling/heating box according to the present invention using inner walls made of excellent thermal conductive material;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing construction of a vehicle cooling/heating box according to the present invention using a heat sink and a fan;

FIG. 4 is a graph representing the efficiency of cold storage in the vehicle cooler according to the present invention when a tuyere of the vehicle is opened; and

FIG. 5 is a graph representing efficiency of the cold storage in the vehicle cooler according to the present invention when the tuyere of the vehicle is closed.

Best Mode for Carrying Out The Invention

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a cooling/heating box for use in vehicles according to the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description and drawings, the like parts having the same construction and function will be designated by the same numerals. Also, since these embodiments are given only for the purpose of description, it will be apparent by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

A technical conception according to the present invention is applied to a vehicle cooler as well as a vehicle warmer in the same manner, and so the following description will be given with regard to the vehicle cooler as one embodiment of the present invention and similar description of the warmer will be omitted. FIG. 2 is a schematic view showing a construction of the vehicle cooler according to the present invention. As seen from the drawing, the vehicle cooler comprises a cold storage room 10 for storing objects in a chilly state, a thermoelectric module 20 for absorbing and releasing heat from inside of the cold storage room 1Q, being attached to an outer surface of the cold storage room 10, and a first heat exchanger 30 and a second heat exchanger 60 for conducting heat exchange with the cold storage room 10 using an air conditioning system within the vehicle. The cold storage room 10 consists of outer walls 11 and inner walls 14.

The cold storage room 10 is surrounded with the outer , walls 11 made of heat insulator having a low thermal conductivity so as to intercept a heat transfer from the - outside, and the inner walls 14 may be made of excellent thermal conductive material such as aluminum so as to absorb heat from the inside. One sidewall of the cold storage room 10 is mounted with the thermoelectric module 20 functioning to emanate heat from the cold storage room 10 toward the outside.

In another embodiment of the vehicle cooler according to the present invention as shown in FIG. 3, instead of using the inner walls 14 made of the excellent thermal conductive material such as aluminum, a heat sink 15 made of aluminum, etc. in combination with a plurality of fins 16 is attached to a cooling surface of the thermoelectric module 20 to improve cooling efficiency, and a fan 13 is also provided within the cold storage room 10.

If power is supplied to the thermoelectric module 20, the thermoelectric module 20 is cooled on one surface and is simultaneously heated on the other surface, of which surfaces the cooling surface is so placed as to be in contact with the cold storage room 10 and the heating surface is so placed as to be in contact with the first heat exchanger 30. As the result of this, the heat from inside of the cold storage room 20 is absorbed into the first heat exchanger 30 via the thermoelectric module 20. The very intention of providing the inner walls 14 made of excellent thermal conductive material such as aluminum, or the heat, sink 15 with pluralities of fins 1,6 within the cold storage room 10 is to facilitate absorbance and heat exchange of heat from inside of the cold storage ' room 10. The thermal ._ - conductive inner walls 14 or the heat sink 15 serve as heat absorbing plates in the case of cold storage and serve as heat ■*. adiating plates in the case of hot storage. * In order to allow :■ inside air containing heat of the cold storage room 10 to easily & gain access to and is radiated through the thermoelectric module ^ 20, the fan 13 may be provided within the cold 'storage room 10. _r In addition, a temperature sensor 12 for measuring and detecting the current temperature of the cold storage room 10 is attached within the cold storage room 10. This temperature sensor 12 makes it possible to easily control the temperature of the cold storage room 10.

For the purpose of enhancing the efficiency of cold storage, a heat exchange device is installed in the vehicle cooler. The heat exchange device according to the present invention is a kind of water-cooled heat exchange device using cooling water, and is characterized in that it utilizes the air conditioning system within the vehicle. The heat exchange device comprises the first heat exchanger 30 in contact with the heat radiating surface of the thermoelectric module 20, the second heat exchanger 60 for conducting heat exchange with the air conditioning system within the vehicle, a tube 33 for interconnecting the first heat exchanger 30 and the second heat exchanger 60 and communicating the cooling water through the heat exchangers 30, 60, a fluid reservoir tank 40 for storing the cooling water, and a pump 50 for supplying the cooling water and causing compulsory circulation thereof.

The cooling water flows into an inlet 31 of the first heat exchanger 30, absorbs the heat from inside of the cold storage room 10 through the thermoelectric module 20, and then is discharged from the first heat exchanger 30 through an outlet 32. The heated cooling water is temporarily stored in the fluid reservoir tank 40 and is finally supplied to the second heat exchanger 60 by the pump 50. The second heat exchanger 60 is provided within a duct

(not shown) of the vehicle air conditioning system, in particular, is provided close to a blowing fan 70 and a vehicle heat exchanger 71 in the air conditioning system so as to realize rapid heat exchange, and is formed by a tube made of material having excellent thermal conductivity and bent in a zigzag form in order to maximize a heat radiating area and so to enhance efficiency of heat exchange.

The tube 33 for interconnecting the first heat exchanger 30 and the second heat exchanger 60 is used as a passage of the cooling water, and is preferably formed by heat insulating material .

The vehicle cooling/heating box according to the present invention may use a battery of its own as power source for driving the thermoelectric module 20, but preferably uses an internal battery or a generator of the vehicle.

The so constructed vehicle cooler as one embodiment of the present invention works as will be explained in the following detailed description:

If a driver operates the air conditioner and actuates the cooler by an operating switch after riding on and starting the vehicle, the thermoelectric module, power is supplied from a power source device (not shown) of the vehicle to the thermoelectric module, the fan and the pump.

When the cooling fan 13 within the cold storage room 10 and the thermoelectric module 20 are so operated, a surface of the thermoelectric module 20 in contact with the cold storage room 10 is rapidly cooled down, which results in cooling down of the thermal conductive inner wall 14 of the cold storage room iO or the heat sink 15 to which the thermoelectric module 20 is attached. Thus, the ambient heat is absorbed into the thermal conductive inner wall 14 or the fins 16 of the heat sink 15, -and the absorbed heat is emanated through a surface of -the thermoelectric module 20 in contact with the first heat exchanger 30.

In addition, the fan 13 is operated to circulate inside air of the cold storage room 10, which causes cold air cooled by the thermoelectric module 20 to be uniformly distributed within the cold storage room 10.

On the other hand, the emanated heat from the surface of the thermoelectric module 20 in contact with the first heat exchanger 30 is discharged by means of the cooling water flowing through inside of the first heat exchanger 30. The rapid discharge of the emanated heat from the thermoelectric module 20 in such a manner is the key to performance of the thermoelectric module and so performance of the cooler. That is, since the thermoelectric module 20 has a tendency to keep a temperature difference between the cooling surface and the heating surface constant when constant electric current is supplied to the thermoelectric module, temperature drop of the heat radiating surface is accompanied with that of the cooling surface, and so cooling of the cold storage room is further accelerated.

The cooling water into which heat from the cold storage room 10 has been absorbed flows into the second heat exchanger 60 provided within the duct of the vehicle air conditioning system (not shown) by the pump 50 via the reservoir tank 40.

Because the second heat exchanger 60 is located within the duct of the air conditioning system, the cooling water into which heat from the cold storage room 10 has been absorbed is cooled down in a faster time by the vehicle heat exchanger 71 such as an air conditioner and a cold wind of the blowing fan 70. The so cooled cooling water is supplied to the first .heat exchanger 30 and absorbs the heat of the thermoelectric module 20 again. In this way, the cooling water into which heat of the thermoelectric module 20 has been absorbed is immediately cooled down by the vehicle air conditioner, thereby considerably enhancing cold storage effect within the cold storage room 10.

The cold storage effects of the vehicle cooler according to one embodiment of the present invention are shown in FIGs. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 shows that inner temperature of the cold storage room 10 falls down with the passage of time in a state of opening a tuyere of the vehicle and so permitting inflow of outdoor air, and FIG. 5 show a progress of temperature within the cold storage room 10 in a state of closing the tuyere and so blocking the inflow of outdoor air.

As seen from the drawings, it takes far less time to drop the inner temperature of the cold storage room to sub-zero than in the conventional vehicle cooler. Also, it is seen that the inner temperature of the cold storage room drops to a much lower temperature below zero than in the case of FIG. 1. This means that even a short time operation can realize effective utilization of the vehicle cooler.

The vehicle cooling/heating box according to the present invention always detects the inner temperature by the temperature sensor 12 provided within the cold storage room 10, and can maintain a proper temperature by a separate temperature control device (not shown) so as to prevent a breakdown of the system due to overcooling or overheating.

* In order to use the vehicle cooling/heating box as a warmer in the winter season, all that has to be done is to reverse ^• .polarity of the power that is supplied to . the thermoelectric module by the power source device .

In a dissimilar way to the case of cooler, the heat radiating surface and the cooling surface of the thermoelectric module are interchanged, and the cold storage room is changed to a warm storage room. , •* .

The vehicle cooling/heating box according to. the present invention may be detachably installed within the vehicle, but. it

^' is desired to fixedly install the cooling/heating box within., the vehicle so as to maintain high-efficiency cold storage effect by realizing reliable contact with the heat exchange device of' the present invention.

While the cooling/heating box for use in vehicles according to the present invention has been illustrated and described under considering a preferred specific embodiment thereof, it will be easily understood by those skilled in the art that the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various changes, modifications and equivalents may be made without departing from the true scope of the present invention.

Industrial Applicability

As described hereinabove, the cooling/heating box according to the present invention can provide rapid cold/hot storage effect by use of the water-cooled heat exchange device using the vehicle air conditioning system, thereby making it possible to utilize the vehicle cooling/heating box effectively in a short time.

Claims

What Is Claimed Is:

1. A cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle comprising: a cold/hot storage room being defined by heat insulating outer walls and inner walls, and being provided with a temperature sensor therein; a thermoelectric module one side of which is attached to the cold/hot storage room and the other side of which is exposed to the outside; a first heat exchanger for conducting heat exchange with the thermoelectric module, being in contact with an outer surface of the cold/hot storage room to which the thermoelectric module is attached; a second heat exchange for conducting heat exchange with the vehicle air conditioning system, being installed within a duct of a vehicle air conditioning system; a tube for interconnecting the first heat exchanger ι and the second exchanger; and heat exchange fluid being used as a heat exchange medium through the first heat exchanger, the second heat exchanger and the tube .

2. A cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein the inner walls of the cold/hot storage room are composed of thermal conductive material .

3. A cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein a fan is provided within the cold/hot storage room and a heat sink with a plurality of fins is attached to a surface of the thermoelectric module facing inside of the cold storage room.

4. A cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle as recited in claim 1, wherein a pump for causing compulsory circulation of the heat exchange fluid is provided between the first heat exchanger and the second heat exchanger.

5. A cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle as recited in claim 4, wherein a fluid reservoir tank for storing the heat exchange fluid is provided between the first heat exchanger and the pump.

6. A cooling/heating box for food and drink storage in a vehicle as recited in claims 1 to 5, wherein the cold/hot storage room and the first heat exchanger are formed in such a manner that they are detachably contacted with each other. *.