Vehicle temperature-conditioned container with a power control circuit and a defrost circuit
First Claim
1. A temperature controlled container assembly for installation in a vehicle, said assembly comprising:
- an insulated container that defines a compartment;
a heat exchanger plate having a first end disposed in the compartment of said insulated compartment and a second end that extends away from the compartment;
a thermoelectric energy module, said thermoelectric energy module having first and second faces, the first face being thermally coupled to the second end of said heat exchanger plate;
a cooling fin assembly secured to the second face of said thermoelectric energy module;
a cooling fan having a fan motor directed to force air over said cooling fin assembly; and
a drive circuit connected to a vehicle power source for receiving power and to said thermoelectric energy module and said fan motor for actuating said thermoelectric energy module and said fan motor, said drive circuit adapted to drive said thermoelectric energy module with a decaying or ramping output signal for a predetermined time when power changes are necessary to prevent damage to said thermoelectric energy module.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A temperature conditioned insulated container in a vehicle selectively heats or cools items stored therein. A thermoelectric energy module is coupled to a heat exchanger plate disposed in a compartment of the container. A power control circuit controls power to the thermoelectric energy module and a cooling fan motor. The drive circuit drives the thermoelectric energy module with a decaying drive signal for a predetermined time after the vehicle is shut down to prevent damage to the thermoelectric energy module. In a defrost operation, the drive circuit provides a decaying drive signal to the thermoelectric module during the beginning of a defrost cycle. After providing no cooling for a predetermined time, the drive signal is increased until the refrigerator operating system returns to full operation. By slowly varying the drive power in these situations, thermal stresses within the thermoelectric energy module are reduced.
94 Citations
20 Claims
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1. A temperature controlled container assembly for installation in a vehicle, said assembly comprising:
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an insulated container that defines a compartment;
a heat exchanger plate having a first end disposed in the compartment of said insulated compartment and a second end that extends away from the compartment;
a thermoelectric energy module, said thermoelectric energy module having first and second faces, the first face being thermally coupled to the second end of said heat exchanger plate;
a cooling fin assembly secured to the second face of said thermoelectric energy module;
a cooling fan having a fan motor directed to force air over said cooling fin assembly; and
a drive circuit connected to a vehicle power source for receiving power and to said thermoelectric energy module and said fan motor for actuating said thermoelectric energy module and said fan motor, said drive circuit adapted to drive said thermoelectric energy module with a decaying or ramping output signal for a predetermined time when power changes are necessary to prevent damage to said thermoelectric energy module.
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2. A temperature controlled container assembly comprising:
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an insulated container that defines a compartment;
a thermoelectric energy module for controlling the temperature of said compartment;
a cooling fan having a fan motor; and
a temperature conditioning circuit comprising;
an operating switch for selecting a cooling or heating condition for the inside of the container;
a ramp generating circuit providing a ramp signal;
a sawtooth generating circuit and signal conditioning circuitry for providing a conditioned sawtooth signal;
a comparator for comparing the ramp signal and the conditioned sawtooth signal to generate a drive signal to drive said thermoelectric energy module;
a detector circuit for receiving the drive signal from the comparator; and
a fan power circuit for applying constant power to said fan motor when said detector circuit detects the presence of the drive signal. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
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8. A temperature controlled refrigerator assembly comprising:
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an insulated container that defines a compartment;
a thermoelectric energy module for cooling said compartment; and
a defrost/operating system comprising;
a ramp generating circuit for providing a ramp signal;
a generating circuit for providing an output signal;
a defrost timing circuit for providing an adjustable reference signal for a defrost cycle; and
a comparator circuit for comparing the output signal and the ramp signal and comparing the output signal with the adjustable reference signal to generate a variable drive signal to power said thermoelectric energy module, wherein the defrost timing circuit
1) provides the adjustable reference signal to said comparator circuit so that said comparator circuit provides the drive signal as a decaying drive signal to said thermoelectric energy module for a first predetermined time period until complete decaying of the drive signal,
2) maintains the absence of said drive signal to said thermoelectric energy module for a second predetermined time period, and
3) restarts powering of said thermoelectric energy module by increasing the drive signal from said comparator circuit for a third predetermined time period, until the drive signal achieves a preselected value.- View Dependent Claims (9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification