Internal air adjustment device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11517022-B2
Application number	US-201816651991-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 27, 2018
Priority date	Sep 29, 2017
Publication date	Dec 6, 2022
Grant date	Dec 6, 2022

Abstract

An internal air adjustment device that includes a first composition adjustment unit and a second composition adjustment unit. The first composition adjustment unit separates supply air from external air, the supply air having a composition that differs from a composition of the external air, and supplies the supply air into a transport container. The second composition adjustment unit separates discharge air from internal air, the discharge air having a composition that differs from a composition of the internal air, and discharges the discharge air to outside of the transport container. The internal air adjustment device is capable of properly controlling the composition of the internal air in the transport container.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An internal air adjustment device that adjusts a composition of internal air existing inside a storage, comprising:
a first composition adjustment unit that includes a first separation unit that separates external air existing outside the storage into supply air, having a composition that differs from a composition of the external air, and first remaining air, the first composition adjustment unit supplying the supply air into the storage; and
a second composition adjustment unit that includes a second separation unit that separates internal air existing inside the storage into discharge air, having a composition that differs from the composition of the internal air, and a second remaining air, the second composition adjustment unit discharging the discharge air to outside of the storage,
wherein the supply air and the second remaining air are supplied to the storage via a common supply pipe.

2. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the first composition adjustment unit supplies the supply air into the storage so that air pressure inside the storage differs from air pressure outside the storage.

3. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the first composition adjustment unit supplies the supply air into the storage so that air pressure inside the storage becomes positive.

4. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 3 , wherein a flow rate of the supply air that is supplied into the storage by the first composition adjustment unit is higher than a flow rate of the discharge air that is discharged to the outside of the storage by the second composition adjustment unit.

5. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein a carbon dioxide concentration reduction operation of reducing a carbon dioxide concentration of the internal air in the storage is performed by causing the second separation unit of the second composition adjustment unit to separate the discharge air from the internal air existing inside the storage, the discharge air having a carbon dioxide concentration that is higher than the carbon dioxide concentration of the internal air.

6. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein an oxygen concentration reduction operation of reducing an oxygen concentration of the internal air in the storage is performed by causing the first separation unit of the first composition adjustment unit to separate the supply air from the external air existing outside the storage and the second separation unit of the second composition adjustment unit to separate the discharge air from the internal air, the supply air having an oxygen concentration that is lower than an oxygen concentration of the external air, the discharge air having an oxygen concentration that is higher than the oxygen concentration of the internal air.

7. An internal air adjustment device that adjusts a composition of internal air existing inside a storage, comprising:
a first composition adjustment unit that includes a first separation unit that separates supply air from external air existing outside the storage, the supply air having a composition that differs from a composition of the external air, the first composition adjustment unit supplying the supply air into the storage; and
a second composition adjustment unit that includes a second separation unit that separates discharge air from the internal air existing inside the storage, the discharge air having a composition that differs from the composition of the internal air, the second composition adjustment unit discharging the discharge air to outside of the storage,
wherein
an oxygen concentration reduction operation of reducing an oxygen concentration of the internal air in the storage is performed by causing the first separation unit of the first composition adjustment unit to separate the supply air from the external air existing outside the storage and the second separation unit of the second composition adjustment unit to separate the discharge air from the internal air, the supply air having an oxygen concentration that is lower than an oxygen concentration of the external air, the discharge air having an oxygen concentration that is higher than the oxygen concentration of the internal air, and
the internal air adjustment device includes
an oxygen sensor that measures the oxygen concentration of the internal air in the storage; and
a controller that determines whether or not air pressure inside the storage is positive based on a change in a measured value of the oxygen sensor during the oxygen concentration reduction operation, and that, when the controller determines that the air pressure inside the storage is not positive, performs a controlling operation for increasing a flow rate of the supply air that is supplied into the storage by the first composition adjustment unit.

8. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 1 , comprising:
a ventilation exhaust passage for allowing inside and the outside of the storage to communicate with each other; and
a ventilation exhaust valve that is provided in the ventilation exhaust passage.

9. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 1 , wherein the first separation unit separates untreated external air, which is external air introduced from the outside of the storage, into first external air and second external air having different compositions,
the first composition adjustment unit supplies, as the supply air, one of the first external air and the second external air into the storage and discharges other of the first external air and the second external air, as the first remaining air, to the outside of the storage,
the second separation unit separates untreated internal air, which is internal air introduced from inside the storage, into first internal air and second internal air having different compositions, and
the second composition adjustment unit supplies, as the second remaining air, one of the first internal air and the second internal air into the storage and discharges, as the discharge air, other of the first internal air and the second internal air to the outside of the storage.

10. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 9 , wherein the first separation unit is configured to separate the untreated external air into first external air having a nitrogen concentration that is higher than a nitrogen concentration of the untreated external air and an oxygen concentration that is lower than an oxygen concentration of the untreated external air and second external air having a nitrogen concentration that is lower than the nitrogen concentration of the untreated external air and an oxygen concentration that is higher than the oxygen concentration of the untreated external air, and
the second separation unit is configured to separate the untreated internal air into first internal air having a nitrogen concentration that is higher than a nitrogen concentration of the untreated internal air and an oxygen concentration that is lower than an oxygen concentration of the untreated internal air and second internal air having a nitrogen concentration that is lower than the nitrogen concentration of the untreated internal air and an oxygen concentration that is higher than the oxygen concentration of the untreated internal air.

11. The internal air adjustment device according to claim 9 , wherein the first separation unit and the second separation unit are each provided with a gas separation membrane where a passing rate of nitrogen is lower than both a passing rate of oxygen and a passing rate of carbon dioxide,
the first separation unit is configured to bring t

Assignees

• Daikin Ind Ltd

Inventors

• Kamei Noritaka
• Tanaka Naohiro
• Matsui Hidenori

Classifications

• B01D2253/108

  Zeolites · CPC title

• A23B7/148 Primary

  in a controlled atmosphere, e.g. partial vacuum, comprising only CO2, N2, O2 or H2O · CPC title

• A01F25/14 Primary

  Containers specially adapted for storing · CPC title

• F25D2317/041

  by purification · CPC title

• F25D23/00

  General constructional features (F25D21/00 takes precedence) · CPC title