Refrigerated food container

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11549730-B2
Application number	US-202016778819-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 31, 2020
Priority date	Feb 1, 2019
Publication date	Jan 10, 2023
Grant date	Jan 10, 2023

Abstract

A refrigerated food container system includes a container defining an inner volume and a thermoelectric module arranged in thermal contact with at least one surface of the container. The thermoelectric module includes a first thermoelectric cooling device and a second thermoelectric cooling device in thermal contact with the first thermoelectric cooling device. A control module is configured to provide a first voltage to the first thermoelectric cooling device and provide a second voltage to the second thermoelectric cooling device.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A refrigerated food container system, comprising:
a container defining an inner volume;
a thermoelectric module arranged in thermal contact with at least one surface of the container, wherein the thermoelectric module includes
a first thermoelectric cooling device, and
a second thermoelectric cooling device in thermal contact with the first thermoelectric cooling device; and

a control module configured to provide a first voltage to the first thermoelectric cooling device and provide a second voltage to the second thermoelectric cooling device,
wherein the first thermoelectric cooling device is a first Peltier plate and the second thermoelectric cooling device is a second Peltier plate,
wherein the first voltage is constant and the second voltage is adjustable,
wherein the control module includes a power supply configured to provide the first voltage to the first Peltier plate and a pulse width modulation controller configured to provide the second voltage to the second Peltier plate, and
wherein the pulse width modulation controller is configured to adjust the second voltage provided to the second Peltier plate to a value greater than the first voltage provided to the first Peltier plate.

2. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , wherein the second Peltier plate is larger than the first Peltier plate.

3. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , further comprising a housing enclosing the container, wherein the housing defines a gap between the housing and the container, and wherein the housing and the gap are arranged to direct a flow of air to form an air curtain across an upper opening of the container, and a fan arranged to circulate air within the gap between the housing and the container.

4. The refrigerated food container system of claim 3 , wherein the fan is arranged to provide a flow of the air over the thermoelectric module and into the gap.

5. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , wherein the container is bowl-shaped.

6. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , wherein a lower wall of the container is curved.

7. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , wherein sidewalls of the container include one or more openings.

8. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , further comprising a rechargeable battery, wherein the control module receives power from the rechargeable battery.

9. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric module is arranged between a lower surface of the container and a heat exchanger.

10. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric module is arranged against a sidewall of the container.

11. The refrigerated food container system of claim 1 , further comprising a fan arranged within the container.

Assignees

• Emerson Climate Technologies

Inventors

• Born Jason A
• Faxon Damiel
• Mangelsdorf Andrew
• Saunders Michael A

Classifications

• F25D11/00 Primary

  Self-contained movable devices, e.g. domestic refrigerators · CPC title

• F25D17/04

  for circulating air, e.g. by convection · CPC title

• F25D23/006

  for mounting refrigerating machinery components · CPC title

• F25D17/06

  by forced circulation · CPC title

• F25B21/02 Primary

  using Peltier effect; using Nernst-Ettinghausen effect · CPC title