CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/379,050, filed October 11, 2022, and entitled “COOLING SYSTEM FOR REEFER TRAILERS AND VEHICLE FOR TRANSPORTING REFRIGERATED CARGO,” which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

[0002] The present invention generally relates to a cooling system for vehicles transporting refrigerated and frozen cargo, in particular, for trailers of the reefer type with cooling compartments adapted for the transport of refrigerated and frozen cargo. More particularly, this new cooling system was designed and developed to adapt the singletemperature trailers to the multi -temperature trailers by a simple, efficient and low-cost solution.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0003] Several models of cargo carriers are known in the state of the art, among which there are those models of reefer trailer type that are particularly configured to use a cooling compartment allow the transport of refrigerated and/or frozen cargo.

[0004] One of the main challenges for companies and departments responsible for the transport of refrigerated and/or frozen cargo is to organize the transport logistics when the cargo to be transported to the same destination consists in a mixture of products that are in frozen state with temperatures at a level of -18 °C, and products that are in refrigerated state with temperatures at a level of -4 °C. In these situations, it may be necessary to split the cargo into two vehicles, one for the transport of frozen products and the other with refrigerated products, both of which end up running the same route and, consequently, there are significant losses, such as an increase in freight values and final cost of the product to the consumer, increase in energy consumption of vehicles and increase in the emission of pollutants to the environment.

[0005] In order to try to minimize the inconveniences in situations that required the transport of cargo with refrigerated and frozen products, the companies started to configure the cooling compartment of the refrigerated trailers with an “average” internal temperature, that is, the temperature was adjusted to about -10 °C. However, under these conditions, it was observed that the frozen products ended up reaching temperatures above the recommended and the refrigerated products reached temperatures below the recommended and, as a result, there was a risk of product loss for not being stowed at appropriate and recommended temperatures.

[0006] In this context, in order to eliminate these inconveniences of transport logistics and risks of loss of transported cargo, multi-temperature type reefer trailers were developed, which were formed by multiple compartments, each one being configured to have a temperature and, as a result, it became possible for the same reefer trailer to transport cargo composed of frozen and refrigerated products in an adequate way. For this purpose, the compartment of these multi-temperature reefer trailers was divided by a wall, partition or siding, forming sub-compartments, each of these sub-compartments comprising a heat exchanger unit, such as evaporator units of a cooling system that are responsible for providing the flow of cooled and conditioned air according to the desired temperature for each subcompartment. An example of this type of cooling system for multi-temperature reefer trailers can be seen in the prior art document EP3147600, which discloses a proposal for cooling the sub-compartments through the installation of exclusive heat exchangers within each subcompartment of the trailer.

[0007] Despite being functional, it was observed that these solutions known in the state of the art presented a relatively complex proposal, requiring significantly higher costs for the construction and/or adaptation of reefer trailers, since it required the installation of heat exchanger units in each sub-compartment, as well as high-capacity main cooling units so that they are able to meet the demands and act in the cooling of the sub-compartments with different temperatures.

[0008] As should be appreciated by those skilled in the art, these models of multitemperature reefer trailers known in the state of the art require a particular design and configuration to provide the passage of refrigerant fluid circulation ducts that feed the heat exchanger units in each sub-compartment, also it is possible to note that these heat exchange units occupying spaces that may be useful for transporting cargo, all this aspects ends up reflecting in high manufacturing, maintenance and transport operation costs.

[0009] Therefore, it is verified that the reefer trailers known in the state of the art, particularly used for the transport of refrigerated and frozen cargo, present some technical, constructive and functional features that could be improved in order to obtain more simplified cooling systems and with reduced costs to make it possible to obtain efficient and easy-to- manufacture multi-temperature reefer trailers, or even to adapt conventional refrigerated compartments of trailers to multi-temperature trailers in a practical and functional way.

[0010] Thus, these are, among others, the problems, objectives and solutions that it is intended to overcome and achieve with the development of the present invention.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] In this sense, according to the above exposed, the present invention aims to provide a new proposal for a cooling system for reefer trailers used for the transport of refrigerated and/or frozen cargo, this new cooling system being designed and developed to obtain a practical, functional and efficient solution to the drawbacks and limitations identified in the state of the art, as summarized above.

[0012] More particularly, it is one of the objectives of the present invention to provide a new cooling system for reefer trailers that comprises technical and constructive characteristics configured to obtain and adapt a refrigerated compartment in a simple and effective way, thus allowing the adequate and safe transport of cargo formed by products at different temperatures and transport conditions, for example, cargo where part of the products is frozen and part of the products are just chilled.

[0013] It is also an objective of the present invention to provide a vehicle for transporting refrigerated cargo that comprises a compartment with a cooling system as mentioned above, to allow the transport of frozen and refrigerated cargo simultaneously and in appropriate and safe conditions.

[0014] More objectively, and in order to achieve the technical and functional effects summarized above, among others, the present invention refers to a cooling system for reefer trailers, such as refrigerated compartments or containers, which is essentially formed by a refrigeration unit, which is associated with one heat exchanger disposed inside the compartment of the compartment together with a set of sensors for measuring the internal temperature of said compartment. The system further comprises at least one partition wall that is configured to dividing said compartment into at least a first sub-compartment configured to transport cargo at a first temperature, and a second sub-compartment configured to transport cargo at a second temperature (Y °C). Said first temperature (X °C) being lower than the second temperature (Y °C) and said partition wall also has at least one fan configured to transfer air from the first sub-compartment to the second sub-compartment. [0015] According to one embodiment of the present invention, said set of sensors can be arranged within said second sub-compartment and is configured to measure the second temperature (Y °C). In a particular embodiment, said set of sensors is formed by at least two sensors, which can be arranged on the rear face of the partition wall at different heights, for example, a first sensor positioned at the upper portion of said partition wall, and a second sensor being positioned at the lower portion of said partition wall.

[0016] Furthermore, according to another embodiment of the present invention, the cooling system may comprise two fans, which are advantageously arranged in the upper region of said partition wall.

[0017] Also, according to another embodiment of the cooling system, object of the present invention, said partition wall can be movable to provide the configuration of said compartment in sub-compartments with different loading capacities. Optionally, said partition wall can be provided with support and displacement mechanisms, which are designed to allow the movement of said wall within the compartment of the trailer, and these displacement mechanisms can be, for example, pulleys or other mechanisms configured for supporting and moving said partition wall.

[0018] Additionally, according to a particular embodiment of the present invention, the system may comprise a processing unit configured to monitor, control and manage the internal temperature of the first and second sub-compartments, wherein said processing unit is coupled to controllers configured to determine the temperatures (X °C, Y °C) of the respective subcompartments. Furthermore, said processing unit can provide actuation signals to activate the refrigeration unit in order to feed the heat exchanger until the first sub-compartment reaches the first temperature (X °C), and said processing unit is also configured to receive signals from the set of sensors arranged in the second sub-compartment to compare them with the temperature set in the second controller and, if the measured temperature is higher than the selected temperature, the processing unit activates the fans up to the set of sensors indicates to the processing unit that the second temperature (Y °C), within the second sub-compartment, has reached the temperature selected in said second controller.

[0019] According to another particular embodiment of the present invention, said first temperature (X °C) is a temperature for keeping the transported cargo in a frozen condition, particularly ranging from about -12 °C to about -24 °C, more particularly being at a level of - 18 °C. In the same context, it can be said that the second temperature (Y °C) is a temperature to keep the transported cargo in a cooled condition, particularly ranging from about -5 °C to +5 °C, being more particularly at a level of -2°C. [0020] Additionally, as mentioned above, the present invention also deals with a vehicle for transporting refrigerated cargo, which comprises a motor vehicle associated with at least one trailer with a compartment that is formed by a main structure with a chassis mounted on wheels, the said main structure consists of a refrigerated compartment formed by a floor, side, front and rear walls, and a roof. Said refrigerated compartment the trailer being provided with a cooling system that is formed by a refrigeration unit responsible for feeding a heat exchanger disposed inside the compartment, in which at least one partition wall is provided to divide the compartment into at least a first sub-compartment and a second sub-compartment and said partition wall having at least one fan configured to transfer air from the first subcompartment to the second sub-compartment.

[0021 ] According to particular and possible embodiments of the present invention, said transport vehicle comprises a cooling system whose set of sensors is installed inside the second sub-compartment and is configured to measure the second temperature (Y °C). Optionally, such set of sensors may comprise at least two sensors arranged on the rear face of the partition wall at different heights, for example, a first sensor being positioned at the upper portion of said partition wall, and a second sensor positioned at the lower portion of said partition wall. [0022] According to a particular embodiment of the transport vehicle, according to the present invention, said cooling system can be formed by two fans arranged at the upper region of said partition wall.

[0023] Moreover, according to another embodiment of the transport vehicle according to the present invention, the partition wall of said cooling system can be movable to configure the compartment in sub-compartments with different loading capacities. Optionally, this partition wall can comprise support and displacement mechanisms, which can be, for example, pulleys or other mechanisms configured for the support and movement of said partition wall.

[0024] According to a further particular embodiment of the present invention, said transport vehicle may further comprise a processing unit configured to monitor, control and manage the internal temperature of the first and second sub-compartments, wherein said processing unit is coupled to controllers configured to determine the temperatures (X °C, Y °C) of the respective sub-compartments. Said processing unit further provides actuation signals to activate the refrigeration unit in order to feed the heat exchanger until the first subcompartment reaches the first temperature (X °C), and it is also responsible for receiving signals from the set of sensors arranged in the second sub-compartment to compare them with the temperature set in the second controller, and if the measured temperature is higher than the selected temperature, said processing unit activates the fans up to the set of sensors indicates to the processing unit that the second temperature (Y °C) within the second sub-compartment has reached the temperature selected in said second controller.

[0025] Also, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the first temperature (X °C) is a temperature for keeping the transported cargo in a frozen condition, particularly ranging from about -12 °C to about -24 °C, more particularly being at a level of - 18 °C, and the second temperature (Y °C) is a temperature for keeping the transported cargo in a chilled condition, particularly ranging from about -5 °C to +5 °C, more particularly at a level of -2 °C.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0026] The characteristics, advantages and technical effects of the present invention, as indicated above, will be more adequately understood by a person skilled in the art from the following detailed description, made by way of example only, and not restrictive, and with reference to the attached schematic figures, which:

[0027] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a vehicle for transporting cargo with a reefer trailer of the multi -temperature type which may comprise a cooling system in accordance with the present invention;

[0028] Figure 2 shows a sectional side view of the refrigerated compartment of the trailer with a cooling system according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 3 shows a rear view of the cooling system partition, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 4 shows a front view of the cooling system partition, according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figures 5A, 5B and 5C show sectional side views of the refrigerated compartment of the trailer representing the sequence of movements for displacing the partition of the cooling system according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 6 shows an exemplary sectional side view of the refrigerated compartment of the trailer with the cooling system of the present invention in a deactivated condition; and

[0033] Figure 7 shows a schematic diagram of the cooling system for refrigerated compartment of the trailer according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0034] The invention will now be described with respect to its particular and exemplary embodiments, with reference to the accompanying figures. It is important to note that these figures are schematic, and their dimensions and/or proportions may not correspond to reality, as they only aim to describe the invention in a didactic way. Furthermore, certain constructive details known and common to the person skilled in the art may have been omitted for clarity and brevity of the description which follows. Reference numbers used are repeated throughout the figures to identify identical or similar parts and features.

[0035] In addition, it is worth noting that the terms eventually used such as “above”, “below”, “front”, “back”, “right”, “left” etc. and their variants must be interpreted according to the orientation given and observed in Figure 1 and, therefore, the front portion must be understood as the region facing the cabin of the vehicle, and the rear portion will be the opposite region, facing the rear part of the trailer.

[0036] By way of contextualization and better understanding of the subject matter involving the present invention, Figure 1 shows a vehicle for transporting cargo 10 formed by a multi-temperature type trailer 12 that is associated with a tractor vehicle 14, such as a truck. Optionally, said trailer 12 can be associated and mounted directly on the chassis of the vehicle 14, it is important to note that the model of vehicle for transporting cargo 10 can vary according to the actual needs of the type of transport and the amount of cargo to be transported.

[0037] In this context, as represented in Figure 1, the trailerl2 of said vehicle for transporting cargo 10 is formed by a main structure 16 with a chassis 18 that is mounted on wheels 20 to allow movement on roads and highways with the aid of the tractor vehicle 14. Said main structure 16 is formed by floor 16a, side 16b, front 16c and rear 16d walls, and roof 16e, in order to obtain a compartment 22 which, in the case of multi -temperature type reefer trailers, comprises partition walls 24 configured to divide the compartment 22 into subcompartments 22a, 22b which are set with different cooling temperatures, such as a freezing temperature (X °C) and a cooling temperature (Y °C). Usually, these temperatures can be at a level of -18 °C for the frozen sub-compartment 22a, and the refrigerated sub-compartment can be set to a temperature at a level of -2 °C. Therefore, these models of multi -temperature type reefer trailers 12 provide the transport of frozen and refrigerated cargo efficiently and safely, without risk of spoiling the cargo and, at the same time, optimizing transport logistics, including reducing the emission of pollutants.

[0038] In this sense, as shown in the other figures, the new cooling system, according to the present invention, is essentially formed by a refrigeration unit 26, usually installed on the external side of the front wall 16c of the main structure 16 of the reefer trailer 12, which is configured to feed a heat exchanger 28 installed in a first sub-compartment 22a responsible for transporting frozen cargo at a first temperature (X °C), and said cooling system also has a partition wall 24 configured to obtain a second sub-compartment 22b responsible for transporting refrigerated cargo at a second temperature (Y °C). Said partition wall 24 of the cooling system of the present invention further comprises at least one fan 30 configured to transfer air from the first sub-compartment 22a to the second sub-compartment 22b, the air being blown by said at least one fan 30 is at the first temperature (X °C) which is lower than the second temperature (Y °C).

[0039] According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, said partition wall 24 comprises two fans 30, which are positioned at the upper portion of said partition wall 24 to thereby provide a more efficient and uniform circulation of air into the second subcompartment 22b. In addition, this configuration provides the optimization of the use of the internal space of the compartment, allowing to reach the maximum transport load in each subcompartment 22a, 22b.

[0040] Said second sub-compartment 22b further comprises a set of sensors 32 designed and configured to identify and indicate the internal temperature of the second subcompartment 22b, said set of sensors 32 being responsible for determining the moment to turn on and turn off the fans 30, so as to be able to control the temperature of the second subcompartment within a range of values close to the second temperature (Y °C). According to a particular embodiment of the present invention, said set of sensors 32 is formed by at least two sensors 32a, 32b which are positioned on the rear face of the partition wall 24 at different heights, even more particularly, the first sensor 32a can be installed at the upper portion of the partition wall 24 and the second sensor 32b can be installed ate the lower portion of the partition wall 24, thereby making it possible to obtain a more appropriate and accurate measurement of the internal temperature of the second sub-compartment 22b.

[0041] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the present invention, said partition wall 24 is movable to thereby allow the compartment 22 of the main frame 16 to be divided by the partition wall 24 in different configurations with respect to the cargo capacity of each sub-compartment. 22a, 22b. As best represented in Figures 5A, 5B and 5C, said partition wall 24 can be moved back and forth, for this purpose, as indicated by the arrows, the operator can partially lift said partition wall 24 and move it to a certain position and lower it again. In this way, it is possible to configure said compartment 22 with sub-compartments 22a, 22b of different dimensions, that is, if the amount of frozen products is smaller than the amount of refrigerated products, it is possible to configure the reefer trailer with a first subcompartment 22a smaller than the second sub-compartment 22b. Likewise, if there is a greater amount of frozen products than the amount of refrigerated products, said compartment 22 can be adjusted to provide a first sub-compartment 22a larger than the second sub-compartment 22b.

[0042] In this context, said partition wall 24 may comprise support and displacements mechanisms 34 arranged, for example, on the upper portion to thereby keep the partition wall 24 suspended and further allow its movement back and forth within the compartment 22. More particularly, said displacement components 34 can be pulleys or other mechanisms that provide support and movement of said partition wall 24.

[0043] Particularly with reference to Figure 7, it is possible to observe an embodiment of the cooling system according to the present invention, wherein a processing unit 40 is provided, such as a computer power unit (CPU), said processing unit 40 is configured to monitor, control and manage the internal temperature of the sub-compartments 22a, 22b of the reefer trailer 12, said processing unit 40 receiving the temperature parameters from a first and second controllers 42a, 42b selected by an operator. From the moment that the temperatures (X °C, Y °C) of the respective sub-compartments are set through the controllers, the processing unit 40 determines the performance of the refrigeration unit 26 which feeds the heat exchanger 28 that will cool the first sub-compartment 22a until reaching the first temperature (X °C).

[0044] In the second sub-compartment 22b, the set of sensors 32 measures the temperature and indicates to the processing unit 40, which compares with the temperature parameter set in the second controller 42b and, if applicable, drives the fans 30 to blow air from the first sub-compartment 22a, which is at the first temperature (X °C), into the second subcompartment 22b until the set of sensors 32 indicates to the processing unit that the second temperature (Y °C) within the second sub-compartment 22b has reached the temperature selected by the operator in said second controller 42b.

[0045] According to particular embodiments of the present invention, said first temperature (X °C) is a temperature for keeping the transported cargo in a frozen condition and, in this case, it can vary between -12 °C to -24 °C, more particularly at a level of -18 °C. The second temperature (Y °C) is a temperature to keep the transported cargo in a cooled condition and, in this case, it can vary between -5 °C to +5 °C, being more particularly at a level of -2 °C.

[0046] Therefore, as can be seen, the cooling system for reefer trailers, object of the present invention, is able to provide a practical, functional and simple solution, but with application costs significantly lower than the systems models usually used in the state of the art for construction of multi-temperature trailers. The solution presented by the present invention makes it possible to adapt, without complexity and with relatively low investments, a traditional and single-temperature reefer trailer into a multi-temperature reefer trailer and, with it, optimizing the companies’ freight vehicle fleets, allowing the transport of frozen and chilled products within appropriate and safe parameters, without the need of purchasing new reefer trailers specifically designed to provide sub-compartments with different temperatures. [0047] The present invention also deals with a refrigerated vehicle for transporting cargo which comprises a motor vehicle 14 and at least one multi -temperature reefer trailer 12 which is intended for the transport of cargo in different conditions, such as, for example, frozen and only cooled, said reefer trailer 12 being essentially formed by a main structure 16 with a chassis 18 which is mounted on wheels 20, said main structure 16 being constituted by a floor 16a, side 16b, front 16c and rear 16d walls, and a roof 16e, so as to obtain a compartment 22. The refrigerated vehicle for transporting cargo, according to the present invention, further comprises a cooling system, as discussed above, which is basically formed by a refrigeration unit 26 that feeds a heat exchanger 28 arranged inside the compartment 22, in which at least one partition wall 24 is provided, configured to divide the compartment 22 in at least two subcompartments 22a, 22b, said partition wall 24 comprising at least one fan 30 configured to blow air from the first sub-compartment 22a to the second sub-compartment 22b.

[0048] As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, and according to possible embodiments of the present invention, said reefer trailer 12 of the transport vehicle 10 may comprise a compartment 22 divided into several sub-compartments, by simply having an adequate number of partition walls 24 and, further, configuring said sub-compartments with temperatures that increase as they move away from the heat exchanger 28 which is directly associated with the refrigeration unit 26. For example, the arrangement of two partition walls 24 inside the compartment 22 can be designed to obtain a reefer trailer with a compartment 22 divided into three sub-compartments, with the coldest sub-compartment receiving the heat exchanger, while the other sub-compartments receive air through fans 30 provided in each partition wall 24.

[0049] By way of illustration only, Figure 6 shows a transport vehicle 10 with a reefer trailer 12 that comprises a cooling system, according to the present invention, however, representing a situation in which it is being used to transport cargo that are in the same condition, either frozen or just chilled. In this situation, operators can simply and quickly configure the compartment 22 in order to make the cooling system inactive and, for that, it is enough to move back or remove the partition wall 24, in order to eliminate the subcompartments and, in this way, adjusting the temperature of said compartment 22 with a single parameter, that is, the application of a cooling system, according to the present invention, does not compromise the eventual need to transport the cargo in a single condition, such as occurs in traditional and single-temperature type cargo vehicles.

[0050] According to possible embodiments of the present invention, the vehicle for transporting cargo 10 can be a truck with a reefer trailer 12 attached thereto, a box truck where the reefer trailer 12 is mounted directly on the chassis of the truck, a small cargo vehicle, such as the so-called UCV (urban cargo vehicle), a van, or any other type of cargo vehicle used to transport frozen and/or refrigerated products.

[0051] Finally, considering all of the above, it is important to note that the present description aims only to present and define, in an exemplary way, particular embodiments of the new cooling system for reefer trailers in accordance to the present invention. Therefore, as those skilled in the art should appreciate, various modifications and combinations of equivalent elements and details are possible without, therefore, departing from the scope of protection defined by the attached claims.