TRANSPORT CONTAINER

Abstract

In a transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods, comprising a chamber for receiving the transport goods and a casing which surrounds the chamber and is equipped with a door device, the door device comprises at least one door leaf for closing a door opening of the casing, wherein at least one inner circumferential seal is provided between the at least one door leaf and the door opening and at least one outer circumferential seal is provided between the at least one door leaf and the door opening. The inner and outer seals each comprise at least one sealing element that can be displaced by a pressure difference and that, when a predetermined pressure difference is exceeded, opens an air passage from the outside to the inside or vice versa, wherein a buffer space delimited by the inner and outer seals is arranged and that a temperature control element is provided to cool the buffer space.

Claims

1. A transport container for transporting temperature-sensitive transport goods, comprising a chamber for receiving the transport goods and a casing which surrounds the chamber and is equipped with a door device, wherein the door device comprises at least one door leaf for closing a door opening of the casing, wherein at least one inner circumferential seal is provided between the at least one door leaf and the door opening and at least one outer circumferential seal is provided between the at least one door leaf and the door opening, wherein the at least one inner and outer circumferential seals each comprise at least one sealing element that can be displaced by a pressure difference and that, when a predetermined pressure difference is exceeded, opens an air passage from the outside to the inside or vice versa, wherein a buffer space delimited by the at least one inner and outer circumferential seals is arranged and that a temperature control element is provided to cool the buffer space.

2. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer space is arranged between the at least one inner and outer circumferential seals and is designed in the shape of a ring.

3. The transport container according to claim 2, characterized in that the buffer space is delimited by the at least one door leaf and by a surface of the casing forming the door opening.

4. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature control element is arranged in the region of the casing facing the buffer space in order to cool the outer surface of the casing, which outer surface is delimiting the buffer space.

5. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the door device is double-walled and comprises at least one inner door leaf and at least one outer door leaf for closing the door opening of the casing, wherein the at least one inner circumferential seal is provided between the at least one inner door leaf and the door opening and the at least one outer circumferential seal is provided between the at least one outer door leaf and the door opening, and wherein the buffer space is arranged between the at least one inner door leaf and the at least one outer door leaf.

6. The transport container according to claim 5, characterized in that the at least one inner door leaf comprises the temperature control element which is designed to cool the outer surface of the at least one inner door leaf facing the buffer space.

7. The transport container according to claim 5, characterized in that the temperature control element is designed to keep the buffer space or the outer surface of the at least one inner door leaf facing the buffer space at a temperature that is at most 2-10° C. above a temperature of the chamber.

8. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature control element is designed as a cooling element.

9. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature control element comprises a latent heat storage.

10. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature control element is designed as an active temperature control element and comprises a vapor-compression refrigeration system or a Peltier element.

11. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the temperature control element comprises an evaporative cooling system, comprising an evaporation element with a cooling surface, a desiccant to absorb coolant that has evaporated in the evaporation element, a transport path for transporting the coolant to the desiccant, and a storage chamber for the coolant that can be brought into fluid connection with the evaporation element.

12. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that at least two outer circumferential seals are provided, one behind the other and at a distance from one another in the direction of an air flow from the outside into the buffer space, wherein each of said at least two outer circumferential seals comprises a sealing element that is displaceable by a pressure difference and that opens an air passage from the outside into the buffer space when a predetermined pressure difference is exceeded.

13. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one door leaf comprises a layer with a latent heat storage.

14. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one door leaf comprises a thermal insulation layer.

15. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the at least one sealing element is designed as an elastically deflectable sealing lip.

16. The transport container according to claim 1, characterized in that the buffer space comprises a collecting chamber for condensate or is connected to the same.

Description

[0044] The invention is explained in more detail below with reference to an exemplary embodiment shown schematically in the drawing. Therein, FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of a cuboid transport container in a first embodiment with the doors open, FIG. 2 shows a cross section of the transport container along plane II of FIG. 1, FIG. 3 shows a detailed view of the cross section according to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 shows a cross section of the transport container analogous to FIG. 2, but in a modified embodiment.

[0045] In FIG. 1, a transport container 1 is shown, which is cuboid and whose casing 2 surrounds a container chamber 3 on five sides. On the sixth side, the casing 2 has a door opening 4 which can be closed with an inner door and an outer door. The inner door comprises two inner door leaves 5, which can be pivoted open in opposite directions in the manner of a double wing door. The outer door comprises an outer door leaf 6. The casing 2, the inner door leaves 5 and the outer door leaf 6 comprise heat-insulating material and temperature control elements which ensure that the container chamber 3 remains at a predetermined temperature level of, for example, 2-8° C. or 15-25° C.

[0046] In the cross-sectional view according to FIG. 2, the door leaves 5 and 6 are shown closed and completely close the door opening.

[0047] In the detailed view according to FIG. 3, the sealing of the gap 7 between the door device and the casing 2 is shown. A first outer circumferential seal 8 is provided between the outer door leaf 6 and the casing 2 and is fastened to an outer circumferential edge section of the door leaf 6, which is formed with a smaller thickness. Further inward, a second and a third outer seals 9 and 10 are provided between the outer door leaf 16 and the casing 2, which are also formed circumferentially and provide additional sealing. The second outer seal 9 is attached to the casing 2 and the third outer seal 10 is attached to the door leaf 6. The seals 8, 9 and 10 are each arranged at the front face so that they are compressed by the closing movement of the door leaf 6.

[0048] Between the inner door leaf 5 and the casing 2, an inner seal 11 is arranged which is attached to the narrow side of the door leaf 5 and surrounds the door leaf 5 circumferentially.

[0049] The gap 7 leads into an intermediate space 12 which is formed between the two parallel door leaves 5 and 6. If there is a pressure difference between the container chamber 3 and the environment, the seals 8, 9, 10 and 11 are deformed in such a way that pressure equalization can take place and a certain amount of air 13 can pass through the gap 7 into the intermediate or buffer space 12 and the container chamber 3. The buffer space 12 serves as a buffer space in which a volume of air is kept in stock and precooled by means of a temperature control element (not shown), the temperature control element preferably being arranged in the inner door leaf 5 in order to cool the buffer space 12 via the outer surface of the door leaf 5 facing the buffer space. The air in the buffer space 12 is thereby cooled to a temperature that corresponds to the temperature prevailing in the container chamber 3 or a temperature slightly above it, whereby any condensation of water takes place in the buffer space 12 before this air enters the container chamber 3.

[0050] In the alternative embodiment according to FIG. 4, the door device is not double-walled with an intermediate space, but only comprises the door leaf 14 or, in the case of a double-wing door, two door leaves 14. A first outer circumferential seal 15 is provided between the door leaf 14 and the casing 2 and is fastened to an outer, circumferential edge section of the door leaf 14, which is formed with a smaller thickness. Further inward, a second outer seal 16 is provided between the door leaf 14 and the casing 2, which is also formed circumferentially and provides an additional seal. The seals 15 and 16 are each arranged at the front face so that they are compressed by the closing movement of the door leaf 14 in the closing direction.

[0051] Furthermore, an inner seal 18 is arranged between the door leaf 14 and the casing 2, which is attached to the narrow side of the door leaf 14 and surrounds the door leaf 14 circumferentially. In addition to the inner seal 18, a second inner seal 19 can optionally be arranged.

[0052] The gap 7 leads into a first space 17 which is formed between the two outer seals 15 and 16. The buffer space 12, which is delimited on the inside by the inner seal 18 and possibly 19, adjoins the first space 17 inwardly towards the chamber 3. If there is a pressure difference between the container chamber 3 and the environment, the seals 15, 16, 18 and possibly 19 are deformed so that a pressure equalization takes place and a certain amount of air 13 can get through the gap 7 into the first space 17, an equivalent amount of air can get from the first space 17 into the buffer space 12 and an equivalent amount of air can get from the buffer space into the container chamber 3. The buffer space 12 serves as a buffer in which a volume of air is kept in stock and precooled by means of a temperature control element (not shown), the temperature control element preferably being arranged in the casing 2. If necessary, a partial temperature control or cooling of the air can already take place in the first room 17, so that only the remaining temperature control or cooling has to take place in the subsequent buffer room 12.