FREIGHT CONTAINER COMPRISING A CLIMATE ARRANGEMENT AND METHOD FOR CONTROLLING THE CLIMATE ARRANGEMENT

Abstract

A freight container (10), comprising: a cargo compartment being defined by a floor (16), a ceiling (14) and walls (18a-d) wherein the ceiling comprises an inner portion (40) and an outer portion (24) defining a first space (26). The freight container further comprises a climate arrangement (50), configured for providing a climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment of said freight container. At least one of said walls comprises an inner wall portion (17a, 42) and an outer wall portion (17b, 32) defining a second space (19a, 19b), wherein said first space is fluidically connected to said second space, and said inner wall portion comprises at least one aperture (110) between said second space and said cargo compartment. The climate arrangement is configured to provide said climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment of said freight container via said first space, said second space and said at least one aperture.

Claims

1. A freight container, comprising: a cargo compartment being defined by a floor, a ceiling and walls wherein the ceiling comprises an inner portion and an outer portion defining a first space; a climate arrangement, configured for providing a climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment of said freight container; wherein said climate-conditioned air-flow is provided in vicinity of said ceiling of said cargo compartment; at least one of said walls comprises an inner wall portion and an outer wall portion defining a second space; said first space is fluidically connected to said second space, and said inner wall portion comprises at least one aperture between said second space and said cargo compartment; wherein said climate arrangement is configured to provide said climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment of said freight container via said first space, said second space and said at least one aperture.

2. The freight container according to claim 1, wherein said at least one aperture is provided in vicinity of said floor.

3. The freight container according to claim 1, wherein at least one of said walls comprises an inner wall portion and an outer wall portion defining a third space, wherein said cargo compartment of said freight container is fluidically connected to said third space and wherein said climate arrangement is configured to return a residual air-flow of said climate-conditioned air-flow from said cargo compartment of said freight container via said third space.

4. The freight container according to claim 3, wherein said third space comprises an auxiliary passage arranged in vicinity of said inner portion of said ceiling, wherein an inlet of said auxiliary passage is arranged between a top part of said inner wall portion and said inner portion of said ceiling.

5. The freight container according to claim 3, wherein said walls comprise two oppositely arranged side walls, a door and a back wall arranged oppositely said door, wherein said side walls define said second space, and said back wall defines said third space.

6. The freight container according to claim 5, wherein said inner portion comprises an opening between said first space and said cargo compartment in vicinity of said door, wherein said climate arrangement is configured to provide a portion of said climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment of said freight container via said opening.

7. The freight container according to claim 6, wherein said climate arrangement is configured to control a ratio between said climate-controlled air-flow to be provided into said cargo compartment via said at least one aperture and said portion of the climate-controlled air-flow to be provided into said cargo compartment via said at least one opening.

8. The freight container according to claim 1, wherein said climate arrangement is configured to provide the climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment via said at least one aperture as a function of the position of said at least one aperture in said inner wall portion.

9. The freight container according to claim 5, wherein said climate arrangement is configured to provide the climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment via said at least one aperture as a function of the position of said at least one aperture in said inner wall portion, and wherein a concentration of said at least one aperture, by the number of said at least one aperture, increases in a direction of the cargo compartment from said back wall towards said door.

10. The freight container according to claim 5, wherein said freight container further comprises at least one spacer arranged on at least one of said door and said back wall.

11. A method for controlling a climate-conditioned air-flow in a freight container, comprising the steps of: providing, by a climate arrangement, a climate-conditioned air-flow into a cargo compartment of said freight container; said cargo compartment being defined by a floor, a ceiling and walls, wherein the ceiling comprises an inner portion and an outer portion defining a first space; wherein said climate-conditioned air-flow is provided in vicinity of said ceiling of said cargo compartment; and providing said climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment of said freight container via said first space and a second space defined by an inner wall portion and an outer wall portion of at least one of said walls, wherein said first space is fluidically connected to said second space and wherein said inner wall portion comprises at least one aperture between said second space and said cargo compartment.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein said step of providing said climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment via said at least one aperture is performed as a function of the position of said at least one aperture in said inner wall portion.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein said walls comprise two oppositely arranged side walls, a door and a back wall arranged oppositely said door, wherein said inner portion comprises an opening between said first space and said cargo compartment in vicinity of said door, wherein said step of providing said climate-conditioned air-flow into said cargo compartment comprises controlling a ratio between the climate-controlled air-flow to be provided into said cargo compartment via said at least one aperture and the climate-controlled air-flow to be provided into said cargo compartment via said at least one opening.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] This and other aspects of the present invention will now be described in more detail, with reference to the appended drawings showing embodiment(s) of the invention.

[0028] FIGS. 1A and 1B schematically show a freight container according to an exemplifying embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] FIG. 2 schematically shows a freight container according to an exemplifying embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] FIG. 1A schematically shows a freight container 10 according to an exemplifying embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that the freight container 10 may be substantially any container for the purpose of goods transportation. Preferably, the freight container 10 is an airfreight container, arranged for transportation in aircraft. The freight container 10 is defined by an outer shell 12. Within the outer shell 12, the freight container 10 comprises a cargo compartment 20 being defined by a floor 16, a ceiling 14 and walls 18a-c. The ceiling 14 of the cargo compartment 20 comprises an inner portion 40 and an outer portion 24 defining a first space 26. The freight container 10 further comprises a climate arrangement 50, configured for providing a climate-conditioned air-flow 100 into the cargo compartment 20 of the freight container 10. The climate-conditioned air-flow 100 is provided in vicinity of the ceiling 14 of the cargo compartment 20. More specifically, and according to the example of FIG. 1A, the climate control system 50 is situated in a control compartment 30 that is separated from the cargo compartment 20 by an outer wall portion 32. Upon operation, the climate control system 50 provides an air-flow 102 going out from the climate control system 50 through an output pipe 36. The inner portion 40 of the ceiling 14 does not cover all the distance to the walls and leaves an opening for a climate-conditioned air-flow to flow into the main cargo compartment 20. For example, the inner portion 40 of the ceiling 14 comprises an opening 21, wherein the climate arrangement 50 is configured to provide the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 into the cargo compartment of the freight container via the opening 21. Furthermore, the freight container 10 comprises an inner wall portion 43 in form of a plate which is arranged parallel to, and in vicinity of, the wall 18b. A portion 111 of the climate-conditioned air flow 100 is arranged to pass between the inner wall portion 43 and the wall 18b and into the cargo compartment 20 at the bottom of the inner wall portion 43 in vicinity of the floor 16.

[0031] Likewise, there is in this particular embodiment also an inner wall portion 42, placed with a small distance to the wall separating the cargo compartment 20 from the control compartment 30. Gas leaving the cargo compartment 20 flows beneath the edge of the inner wall portion 42 and upwards along the wall into the input pipe 38.

[0032] At least one of the walls 18a-c comprises an inner wall portion and an outer wall portion defining a second space (indicated in FIG. 1B). The first space 26 is fluidically connected to the second space, and the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 is hereby arranged to flow 108 into the cargo compartment 20 via the first space and the second space. It will be appreciated that the flow 108 is indicated by dashed arrows on the inside of wall 18a, as the flow 108 is arranged to pass through the second space being defined by the inner and outer wall portions of the wall 18a.

[0033] The inner wall portion comprises at least one aperture 110 between the second space and the cargo compartment 20. It should be noted that the freight container 10 may be provided with any number of apertures 110, and that the number of apertures 110 in FIG. 1A is shown as an example. Furthermore, in FIG. 1A, the apertures 110 are exemplified as being provided in vicinity of the floor 16, but the apertures 110 may alternatively be provided at other positions of the inner wall portion. The climate arrangement 50 may be configured to provide the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 into the cargo compartment 20 via the apertures 110 as a function of the position of the apertures 110 in the inner wall portion. It will be appreciated that the inner wall portion 43 may comprise apertures at the bottom part of the inner wall portion 43 in vicinity of the floor 16 for providing the portion 111 of the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 into the cargo compartment 20.

[0034] According to the exemplifying embodiment of the freight container in FIG. 1A, the apertures 110 are evenly distributed between in the wall 18a. However, the apertures 110 may alternatively have a higher concentration in a vicinity of one of the walls 18a-c and/or that the concentration of the apertures increases in a direction of the cargo compartment, e.g. from wall 18c towards wall 18b.

[0035] The inner wall portion 42 is placed with a small distance to the outer wall portion 32. The inner wall portion 42 and the outer wall portion 32 define a third space 34. The cargo compartment 20 of the freight container 10 is fluidically connected to the third space 34, and the climate arrangement 50 is configured to return a residual (return) air-flow 104 of the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 from the cargo compartment 20 via the third space 34. Here, the climate control system 50 receives the residual (return) air-flow 104 through an input pipe 38.

[0036] In the example of FIG. 1A, the walls 18a-c of the freight container 10 comprise two oppositely arranged side walls, namely wall 18a and the wall oppositely arranged wall 18a (not indicated). The walls 18a-c further comprise a door 18b and a back wall 18c arranged oppositely the door 18b. According to the above, the wall 18a and the wall arranged oppositely wall 18a define a part of the second space, through which the flow 108 is arranged to pass. The back wall 18c defines the third space through which the residual (return) air-flow 104 is arranged to pass.

[0037] FIG. 1B schematically shows a freight container 10 according to an exemplifying embodiment of the present invention. It will be appreciated that FIG. 1B shows the freight container 10 as exemplified in FIG. 1A in an alternative view “through” the wall/door 18b and towards the back wall 18c. Furthermore, as some references and/or functions of the freight container 10 are omitted in FIG. 1B compared to FIG. 1A, it is referred to FIG. 1A for an increased understanding.

[0038] In FIG. 1B, the cargo compartment 20 of the freight container 10 is defined by a floor 16, a ceiling 14 and walls 18 (of which only oppositely arranged walls 18a and 18d are indicated). The ceiling 14 of the cargo compartment 20 comprises an inner portion 40 and an outer portion 24 defining a first space 26. Upon operation, the climate control system (not shown) provides a climate-conditioned air-flow 100 to flow 108 into the main cargo compartment.

[0039] The walls 18a, 18d comprise an inner wall portion 17a and an outer wall portion 17b, respectively, defining a second space 19a, 19b. The first space 26 is fluidically connected to the second space 19a, 19b, and the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 is hereby arranged to flow 108 into the cargo compartment 20 via the first space 26 and the second space 19a, 19b.

[0040] The inner wall portion 17a comprises apertures 110 between the second space 19a, 19b and the cargo compartment 20. In FIG. 1B, the apertures 110 are exemplified as being provided in vicinity of the floor 16, but the apertures 110 may alternatively be provided at other positions of the inner wall portion 17a.

[0041] The climate arrangement is configured to return a residual (return) air-flow 104 of the climate-conditioned air-flow 100 from the cargo compartment 20 via a third space (shown in FIG. 1A).

[0042] FIG. 2 schematically shows a portion of a freight container according to an exemplifying embodiment of the present invention. For reasons of simplicity, FIG. 2 indicates the upper leftmost portion of the freight container 10 as exemplified in FIG. 1A and the associated text. However, FIG. 2 shows an alternative configuration of this part of the freight container. More specifically, the freight container comprises an auxiliary passage 106 in vicinity of the inner portion 40 of the ceiling. The inlet 108 of the auxiliary passage 106 is a slit which is provided between a top part of the inner wall portion 42 and the inner portion 40 of the ceiling, wherein the slit elongates along the length of the inner wall portion 42. The auxiliary passage 106 is provided between the inner wall portion 42 and an isolating element 107. The isolating element 107 is in turn arranged adjacent the climate arrangement 50.

[0043] The person skilled in the art realizes that the present invention by no means is limited to the preferred embodiments described above. On the contrary, many modifications and variations are possible within the scope of the appended claims. For example, one or more of the cargo compartment 20, the climate arrangement 50 and/or the apertures 110, etc., may have different shapes, dimensions and/or sizes than those depicted/described.