ATMOSPHERE CONTROL DEVICE, REQUIRING MINIMUM INTERVENTION FOR INSTALLATION IN REFRIGERATED CONTAINERS, SAID DEVICE BEING A STANDALONE, COMPACT AND REUSABLE DEVICE COMPRISING A LONG CYLINDRICAL BODY, A BATTERY AREA, AN ELECTRONICS AREA, A HANDLING AREA, A COVER AREA, AND A GAS EXCHANGE AREA

Abstract

Atmospheric control valve device, part of an atmospheric control system built into a refrigerated container, whose installation requires minimal intervention and is self-sufficient, compact and reusable due to its long, cylindrical body that includes a battery compartment. The body also has a compartment for the electrical, electronic and sensor elements; a handling compartment for the elements that handle the device; a cover area to cover the container after removing the device; and a gas exchange compartment for two-way gas exchanges, controlled by a solenoid valve and by the differences in pressure that occur naturally within the refrigerated container.

Claims

1. An atmospheric control valve device, requiring minimal intervention in its installation in refrigerated containers, self-sufficient, compact, and reusable, WHEREIN its body has an elongated cylindrical shape; the body in turn contains a battery compartment; an electronics compartment with the electrical, electronic and sensor elements; a handling compartment with the elements that handle the device; a plug area with means for capping the container once the device is removed; and a gas exchange compartment with bi-directional gas exchange means controlled by a solenoid valve and by the natural pressure differences generated in the refrigerated container.

2. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN it is part of an atmosphere control system for a refrigerated cargo container that transports perishable goods.

3. An atmosphere controller valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN the device's body has an elongated cylindrical shape (2) and consists of a front face or end (3), a rear face or end (4), an upper portion of a cylindrical body (5) that forms an elongated upper semicircle, and a lower portion of the cylindrical body (6) that forms an elongated lower semicircle, where said body portions (5,6).

4. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 3, WHEREIN the upper portion of the cylindrical body (5) that contains the upper part of the front end (3) and the upper part of the rear end (4), are manufactured as one single piece; the lower part of the cylindrical body (6) that comprises the lower part of the front end (3) and the lower part of the rear end (4) are also made as one single piece. A rubber gasket (45) is wedged between these two pieces (5) and (6), in order to keep their elements isolated.

5. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN the atmosphere control valve device's body includes guide troughs (46) along its outside, which guide the device for correct positioning.

6. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN the handling area includes a front cover (7) that is inserted in a front chamber (8), so the cover is inserted in the front end (3); this front end (3) has a recess (9) on its outer surface (10), which creates a perimeter o-ring (11) that is placed on this recess (9) on the outer surface (10) of the front face of the device (3); the recess (9) creates a flange (13) inside the front chamber (8) that surrounds the entire circular perimeter of the inner surface of the device's front face (12), which allows adjusting and placing the front cover (7) in said front end of the device (3). The front cover (7) has a series of front openings (14) that allow the intake or outlet of flows, such as air, from the outside of the container.

7. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 6, WHEREIN the lateral contour of the front cover (7) features a series of grooves (14a) to handle the front cover (7) and prevent it from slipping out of its operational position. Together with the complementary grooves (12a) on the inner perimeter of the device's front face (12), they anchor the piece to the device's edge. Both grooves (14a and 12a) are located halfway in front of the device as seen horizontally, between the upper and lower parts of the cylindrical body (5, 6), in parallel. A little further back than the grooves (14a) are the stability uprights (49), which are two points used to stabilize the front cover (7), anchoring it below the guide through (46) on the front face's (12) inner surface.

8. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 6, WHEREIN within the handling area, the chamber or cavity (8) that exists behind the front cover (7)which is itself bounded by an outside recess (15) in the circumferential perimeter of the outer surface (10) of the upper part (5) and of the lower part (6) of the valve body, creates an inner seat (16) on the inner surface (12) of the valve device's front face. This seat bounds the bottom of the cavity (8), and is used to place the valve element (17).

9. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN the seat (16) within the gas exchange area has a rubber seal for the seat and shaft (23) on its face that looks towards the valve element's (17) body (18); it is used to place the rear face of the valve element's body (18), whose diameter is relatively smaller than the chamber or cavity's (8) inner diameter (8). The valve element's body (18) is solid and has a seal (19) on its rear face that is somewhat displaced from the center to the side. It can be made of rubber, surrounding the valve element (17) body's (18) rear, and placed around a shaft (20) protruding from the center of the valve element's (17) body (18), in such a way that the edge of this rear seal of the valve element's body (19) is adjacent to the edge of the rubber seal (23) of the seat (16), where the shaft (20) of the valve element (17) protrudes from the body (18) toward the bottom of the valve body, and which is attached to an elastic piece (21) that is placed inside a chamber that encloses it. The elastic piece separates the area where the electronic elements are located from the area where the air flows. In addition, the shaft (20) of the valve element passes through the elastic piece (21) through its center, connecting a solenoid on one of its ends (22).

10. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 9, WHEREIN in order to ensure that the valve element's body (18) moves steadily whenever the valve opens and closes, two vanes (47) are placed on the outside around the horizontal shaft, working together as a sledge to keep the valve element's body upright. Both the upper and lower parts of the cylindrical body (5 and 6) have vane recesses (48) for the vanes (47), to ensure that they can move freely without colliding with other parts of the device.

11. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 9, WHEREIN the valve element (17), on its inside and throughout its center, contains a clamping bolt (17b) and a spring (17a). These internal elements anchor and provide flexibility to the union between the valve element's body (18) and the shaft (20), which is in turn anchored to the solenoid (22).

12. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN the rear of the valve element's (17) body (18) within the gas exchange compartment closes a first upper flow duct (24) in the upper part (5) of the valve's body. The duct extends from the edge of the seat (16) to the rear edge of the upper flow duct opening (25a) in the upper part (5) of the body, defining an upper flow duct (25) on the opposite side. A second lower flow duct (26) is formed at the bottom (6) of the valve's body, which extends from the edge of the seat (16) to the rear edge of the lower flow duct opening (27a) at the bottom (6) of the body, defining a lower flow duct opening (27).

13. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 9, WHEREIN the cavity where the elastic part (21) is located, which is connected to the valve element's (17) shaft (20), has a central hole (28) through which said shaft (20) penetrates towards the valve element's (17) body (18). This cavity and central hole (28) are formed by a central wall (29) that surrounds the hole, forming and being part of the wall that forms the lower and upper flow ducts (24, 26). This central wall (29) has a central seat (30) made up of a wall that surrounds the shaft (20); the central seat (30) has a rubber seal for the seat and shaft (23), whose edge coincides with the edge of the seal (19) of the valve element's (17) body (18).

14. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 1, WHEREIN the electronics and battery compartments are enclosed within a watertight area in the rear of the valve element's body (18). It consists of a rear chamber (31) at the rear edge of the upper flow duct opening (25a) and at the rear edge of the lower flow duct opening (27a) in body parts (5 and 6) respectively.

15. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 14, WHEREIN the battery compartment (32) includes a battery (35) that allows the equipment to operate autonomously. It is protected by a seal cover (33) and anchored by two bolts with rubbers (37), allowing the battery (35) to be held in place and at the same time providing an airtight seal by way of the battery rubber (36) inside the chamber that houses the battery.

16. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 14, WHEREIN the electronics compartment (34) includes a series of circuits and electronic and electrical elements, as well as sensors, used to operate the valve. Some elements are set up in the rear of this compartment, such as the high (42) and low (43) sensors, which detect O2 and CO2 concentrations and deliver electrical signals to the solenoid (22) regarding the behavior of the gases inside the container. The solenoid opens and closes the valve element's body (18), in order to control the container's atmosphere. The sensors are protected by a gas sensor cover (44) with two side vents (41), which allow gases to enter the container toward the sensors.

17. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 12, WHEREIN within the gas exchange area, the valve element (17)'s seal is made up by seals (19 and 23), which allow for an efficient closing and opening of the solenoid. The airtightness of the seals plus the pressure differences created by the thermal gradient and captured inside the container by the duct openings (25) and (27) make the solenoid require less force to activate the valve element (17), thus achieving a greater air transfer area with less force, with fewer stress tensions, and a lower probability of failure. Since the valve element (17) involves a single mechanism to drive both the flow intake and outlet simultaneously through a single solenoid, this reduces energy consumption, allowing the valve element to be powered electrically with a battery (35).

18. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 12, WHEREIN within the gas exchange compartment, the shape of the holes or flow ducts (24, 26) slant from their opening towards the center of the valve element's body (18) and its front where the central seat and rubber seal of the seat and shaft (30, 23) are located, slanting towards the front, but to the valve body's outer surface. The inner seat and rubber seal of the seat and shaft (16) follow the same direction and inclination of the inner seat and rubber seal of the valve body (16, 23). The rear of the valve element's body (18) is shaped like a V and set towards the inside of the body and towards the bottom of the valve's body (17). This shape and setup of the elements in the gas exchange compartment allows separating the intake and outlet flows, since they take place in separate compartments. The angle of the elements and components in the central part of the valve element's body (18) provide an intermediate division to the valve, thus achieving a differentiated gas flow direction.

19. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 16, WHEREIN the electronics compartment has a connector plug (50) that extends towards the lid area, around the center of the rear face (4). External modules that are not part of the atmosphere control valve device can be connected to it, such as a CO2 scrubber, providing additional functionalities to control the atmosphere in the refrigerated container.

20. An atmosphere control valve device, according to claim 12, WHEREIN the cavity where the elastic part (21) is located, which is connected to the valve element's (17) shaft (20), has a central hole (28) through which said shaft (20) penetrates towards the valve element's (17) body (18). This cavity and central hole (28) are formed by a central wall (29) that surrounds the hole, forming and being part of the wall that forms the lower and upper flow ducts (24, 26). This central wall (29) has a central seat (30) made up of a wall that surrounds the shaft (20); the central seat (30) has a rubber seal for the seat and shaft (23), whose edge coincides with the edge of the seal (19) of the valve element's (17) body (18).

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

[0106] In order to better explain the invention's features, the description includes a set of drawings for an example of a preferred embodiment, in which the invention has been illustrated in a non-limiting manner.

[0107] FIG. 1/9, corresponds to a lower perspective view of an atmospheric control valve for a refrigerated container according to the invention.

[0108] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0109] (1) Atmospheric control valve device

[0110] (2) Cylindrical body of the device

[0111] (3) Front or Front end of the device

[0112] (4) Back or Rear end of the device

[0113] (5) Upper portion of the cylindrical body

[0114] (6) Lower portion of the cylindrical body

[0115] (7) Front Cover

[0116] (11) Perimeter O-Ring

[0117] (15) Outside recess

[0118] (26) Bottom flow duct

[0119] (27) Lower flow duct opening

[0120] (32) Battery area

[0121] (33) Seal cap

[0122] (34) Electronics area

[0123] (36) Battery rubber

[0124] (37) Bolts with rubber

[0125] (38) Lid area

[0126] (39) Lid anchor

[0127] (45) Rubber gasket

[0128] (46) Guide trough

[0129] FIG. 2/9, corresponds to the lower front view of the atmosphere control valve according to the invention.

[0130] On the other hand, this figure shows the following specifications:

[0131] (3) Front or Front end of the device

[0132] (7) Front cover

[0133] (11) Perimeter O-Ring

[0134] (12a) Complementary grooves

[0135] (14) Frontal openings

[0136] (14a) Grooves

[0137] (18) Valve element body

[0138] (46) Guide trough

[0139] FIG. 3/9, corresponds to a lateral cross-sectional view, according to cut A-A of FIG. 1/9, of the invention's atmospheric control valve.

[0140] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0141] (2) Cylindrical body of the device

[0142] (8) Front chamber

[0143] (9) Recess

[0144] (10) Exterior surface of the Front or Front end of the device (3)

[0145] (12) Inside surface of the Front or Front end of the device (3)

[0146] (13) Flange

[0147] (15) Outside recess

[0148] (16) Interior seat

[0149] (17) Valve element

[0150] (18) Valve element body

[0151] (19) Rear seal of the valve element body

[0152] (20) Shaft

[0153] (21) Elastic piece

[0154] (22) Solenoid

[0155] (23) Rubber seal of seat and shaft

[0156] (24) Upper flow duct

[0157] (25) Upper flow duct opening

[0158] (25a) Rear edge of upper flow opening

[0159] (26) Bottom flow duct

[0160] (27) Lower flow duct opening

[0161] (27a) Rear edge of lower flow opening

[0162] (29) Central wall

[0163] (31) Rear chamber

[0164] (32) Battery area

[0165] (34) Electronics area

[0166] (38) Lid area

[0167] (39) Lid anchor

[0168] (40) Gas sensing area

[0169] (41) Side vent

[0170] (42) High sensor

[0171] (43) Low sensor

[0172] (48) Vane recess

[0173] FIG. 4/9 is a cross-section perspective view according to the A-A cut of FIG. 1/9, of the invention's atmospheric control valve.

[0174] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0175] (8) Front chamber

[0176] (9) Recess

[0177] (10) Exterior surface of the Front or Front end of the device (3)

[0178] (12a) Additional grooves

[0179] (13) Tab

[0180] (15) Outside recess

[0181] (16) Interior seat

[0182] (17) Valve element

[0183] (18) Valve element body

[0184] (19) Rear seal of the valve element body

[0185] (20) Shaft

[0186] (21) Elastic piece

[0187] (22) Solenoid

[0188] (25) Upper flow duct opening

[0189] (25a) Rear edge of upper flow opening

[0190] (27) Lower flow duct opening

[0191] (27a) Rear edge of lower flow opening

[0192] (28) Central orifice

[0193] (29) Central wall

[0194] (30) Central seat

[0195] (32) Battery area

[0196] (34) Electronics area

[0197] (39) Lid anchor

[0198] FIG. 5/9 is a top perspective view of the parts on the back of the invention's atmospheric control valve.

[0199] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0200] (32) Battery area

[0201] (33) Seal cap

[0202] (35) Battery

[0203] (36) Battery rubber

[0204] (37) Bolts with rubber

[0205] (39) Lid anchor

[0206] (40) Gas sensing area

[0207] (41) Side vent

[0208] (46) Guide trough

[0209] FIG. 6/9 corresponds to three groups of figures:

[0210] The top group shows a front and rear perspective view of the gas sensor cover of the invention's atmospheric control valve.

[0211] The middle group shows a front and rear perspective view of the body of the invention's atmospheric control valve.

[0212] The lower group shows a front and rear view of the front cover of the invention's atmospheric control valve.

[0213] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0214] (14) Frontal openings

[0215] (14a) Grooves

[0216] (17a) Spring

[0217] (17b) Tightening bolt

[0218] (18) Valve element body

[0219] (19) Rear seal of the valve element body

[0220] (20) Shaft

[0221] (21) Elastic piece

[0222] (41) Side vent

[0223] (44) Gas sensor cover

[0224] (47) Vane

[0225] (49) Stability uprights

[0226] FIG. 7/9 corresponds to two groups of figures:

[0227] The diagram on the left shows the positional relationship of the shaft (20) with all the parts that operate on this shaft. The rear (4), in contact with the lid compartment, also features the connector plug (50), which connects the device's motherboard with other devices and appliances outside the atmospheric control valve device.

[0228] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0229] (17a) Spring

[0230] (17b) Tightening bolt

[0231] (18) Valve element body

[0232] (20) Shaft

[0233] (21) Elastic piece

[0234] (22) Solenoid

[0235] (47) Vane

[0236] (48) Vane recess

[0237] (50) Connector plug

[0238] (51) Solenoid Stem

[0239] FIG. 8/9 shows a partial view of the pieces in the atmospheric control valve device.

[0240] This figure also shows the following specifications:

[0241] (7) Front Cover

[0242] (12a) Complementary grooves

[0243] (14a) Grooves

[0244] (18) Valve element body

[0245] (22) Solenoid

[0246] (32) Battery area

[0247] (33) Seal Cover

[0248] (34) Electronics area

[0249] (35) Battery

[0250] (36) Battery Rubber

[0251] (40) Gas sensing area

[0252] (42) High sensor

[0253] (43) Low sensor

[0254] (44) Gas sensor cover

[0255] (50) Connector plug

[0256] (52) Sensor protection seal

[0257] FIG. 9/9 shows a perspective top view of a prior art device with respect to the present invention, where an atmospheric control valve with high mechanical complexity and high energy consumption is depicted.

PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

[0258] The invention corresponds to an atmospheric control valve device (1) that is part of an atmospheric control system for a refrigerated cargo container, for the transport of perishable cargo such as fruit. This valve device has an elongated cylindrical shape, as shown in FIG. 1/9. The cylindrical body (2) has a front face or end (3), a rear face or end (4), an upper portion of the cylindrical body (5) forming an elongated upper semicircle, and a lower portion of the cylindrical body (6) forming an elongated lower semicircle. These body portions (5, 6) form the cylindrical body of the atmospheric control valve device (1).

[0259] The upper part of the cylindrical body (5), comprising the upper part of the front end (3) and the upper part of the rear end (4), is made of one piece. Likewise, the lower part of the cylindrical body (6) comprising the lower part of the front end (3) and the lower part of the rear end (4) are also made of one piece. These two parts (5) and (6) are joined by 4 bolts, which have a recess in their respective positions within the cylindrical body so that the bolts can be more easily handled during assembly or disassembly. The connection between these two parts (5) and (6) is separated by a rubber gasket (45) in order to keep all the elements contained in these parts isolated.

[0260] Outside, the atmospheric control valve device (1) has guide troughs (46) along its body, which allow the device to be correctly positioned.

[0261] The atmospheric control valve device (1) has a front cover (7) (shown in detail in FIG. 2/9), which is inserted into a front chamber (8) (shown in FIGS. 3/9 and 4/9). This cover is inserted into the front end (3) of the atmospheric control valve device (1). This front end (3) has a recess (9) in its outer surface (10), which serves as a means to retain a perimeter o-ring (11), which fits in the recess (9) of the outer surface (10) of the device's front face (3). This recess (9) produces a flange (13) inside the front chamber (8), surrounding the entire circular perimeter of the inner surface of the device's front face (12), which allows the front cover (7) to be adjusted and attached to the front end of the device (3). The front cover (7) has a number of front openings (14) that allow flows of air and such gases to enter or exit from the outside of the container.

[0262] On the other hand, this front cover (7) allows handling the atmospheric control valve device (1), so that it can be introduced or removed from and to its operating position. To prevent the front cover (7) from slipping out of its operational position when being handled, a series of grooves (14a) are positioned in the lateral contour of the front cover (7) that, together with additional grooves (12a) arranged in the inner perimeter of the front face of the device (12), anchor the part to the device's edge. Both grooves (14a and 12a) are positioned midway across the horizontal plane of the device, between the upper and lower portions of the cylindrical body (5, 6). At the same time and a little further back than the grooves (14a) are the stability uprights (49), two points that stabilize the front cover (7), anchoring it under the guide trough (46) on the inner surface of the front face (12).

[0263] As can be seen in FIGS. 3/9 and 4/9, the orifice (8) is deep enough for there to be a chamber behind the cover (7), limited by an external recess (15) in the circumferential perimeter of the outer surface (10) of the valve body's upper (5) and lower portions (6), creating an inner seat (16) on the inner surface (12) of the valve device's front face. This seat is at the bottom of the orifice (8), and is used to support a valve element (17). The seat (16) has a rubber seal for the seat and the shaft (23) on the face opposite to the valve element's body (18), which will fit part of the valve element body's rear face (18). The valve body (18) has a relatively smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the orifice (8). The solid body (18) of the valve element (17) contains a seal (19) on its rear face and to the side of the valve body's center, which may be made of rubber, partly surrounding the rear part of the valve body (18) of the valve element (17). It is placed around an shaft (20) from the center of the body (18) of the valve element (17), so that the edge of the rear seal of the valve element's body (19) remains next to the edge of the rubber seal (23) of the seat (16). The shaft (20) of the valve element (17) protrudes from the body (18) towards the bottom of the valve body, and is connected to an elastic part (21) located inside an enclosing chamber. The elastic piece finally separates the compartment where the electronics are located from the area where the air flows circulate. The shaft (20) of the valve element crosses the elastic part (21) through its center connecting it by one end to a solenoid (22).

[0264] In order to keep the valve element body (18) moving evenly when the valve is opened and closed, there are two flanges on the sides of the horizontal shaft (47) that work as a sled, keeping the valve element body upright. In addition, both the upper and lower parts of the cylindrical body (5 and 6) contain a flange recess (48) to mount the flanges (47) so that they can move without bumping into any other part of the device.

[0265] As for the valve element (17), on the outside it comprises the valve element body (18) and the rear seals of the valve element body (19). On the inside, and through the valve element body's (18) center, is a clamping bolt (17b) and a spring (17a). These internal elements anchor and provide flexibility to the connection between the valve element body (18) and the shaft (20), which is in turn anchored to the solenoid (22).

[0266] The valve body (18) of the valve element (17) is set up in such a way that the rear of the valve body (18) shuts a first upper flow duct (24) that is formed in the upper part (5) of the valve body and that extends from the edge of the seat (16) to the rear edge of the upper flow duct opening (25a) on the upper part (5) of the body, where there is an upper flow duct opening (25). A second lower flow duct (26) is formed at the bottom (6) of the valve body, extending from the edge of the seat (16) to the rear edge of the lower flow duct opening (27a) at the bottom (6) of the body, where there is a lower flow duct opening (27). The recess that houses the elastic part (21) that is attached to the shaft (20) of the valve element (17) includes a central orifice (28) where the shaft (20) passes through to the body (18) of the valve element (17). This recess and central orifice (28) are formed by a central wall (29) that surrounds the recess and forms part of the wall that comprises the lower and upper flow ducts (24, 26). This central wall (29) shapes a central seat (30) made up of a wall surrounding the shaft (20), so that the central seat (30) comprises a rubber seal of the seat and the shaft (23) whose edge coincides with the edge of the seal (19) of the valve element's body (18).

[0267] This set of elements and arrangement of the front portion of the valve body, defined by the front end (3) of the valve body and the openings (25, 27) of the flow ducts (24, 26) of the upper and lower portions (5, 6) of the valve body, forms a first air exchange area, and the rear of the valve body forms a stagnation area.

[0268] The stagnant area, which is formed by the rear portion of the valve element body (18), comprises a rear chamber (31) at the rear edge of the upper flow opening (25a) and at the rear edge of the lower flow opening (27a) in the body portions (5, 6) respectively, as shown in FIG. 3/9. Two sub-zones are formed in this rear chamber (31): the battery compartment (32) and the electronics compartment (34). As the name suggests, the battery compartment (32) houses a battery (35), which allows the equipment to operate autonomously. The electronics compartment (34) houses a number of electronic and electrical circuits, elements and sensors inside the body, which allow the valve to operate. Generally speaking, in the rear area of this compartment there are two sensors called high sensor (42) and low sensor (43) that detect O2 and CO2 concentrations (to gauge the behavior of the gases inside the container), which provide electrical signals to the solenoid stem (51) through a processor, which in turn moves the solenoid (22), opening and closing the valve element body (18) in order to control the container's atmosphere. The position of the sensors was designed to be representative in the detection of gases. The sensors are in turn protected on the surface by a sensor protection seal (52) and in particular by a gas sensor cover (44), which has two side vents (41) within its structure that allow the passage of gases from the container to the sensors. On the rear face (4) (included in the electronics compartment) there is a connector plug (50) that projects into the area near the lid, used to optionally connect external modules that are not part of the atmosphere control valve device and that add other functions to the refrigerated container's atmospheric control, including a CO2 scrubber.

[0269] On the other hand, the battery compartment (32) is protected by a seal cover (33) and anchored by two rubber bolts (37), holding the battery (35) in place, while the battery rubber (36) provides an airtight seal for the battery chamber.

[0270] Based on FIG. 3/9, we will proceed to describe the manner in which the atmospheric control valve device (1) of the invention operates, as well as the benefits and advantages provided by its setup and form. The elastic piece (21) directs the movement of the solenoid (22) towards the body of the valve element (18), separating the stagnant area from the flow passage compartment (formed by the upper flow duct (24), the upper flow duct opening (25), the lower flow duct (26), the lower flow duct opening (27), the central orifice (28)), all in a unified form and in a single piece, which strengthens and solidifies the valve setup. The setup of the two ducts and the valve element's (17) operation provide for a valve with two flow exchange openings for gases and/or air, formed by the ducts (24, 26). They operate as air inlets or outlets, respectively, and do not depend on a specific position to operate, letting the valve work in two directions. The valve element (17) seal is formed by the seals (19 and 23), used to efficiently open and close the solenoid. The airtight seal added to the pressure differences generated by the thermal gradient captured by the openings (25) and (27) make the solenoid require less force to operate the valve element (17), thus achieving a greater air transfer area with less force, and therefore less effort and a lesser failure probability. The fact that the valve element (17) comprises a single mechanism that operates both the inlet and outlet flow for air and/or gases, simultaneously by means of a single solenoid, allows reducing energy consumption. This allows the system to be electrically powered with a battery (35), providing autonomy to the atmospheric control valve device of the invention.

[0271] As can be seen in FIGS. 3/9 and 4/9, the shape of the cavities or flow ducts (24, 26) lean from their opening extending towards the center of the valve element's body (18) facing towards its front, where the central seat and rubber seal of the seat and the shaft (30, 23) are located. These lean to the front, toward the outside surface of the valve's body. The inner seat and the rubber seals of the seat and shaft (16, 23) of the inner surface of the valve element's body (18) follow the same direction and inclination of the inner seat and rubber seal of the seat and shaft. The rear of the valve element's body (18) has a V shape set towards the interior of the body and towards the bottom of the valve body (17). Due to this shape and the setup of the flow exchange compartment elements for gases and/or air, the inlet and outlet flows are separate, coming from separate compartments. The angle of these elements and components in the center of the valve element's body (18) also provide an intermediate division to the valve, allowing differentiated flows of gas and/or air, as shown in FIG. 6/9.

[0272] The shape, setup and operation of the present invention's atmospheric control valve device allows for easy manipulation, saving space, energy and parts. This is achieved by providing a small, automatic, compact, unique, robust, autonomous, manipulable and efficient valve device, which incorporates all electrical and electronic accessories, as well as the sensor elements inside its body, avoiding the use of cables and other devices outside the valve device's body or as accessories attached to the valve or controller in order to form the atmospheric control system, which can be easily damaged. This atmosphere control valve device requires minimal intervention of the refrigerated container, thus reducing implementation, operation and maintenance costs, facilitating its modification.

[0273] While the shape of the atmospheric control valve described herein is a preferred embodiment of this invention, it must be pointed out that the invention is not limited to this precise valve shape, and that changes can be made without breaking away from the scope of the invention.