WO2003018435A1

WO2003018435A1 - Container assembly for the transportation and storage of refrigerated products and method for transporting said products

Info

Publication number: WO2003018435A1
Application number: PCT/IT2002/000008
Authority: WO
Inventors: Marco Locatelli; Bruno Moretti
Original assignee: Marco Locatelli; Bruno Moretti
Priority date: 2002-01-11
Filing date: 2002-01-11
Publication date: 2003-03-06

Abstract

A container assembly for the transportation and storage of refrigerated products, which can be transported on the loading platform (T) of a vehicle (V) is provided with refrigeration means (R) for maintaining inside it thermally controlled conditions and comprises at least one modular container (M) having a substantially box-shaped form with a load-bearing structure (1) and thermally insulating walls (P, 2, 2', 11) able to define an internal compartment (7), at least one of the walls (P) being movable between an initial position (6) in which it defines, together with the other walls, the internal compartment (7) of the modular container (M) and final position (8) in which it leaves a loading/unloading passage (9) completely open. Means (10) are envisaged for removably connecting the modular container (M) to another modular container (M') which is substantially identical and provided with a corresponding passage (9'), keeping the respective movable walls (P, P') in their final position and the respective passages (9, 9') facing each other in order to increase the loading compartment of the assembly (A).

Description

CONTAINER ASSEMBLY FOR THE TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE OF REFRIGERATED PRODUCTS AND METHOD FOR TRANSPORTING SAID PRODUCTS

Technical field

The present invention relates to a container assembly for the transportation and storage of refrigerated products and to a method for transporting said products.

The assembly and the method in question allow the transportation of refrigerated products from an initial source generally represented by one or more production units to a final destination represented for example by clients, shops, distribution centres or the like.

In greater detail, the method according to the invention advantageously makes use of a container assembly for the storage and transportation of refrigerated products, which is intended to be adopted both by transportation companies and by numerous manufacturing companies, for example in the food industry sector (for example for the transportation of meat, fish, vegetables, dairy products and frozen products), in the flower-growing sector, pharmaceutical sector and other sectors also.

Background art

It is known that hitherto, in order to transport merchandise from a production source to a final destination, a method or system of transportation commonly known as "cold chain" is used, said method, in accordance with the diagram shown in the accompanying Fig. A, envisaging substantially the operating steps described hereinbelow.

The "cold chain" starts at the end of the production process, still within the company, with the storage of the finished products p_ in a first storage station a composed of fixed cold-storage rooms or refrigerated stores or also thermo- controlled warehouses.

At this point, the products p_ are removed from the first station a, loaded into special refrigeration lorries c equipped with controlled-temperature environments and then generally transported into a second intermediate storage station b.

As is known, the controlled-temperature environments of refrigeration lorries consist of thermally insulated container structures fixed onto the loading platform of a trailer or tractor unit. Generally, these environments are refrigerated by means of independent gas-operated cooling systems which draw power from the tractor unit of the vehicle.

The intermediate storage station b is particularly necessary in the case of distribution of products p_ over long distances, which requires the transportation, for example in refrigerated containers (isothermal containers) using conventional freight-forwarding systems by ship, train or plane, which are generically indicated by "f ' in the figure.

For the sake of economy of transportation, in fact, in this case at least one further storage point is envisaged - situated halfway between the production source and the final destination - where the merchandise may be stored while waiting to be directed to different final destinations. This intermediate storage point b generally consists of warehouses provided with large cold-storage rooms provided with conventional cooling plants, which are mostly ammonia-based.

Subsequently, it is envisaged that the products are removed from the stores of the intermediate station b_^ loaded onto further refrigeration vehicles _ and then delivered to small and large distribution chains d.

The vehicles used for this final transportation generally have dimensions which are smaller than those c used in the initial phase, even though they are obviously equipped with similar controlled-temperature environments. The small and large distribution chains d, mainly consisting of retail shops, supermarkets, hypermarkets, etc., constitute the final destination of the refrigerated products or essentially the last link in the "cold chain". Once these final destinations have been reached, the products _\ are transferred into stores inside large refrigerating rooms for conservation there.

The abovementioned known method of transportation has proved to be not without drawbacks in practice.

A first drawback consists in the fact that this method requires the product unloading and loading operations to be performed several times in order to transfer the products between the various controlled-temperature environments.

These operations obviously involve the products also passing into zones at room temperature where the said products may be exposed to dangerous fluctuations in temperature which may affect proper conservation thereof.

The said loading and unloading operations, repeated several times, also obviously result in an increase in the transportation costs which eventually negatively affect the final retail price of the products.

A further drawback of the known method referred to above consists in the high cost of construction and management of the intermediate warehouses which, as is known, are equipped with large refrigerating plants.

It should be noted also that, in keeping with the method of transportation described above, most of the isothermal containers for transportation of products at a controlled temperature consist of structures which are mounted fixed on trailers, semi-trailers or vehicle chassis designed for isothermal transportation.

Consequently, these containers of the known type generally do not have a cooling system allowing use thereof separately from the vehicle and therefore basically able to ensure a high degree of flexibility thereof also outside of the transportation method currently adopted by the present-day cold chain structure.

Recently, in order to overcome, at least partly, the drawbacks of the prior art mentioned above, containers for transportation of merchandise at a controlled temperature equipped with an independent cooling system have been provided, said system being able to be activated, for example, by an electric motor and being able to be connected to a secondary cooling system associated with the vehicle by means of suitable access inlets.

Such an example of embodiment is described and claimed in the patent EP-A-

276054.

Controlled-temperature containers are also known where the cooling system is able to operate with different activating devices, for example by means of an electric motor or by means of a multi-fuel combustion engine.

These container solutions, however, are unable to overcome all the drawbacks of the known method of transportation described above and in turn have significant limitations from an operational point of view.

Disclosure of the invention

The main object of the present invention is to overcome the abovementioned drawbacks by providing a container assembly for the transportation of refrigerated products which is both practical and versatile to use, allowing simplification of the method of transportation of the said refrigerated products.

A further object of the present invention is that of providing a container assembly which allows variation of its loading capacity in order to optimise the modes of transportation of the refrigerated products. A further object of the present invention is that of providing a container assembly for the transportation of refrigerated products which is both simple and inexpensive to use.

A further object of the present invention is that of providing a method of transportation which, using the container assembly according to the present invention, allows the transfer of refrigerated products from one or more production sources to one or more final destinations without exposing them to dangerous fluctuations in temperature which may affect proper conservation thereof.

Another object of the present invention is that of providing a method of transportation, or a new cold chain, which is operationally simple and very reliable.

Another object is that of ensuring that the products are transported within the container assembly, from the production source to the final destination, without being affected in any away during the journey.

Another object of the present invention is that of providing a method of transportation which is particularly low-cost and affects to a limited degree the retail price of the transported refrigerated products.

These objects and others also are achieved by a container assembly for the transportation and storage of refrigerated products, which can be transported on the loading platform of a vehicle and is provided with refrigeration means for maintaining inside it thermally controlled conditions, characterized in that it comprises at least one modular container having a substantially box-shaped form with a load-bearing structure and thermally insulating walls able to define an internal compartment, at least one of said walls being movable between an initial position in which it defines, together with the other walls, said internal compartment and a final position in which it leaves a loading/unloading passage completely open, there being provided connection means for removably connecting said modular container to another modular container which is substantially identical and provided with a corresponding loading/unloading passage, keeping the respective movable walls in said final position and the respective passages facing each other in order to increase the loading compartment of the assembly.

As a result of this arrangement it is possible to simplify and facilitate the transportation of the refrigerated products, ensuring at the same time also better conservation thereof.

According to a further characteristic feature of the invention, a method for the transportation of refrigerated products is envisaged, using at least one assembly according to one or more of the preceding claims, from one or more production sources to one or more final destinations, characterized in that it comprises the operating steps of preparing a plurality of modular containers which are joined together so as to define assemblies with one or more loading compartments able to contain inside them products to be transported, loading said assemblies onto the loading platform of said vehicles, storing the products to be transported supplied from said production sources in said loading compartments, transporting said assemblies to respective final destinations while maintaining a controlled temperature inside them using refrigeration means associated with said assemblies, unloading said assemblies from the loading platforms of said vehicles in allocated areas at said final destinations provided with power supply means for activating said refrigeration means.

Brief description of the drawings

Further features and advantages of the invention will be more clearly understood from the detailed description of a preferred embodiment of the container assembly which follows, furnished by way of non-limiting example with the assistance of the accompanying drawings in which: FIG. 1 shows an overall perspective view of a module which forms the assembly according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 shows a side view of an enlarged detail of Fig. 1 , relating to a movable wall; FIG. 3 shows a detail of the movement of the movable wall according to Fig. 2;

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged detail of Fig. 1 , relating to means for the connection of several modules of the assembly in question. FIG. 5 shows an enlarged detail of Fig. 1 , relating to means for performing fixing to the loading platform of a vehicle for transportation of the assembly in question;

FIGS. 6, 7A and 7B show an enlarged detail of Fig. 1 , relating to a sliding side-door; FIGS. 8-12 show five different configurations of the assembly in question arranged on corresponding transportation vehicles;

FIG. 13 shows a logic diagram of the method of transportation according to the present invention.

Detailed description of a preferred example of embodiment

With reference to the accompanying drawings, A denotes in its entirety a container assembly for the transportation and storage of refrigerated products according to the present invention.

Said assembly is intended to be loaded onto the loading platform T of a vehicle V for the transportation of products of any type (not shown) which must be kept at a controlled temperature in order to ensure correct conservation thereof, such as, for example, products of the food industry (meat, fish, vegetables), pharmaceutical industry, or other sectors.

As will be seen more clearly below, the assembly A comprises one or more modular containers or modules M with a substantially box-shaped configuration, each of which, in accordance with the example of embodiment shown in Fig. 1 , essentially consists of a load-bearing frame 1 formed with metal sections which have a high mechanical strength and on which thermally insulating walls 2 are fixed in opposite pairs, said walls being made with sandwich panels, preferably consisting of plastic material and insulated with injected polyurethane foam, or obtained by means of gluing of sheets of single-layer extruded and expanded polystyrene.

Refrigeration means R are mounted in a special upper seat 3 of the modular container M, said refrigeration means being equipped with a compressor which can be operated by means of an electric motor or by means of a multi-fuel engine able to function both with a source of power supplied by the vehicle V and, once on the ground, with an alternative power source, for example the electrical mains supply.

Since, as will be explained below, the modular container M may be assembled together with other containers of the same type, it is envisaged that the refrigeration means R may be present also in only one modular container M within the assembly A.

According to the present invention, at least one wall P of the module M is movable along guiding means 5 between a substantially vertical initial position, which shall be indicated by 6, where the wall P defines together with the other walls the internal compartment 7 of the modular container M and a final position, which shall be indicated by 8, rotated through about 90° with respect to the preceding position, where the wall P frees a loading/unloading passage 9.

According to the invention, connecting means 10 are envisaged for joining the modular container M integrally and removably to another modular container, which shall be indicated by M' and which is substantially identical to the first container, while keeping the respective movable walls P, P' in their final positions and the respective passages 9, 9' facing each other so as to increase the loading capacity of the container assembly A thus obtained.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, illustrated in particular in Figs. 1-3, the guiding means 5 impart to the movable wall P a rotational/translatory movement between the initial position 6 and final position 8, i.e. of the pivoting type, similar to that of a garage door. In accordance with this configuration, a distinguishing feature of the movable wall P is that it occupies a minimum amount of space once the position 8 has been reached. It is in fact arranged alongside and substantially parallel to the upper walls 11 of the module M so as not to limit the loading volume thereof.

In greater detail, the guiding means 5 may comprise a pair of vertical tracks 12 provided inside respective, mutually parallel, columns 13 of the load-bearing frame 1 , which extend laterally with respect to the movable wall P. First engaging elements 15, consisting for example of rotating pawls, are provided on two lateral flanks 14 of the wall P, said pawls engaging slidably inside the tracks 12 so as to slidably guide the wall P between the abovementioned positions 6 and 8.

Advantageously, a pair of horizontal tracks 16 is also envisaged, said tracks being also arranged inside the load-bearing frame 1 of the module M, but along two upper longitudinal members 17 supporting the upper wall 11 of the module M itself.

Similarly, further second engaging elements 18 are envisaged, said elements consisting for example also of rotating pawls, which engage slidably inside the abovementioned tracks 16 in order to assist the first engaging elements 15 with guiding of the movable wall P.

As can be seen in the side view according to Fig. 3, the horizontal tracks 16 are arranged substantially in a position adjacent to the vertical tracks 12 and are all formed in the metal support section (1 , 13, 17) of the module M.

Below reference will be made generally to the possibility of combining several similar modules M, M' together, in order to form assemblies A with different loading capacities, there being implicitly envisaged therefore the possibility of mounting on each module M one or two movable walls P with respective guiding means 5 and connecting means 10. The most practical constructional solution, however, envisages providing a single movable wall P on each module M. According to a further aspect of the invention, each module M is provided with four concealable legs 19, which can be moved between an extended position, shown in Fig. 1 , where they support the module M raised from the ground, and a stowed- away position, where they are telescopically retracted and housed in a corresponding seat 20 formed in the module itself when the latter is loaded onto the vehicle V.

With particular reference to Figs. 6, 7A and 7B, a sliding door 21 for loading the products is provided on a side wall 2' of the module M, which door may be displaced between an open and closed position sliding along rails 22 arranged parallel to the side wall 2'.

Advantageously, the sliding door 21 in the closed position is flush with the side wall 2' of the module M on which it is mounted, so as to form an uninterrupted flat surface, as can be seen from Figs. 6 and 7A. For this purpose, resilient recall means 23, preferably a spring, for keeping the door 21 normally in a sealed closed position, are envisaged.

Therefore, once the door 21 reaches it open psoition, sliding longitudinally and parallel to the wall 2', the resilient means 23 recall it into the closed position towards the inside of the module M with a transverse movement until it comes up against an appropriate contact piece 24. Obviously seals (not shown in the drawings) are envisaged for ensuring thermal sealing of the door 21 in the closed position, thus avoiding the dispersion of any heat to the external environment, together with optional safety locks, in order to ensure and control correct closure of the door 21.

As will be clarified more fully below, the modular container M is designed to be easily loaded/unloaded onto/from transportation vehicles V via suitable means 25 for performing fixing to the loading platform T, which allow rapid and easy securing. These means comprise one or more arms 26, each of which is hinged at one end with the modular container M and supports at the other end a dog bar 27 which can be secured underneath the loading platform T.

Advantageously, the position of the dog bar 27 along the arm 26 is adjustable, for example by means of screw/female thread means able to allow the dog bar 27 to be secured to the loading platform T.

For greater clarity, Fig. 5 shows the fixing means 25 in the two operating positions, namely the engaged position 28 and disengaged position 29.

From an operational point of view, once the quantity of products which is to be transported on a vehicle V has been determined, an assembly A is prepared by assembling a predetermined number of modular containers M, M', M", ....

Obviously, combining of the modular containers M, M', M", .... will be preceded by sliding of the respective movable walls P, P', P", ... and the movement towards each other of the respective passages 9, 9', 9", ....

Once the modular containers M, M' have been arranged alongside each other with the frames defining the openings 9, 9', 9", ... arranged against each other, they are clamped together using the respective connecting means 10.

The latter, in accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention shown in particular in Fig. 4, may consist of hinges 30 arranged on the upper walls 11 and/or side walls 2, 2' of two adjacent modular containers M, M' and by joints 31 with a fixing device comprising an endless screw and bolt. Using these means 10 it is possible to connect two adjacent modular containers M, M' together integrally and removably, allowing, on the one hand, fast construction of a single assembly A and, on the other hand, separation of said containers into two separate modular containers (or container assemblies) with a reduced loading capacity but smaller overall dimensions. The sliding side door 21 is obviously indispensable for access to the loading compartment of the assembly A, once two adjacent modular containers M, M' have been joined together integrally.

Depending on the load to be transported, the production sources 32 and the final destinations 33, the assembly A may be composed of single modules M separate from each other and able to be transported both individually as shown in Fig. 8 and in a group as shown in Fig. 9, or may be composed of two or more modular containers M, M', M", ... assembled together and able to be transported once again both separately, as shown in Fig. 10 and in a group, as shown in Fig. 11.

Obviously, it will also be possible to envisage transporting, at the same time with a single vehicle V, assemblies A composed of a single module M and assemblies A composed of several modules M, M', M", ... combined together as illustrated in Fig. 12.

The assembly A, described hitherto from the mainly structural point of view, may be used in order to implement an advantageous method of transporting refrigerated products, from one or more production sources 32 to one or more final destinations 33, as schematically illustrated in the accompanying Fig. 13.

In greater detail, the method according to the invention envisages that, at the end of the production process, the products may be directly stowed inside the assemblies A described above, so that they can be transported therein or kept there at the required temperature for correct conservation thereof.

Alternatively, it is possible to envisage that initially the products are stored inside large cold-storage rooms and transferred into the assemblies A only afterwards, obviously prior to loading for subsequent transportation.

At this point, the assemblies A are arranged, depending on the destinations 33, on the loading platform T of the vehicles V which, depending on the distances to be travelled and the number of assemblies A to be transported, may consist of tractor units or semi-trailers or other vehicles with a different carrying capacity.

The composition of the assemblies A in the form of individual modules M or several modules M, M' combined together will depend on the quantity of products to be transported and the storage conditions at the final destinations 33 or initial sources 32.

Once loaded onto the loading platforms T of the vehicles V, the assemblies A are transported, while maintaining a controlled temperature inside them, to the corresponding final destinations 33 which, depending on the load, may also consist of more than one.

Preferably, however, the products of each assembly A will have a single destination, in order to avoid subjecting the products to repeated fluctuations in temperature, which would otherwise occur owing to the numerous times the assemblies A must be opened in order to distribute the products to different destinations.

The transportation terminates with deposition of the assemblies A in allocated areas at the final destinations 33, which will advantageously be equipped with power sources for activating the refrigeration means R.

The transportation of the assemblies A may be divided up, especially in the event of transportation over long distances, into two separate transfer stages, i.e. a first stage for transportation of the assemblies A to intermediate storage points 34, with consequent deposition in allocated areas provided with power supply means for activating the refrigeration means R and thus maintaining a controlled temperature for conservation of the products, and second stage for transportation of the assemblies A to the final destinations 33.

It should be noted that, owing to the practical and versatile nature of the assemblies A according to the present invention, the products in all cases always remains stored inside the same container and are therefore kept at a controlled temperature from the production source 32 to the final destination 33.

Advantageously, in the case of transportation over long distances, it is possible to envisage several means of transportation of a varied nature used to transfer the assemblies A from one transportation vehicle to another, as a result of the provision of the abovementioned intermediate storage points 34.

The latter will, however, be much more cost-effective from the point of view of management thereof, compared to the storage points used hitherto in the conventional cold chain, since they will require only one area served by the electric mains in order to energise the refrigeration means R and thus maintain a controlled temperature inside the assemblies A until the latter are transported to the final destinations 33.

Obviously the present invention may also assume, in its practical embodiment, forms and configurations which are different from those illustrated above, without thereby departing from the scope of protection defined in the accompanying claims.

Moreover, all the details may be replaced by technically equivalent elements and the dimensions, and any forms and materials used as required.

Claims

1. Container assembly for the transportation and storage of refrigerated products, which can be transported on the loading platform (T) of a vehicle (V) and is provided with refrigeration means (R) for maintaining inside it thermally controlled conditions, characterized in that it comprises at least one modular container (M) having a substantially box-shaped form with a load-bearing structure (1) and thermally insulating walls (P, 2, 2', 11) able to define an internal compartment (7), at least one of said walls (P) being movable between an initial position in which it defines, together with the other walls, said internal compartment (7) and a final position (8) in which it leaves a loading/unloading passage (9) completely open, there being provided connecting means (10) for removably connecting said modular container (M) to another modular container (M') which is substantially identical and provided with a respective passage (9'), keeping the respective movable walls (P) in said final position and the respective passages (9, 9') facing each other in order to increase the loading compartment of the assembly (A).

2. Assembly according to Claim 1 , characterized in that each modular container (M, M') comprises guiding means (5) able to guide said movable wall (P) between said initial position (6) and said final position (8) and vice versa with a movement of a substantially rotational/translatory type.

3. Assembly according to Claim 2, characterized in that said guiding means (5) comprise at least one pair of substantially vertical tracks (12) and at least one pair of substantially horizontal tracks (16), each of said tracks (12, 16) being able to guide slidably at least one engaging element (15, 18) integral with a respective movable wall (P) so as to guide it between said initial and final positions (6, 8).

4. Assembly according to Claim 3, characterized in that said vertical tracks (12) are arranged laterally with respect to said movable wall (P, P') and said horizontal tracks (18) are arranged along an upper wall (11) of said modular container (M, M').

5. Assembly according to Claim 3, characterized in that said horizontal tracks (12) are located in a position adjacent to said vertical tracks (18) and are formed in a metal support section (13, 17) of said modular container (M, M').

6. Assembly according to Claim 1 , characterized in that said modular assembly (M, M') comprises peripheral support legs (19) movable concealingly between an extended position, where it supports said modular container (M, M') raised from the ground, and a retracted stowed-away position, where the modular container (M, M') is mounted on the vehicle (V) with said legs (19) housed in a corresponding seat (20).

7. Assembly according to Claim 1 , characterized in that at least one side wall (2') of said modular container (M, M') is provided with a sliding door (21 ) movable between an open position and a thermally sealed closed position along rails (22) substantially parallel to said side wall (2'), said sliding door (21 ) being able to form in said closed position a flat and continuous surface with the side wall (2') of said module (M, M'), there being envisaged recall means (23) for keeping said sliding door (21) normally in said thermally sealed closed position.

8. Assembly according to Claim 1 , characterized in that refrigeration means (R) are mounted on at least one modular container (M, M') and can be activated by means of an electric motor or by means of a multi-fuel engine.

9. Assembly according to Claim 1 , characterized in that said modular container (M, M') has means (25) for performing securing to the loading platform (T) of said vehicle (V), comprising at least one arm (26) with one end hinged with said modular container (M, M') and with the other end which can be secured by means of a dog bar (27) to the chassis of the vehicle (V).

10. Method for the transportation of refrigerated products, using at least one assembly (A) according to one or more of the preceding claims, from one or more production sources (32) to one or more final destinations (33), characterized in that it comprises the following operating steps: - preparing a plurality of modular containers (M, M') which are joined together so as to define assemblies (A) with one or more loading compartments (7) able to contain inside them products to be transported;

- loading said assemblies (A) onto the loading platform (T) of said vehicles (V); - storing the products to be transported supplied from said production sources (32) in said loading compartments (9);

- transporting said assemblies (A) to respective final destinations (33) while maintaining a controlled temperature inside them using refrigeration means (R) associated with said assemblies (A); - unloading said assemblies (A) from the loading platforms (T) of said vehicles (V) in allocated areas at said final destinations (33) provided with power supply means for activating said refrigeration means (R).

11. Method according to Claim 10, characterized in that said transportation step envisages a first stage involving transfer of said assemblies (A) from said production sources (32) to an intermediate storage point (34) with deposition in allocated areas provided with power supply means for activating said refrigeration means (R), and a second stage involving transfer of said assemblies (A) from said intermediate storage point (34) to said final destinations (32).

12. Method according to Claim 11 , characterized in that said first transfer stage is performed over long distances using vehicles (V) with a high loading capacity, said second transfer stage being performed over distances less than the first distances using vehicles (V) with a smaller loading capacity.