Patent Publication Number: US-2016221486-A1

Title: Apparatus for accommodating beverage for vehicle

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION 
     This application claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2015-0015972, filed Feb. 2, 2015, which is incorporated by reference in its entirety. 
     BACKGROUND 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention relates to equipment for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle capable of performing cooling and heating operations. 
     2. Discussion of Related Art 
     Since a conventional cup holder for a vehicle serves to fix a cup so as to prevent contents in the cup from spilling into the vehicle due to movement of the vehicle, the conventional cup holder for a vehicle has a problem that the contents in the cup or a can cannot be cooled or heated and drunk. In order to solve this problem of the conventional cup holder for a vehicle, a cup holder capable of performing cooling and heating operations has been developed. However, in the conventional cup holder for a vehicle, a driver is unable to easily control a temperature inside the cup holder to various temperatures, and a cooling mode and a heating mode cannot be simultaneously executed. 
     Thus, a cup holder using a thermoelectric module for a vehicle has been developed. However, a conventional cup holder using a thermoelectric module for a vehicle has a built-in structure formed when the vehicle is manufactured, is not easily attached to or detached from the inside of the vehicle, and has to be adopted as an option when the vehicle is purchased. That is, only some models of vehicles introduce the cup holder using the thermoelectric module as an option, and thus usage is decreased. 
     In addition, even when this option is added to the vehicle, the conventional external cup holder using a thermoelectric module for a vehicle is bulky, and thus has a problem in that it requires a large space when the cup holder is being used in the vehicle and has a safety problem that the cup holder may fall over. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY 
     The present invention is directed to an apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle capable of providing a cup holder for a vehicle having an improved structure capable of being detachably attached to places at a cup holder provided in the vehicle so that the convenience of use can be improved, and at the same time may combine frames having various sizes to change an insertion diameter of the cup holder to allow the apparatus to be easily mounted in a conventional cup holder for a vehicle so that the apparatus is capable of being applied to various kinds of vehicles. 
     According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle, the apparatus includes: a first housing including a container accommodation portion and accommodating a thermoelectric module that applies a thermal conversion effect to an outer circumferential surface of the container accommodation portion; and a second housing coupled to a lower portion of the first housing and having a second diameter smaller than a first diameter of the first housing. The first housing may include a plurality of second housing coupling grooves formed in a bottom surface of the first housing and corresponding to a diameter of the second housing. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a front view of an apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention,  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line of  FIG. 1 , and  FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a general structure of a thermoelectric module according to the embodiment of the present invention described above in the structure of  FIG. 2 ; and 
         FIGS. 4A through 4C  and  FIGS. 5A through 5D  are conceptual views for explaining structures of thermoelectric modules according to other embodiments of the present invention. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS 
     A configuration and an operation according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals are used for like elements regardless of reference numerals of the drawings, and a redundant description thereof will be omitted. It should be understood that although the terms “first”, “second”, etc. may be used herein to describe various components, these components should not be limited by these terms. These components are only used to distinguish one component from another. 
       FIG. 1  is a front view of an apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, and  FIG. 2  is a cross-sectional view taken along line of  FIG. 1 . 
     Referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a container accommodation portion  210 , a first housing  200  that accommodates a thermoelectric module  100  for applying a thermal conversion effect to an outer circumferential surface of the container accommodation portion  210 , and a second housing  300  that is coupled to a lower portion of the first housing  200  and has a second diameter B smaller than a first diameter A of the first housing  200 . The first housing  200  may include a plurality of second housing coupling grooves  240  that are formed in a bottom surface of the first housing  200  and correspond to a diameter of the second housing  300 . Thus, the entire exterior of the apparatus for accommodating the beverage for the vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention is formed in such a way that the first housing  200  and the second housing  300  are coupled to each other in a vertical direction, and a container (a cup) for storing a beverage is inserted into an upper portion of the first housing  200 , and a lower portion of the second housing  300  is easily inserted into mounting grooves (holes of a conventional cup holder) provided in the vehicle. Because various designs and sizes may be selected according to the diameter of the second housing  300  so that the second housing  300  is coupled to the first housing  200 , an attachable beverage accommodation container capable of controlling temperature can be widely used. 
     In detail, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , an outer circumferential surface of the first housing  200  may be implemented in a cylindrical shape, like in a structure illustrated in  FIGS. 1 and 2 , and the first housing  200  may include the container accommodation portion  210 . The exterior of the first housing  200  may be modified in various shapes including the cylindrical shape. The container accommodation portion  210  is implemented in a shape of a concave groove, like in the structure illustrated in  FIG. 2 , and has an open upper portion. In addition, upper and lower portions of the beverage accommodation portion  210  have a uniform diameter C. However, embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto, and a width of the upper portion of the container accommodation portion  210  may be larger than a width of the lower portion of the container accommodation portion  210  so that the container accommodation portion  210  is mounted in various ways according to the design of a cup. In addition, the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle may be formed to have a separable structure so that the shape of the container accommodation portion  210  accommodated in the first housing  200  is modified in various ways. 
     The container accommodation portion  210  has a hollow structure, like in the structure of  FIG. 2 , and may be formed of a metal material having high thermal conductivity or a conductive resin material. In particular, a bottom surface of the container accommodation portion  210  may be formed adjacent to a heating portion or a heat absorption portion of the thermoelectric module  100 , which will be described later, so that a thermal conversion effect is directly transferred to the container accommodation portion  210 . In one example, the bottom surface of the container accommodation portion  210  may be formed in direct contact with a substrate surface of the heating portion or the heat absorption portion of the thermoelectric module  100 . That is, even when the shape of the outer circumferential surface of the container accommodation portion  210  is modified in various ways, the bottom surface of the container accommodation portion  210  may be formed so that heat is transferred to the bottom surface of the container accommodation portion  210 . To this end, the container accommodation portion  210  and an accommodation portion  201  of the first housing  200  may be implemented to have diameters that do not exactly correspond to each other, but are spaced apart from each other to a certain extent. 
     In addition, the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention may further include a circulation control module  230  that is accommodated in the first housing  200  and controls thermoelectric efficiency by injecting outside air into a heating surface or a heat absorption surface of the thermoelectric module  100 . The circulation control module  230  is implemented to control a rise and a fall of temperature generated in the heating portion or the heat absorption portion of the thermoelectric module  100  by applying a flow of air into an inner space of the first housing  200  so that thermoelectric efficiency is improved. That is, the thermoelectric module  100  having a uniform thermoelectric efficiency ΔT applies cold air that serves to decrease the temperature of the heating portion so as to maintain a uniform temperature to further decrease the temperature of the heat absorption portion so that cooling efficiency is improved or heating efficiency is improved while working in the opposite way. To this end, the circulation control module  230  according to the present invention may include a fan unit  231  that allows the flow of air and a control module for controlling an amount of air-flow or temperature of the fan unit  231 . 
     In addition, the second housing  300  may be implemented to have a structure coupled to the bottom surface of the first housing  200  and to have a shape of a cylindrical circumference through which the second housing  300  is inserted into an insertion hole of a conventional cup holder for a vehicle. In this case, the second housing  300  may be implemented to have a diameter that tapers toward the lower portion of the second housing  300  and to be easily inserted into insertion holes having various sizes. In particular, a diameter of the upper portion of the second housing  300  according to the embodiment of the present invention may be equal to or less than a diameter of the lower portion of the first housing  200 . In particular, a plurality of second housing coupling grooves  240  that correspond to a width (a diameter) of the upper portion of the second housing  300  are provided in the bottom surface of the first housing  200  so that second housings  300  having various sizes may be coupled to the first housing  200 . 
     In addition, the second housing  300  further includes a switching member  330  having a structure of a dome switch that protrudes from a bottom surface of the second housing  300 . The switching member  330  is configured to be electrically connected to a printed circuit board (PCB)  330  including a control circuit of the thermoelectric module  100  embedded in the second housing  300 , and when the second housing  300  is mounted in the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle, the switching member  330  is naturally pressed so that the thermoelectric module  100  may be operated. In addition, the PCB  330  is mounted on a mounting portion  310  mounted in the second housing  300  so that spatial utility is improved. In this case, like in the structure of  FIG. 2  that is not a general horizontal arrangement, the mounting portion  310  may be mounted to be perpendicular to the bottom surface of the second housing  300 , or the second housing  300  may be formed to be inclined having a uniform inclination. When the second housing  300  is implemented in an inclined arrangement structure, the height of the second housing  300  is further reduced so that the size of the entire equipment can be remarkably reduced. 
     In addition, the first housing  200  according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a communication hole  250  that communicates with an inner space of the first housing  200  to allow circulation of air so that thermoelectric efficiency is improved. 
     Furthermore, in the structure of  FIG. 2 , the container accommodation portion  210  may be implemented using a material having high thermal conductivity so that heat is easily transferred to the container accommodation portion  210  by accumulating cold air and warm air, and may serve as a kind of heat sink. The container accommodation portion  210  and the above-described circulation control module  230  may be implemented as a detachable structure. 
       FIG. 3  is a view illustrating a general structure of the thermoelectric module  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention described above in the structure of  FIG. 2 . 
     The thermoelectric module  100  including a thermoelectric semiconductor element (hereinafter, referred to as a ‘thermoelectric element’) according to the embodiment of the present invention may be formed to have a structure including at least one unit cell including a first substrate  140  and a second substrate  150  that face each other, a first semiconductor element  120  disposed between the first substrate  140  and the second substrate  150 , and a second semiconductor element  130  disposed between the first substrate  140  and the second substrate  150  and electrically connected to the first semiconductor element  120 . In this case, in a thermoelectric module for cooling, the first substrate  140  and the second substrate  150  may be ordinary insulating substrates, for example, alumina substrates. Alternatively, in the embodiment of the present invention, heat dissipation efficiency and small thickness may be implemented using metal substrates. In the structure of  FIG. 2 , the first substrate  140 , the second substrate  150 , and the container accommodation portion  210  may be disposed so that their surfaces are in contact with each other. 
     In addition, when the above-described first substrate  140  and the second substrate  150  are formed using metal substrates, as illustrated in  FIG. 3 , dielectric layers  170   a  and  170   b  may be further formed between electrode layers  160   a  and  160   b  formed on the first substrate  140  and the second substrate  150 , respectively. Copper (Cu) or a Cu alloy may be used for the metal substrates, and the metal substrates may be formed at a small thickness of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. In this case, when the thickness of the metal substrate is smaller than 0.1 mm or exceeds 0.5 mm, a heat dissipation characteristic is excessively high or thermal conductivity is very high and that causes the reliability of the thermoelectric module  100  to be greatly lowered. 
     In addition, the dielectric layers  170   a  and  170   b  may be formed using dielectric materials having high heat dissipation performance, i.e., materials having a thickness of 0.01 mm to 0.15 mm and a thermal conductivity of 5 to 10 W/K in consideration of a thermal conductivity of the thermoelectric module for cooling. In this case, when the thickness of each of the dielectric layers  170   a  and  170   b  is less than 0.01 mm, insulating efficiency (or withstand voltage characteristic) is greatly lowered, and when the thickness of each of the dielectric layers  170   a  and  170   b  exceeds 0.15 mm, thermal conductivity is lowered so that heat dissipation efficiency is lowered. 
     The electrode layers  160   a  and  160   b  electrically connect the first semiconductor element  120  and the second semiconductor element  130  using electrode materials, such as Cu, silver (Ag), and nickel (Ni). A thickness of each of the electrode layers  160   a  and  160   b  may be in the range of 0.01 mm to 0.3 mm. When the thickness of each of the electrode layers  160   a  and  160   b  is less than 0.01 mm, functions as electrodes are lowered, and thus electric conductivity is lowered, and even when the thickness of each of the electrode layers  160   a  and  160   b  exceeds 0.3 mm, conductivity efficiency is lowered due to an increase in resistance. 
     In the thermoelectric module  100  according to the embodiment of the present invention, when the thermoelectric element having the structure of  FIG. 3  is formed to have a stacked sheet type structure, as will be illustrated in  FIG. 4 , it may be implemented with a slimmer structure so that a beverage storing container is made slimmer. Referring to  FIGS. 4A through 4C , basically, a unit thermoelectric element according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented with a structure having a multi-layer stack, unlike in a bulky manufacturing process. In a process of manufacturing the unit thermoelectric element, a material including a material formed of a semiconductor material is manufactured in a form of a paste, and the paste is applied onto a base material  111 , such as a sheet or a film, so as to form a semiconductor layer  112  and to form one unit member  110 . In the unit member  110 , a plurality of unit members  100   a ,  100   b , and  100   c  are stacked to form a stacked structure, as illustrated in  FIG. 2 , and subsequently, the stacked structure is cut to form a unit element  120 . That is, the unit element  120  according to the present invention may be formed as a structure in which a plurality of unit members  110  formed by stacking semiconductor layers  112  on the base material  111  are stacked. 
     A process of applying a semiconductor paste onto the base material  111  of the above-described process may be implemented using various methods. In one example, the process may be implemented using tape casting, i.e., a method, whereby a slurry is manufactured by mixing a very fine semiconductor material powder with one selected from the group consisting of an aqueous or non-aqueous solvent, a binder, a plasticizer, a dispersant, a defoamer, and a surfactant, and then the slurry is formed on a moving blade or a moving transportation base material to a uniform thickness according to a purpose. In this case, the thickness of the base material may be the thickness of a material, such as a film or a sheet, in the range of 10 um to 100 um, and the applied semiconductor material may be a P-type semiconductor material or an N-type semiconductor material. The N-type semiconductor material may be formed using a mixture of a bismuth telluride (BiTe)-based main raw material including selenium (Se), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), lead (Pb), boron (B), gallium (Ga), tellurium (Te), bismuth (Bi), or indium (In), and Bi or Te that is used in an amount of 0.001 to 1.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the main raw material. For example, the N-type semiconductor material may be formed using a mixture of a Bi—Se—Te material as the main raw material and Bi or Te that is used in an amount of 0.001 to 1.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of Bi—Se—Te. That is, when 100 g of Bi—Se—Te is added to the main raw material, Bi or Te to be additionally mixed may be in the range of 0.001 to 1.0 g. As described above, the weight range of a material to be added to the main raw material has meaning in that, when the material is out of the range of 0.001 to 1.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the material, thermal conductivity is not lowered and electric conductivity is lowered and improvements in a ZT value cannot be expected. 
     The P-type semiconductor material may be formed using a mixture of a BiTe-based main raw material including antimony (Sb), nickel (Ni), aluminum (Al), copper (Cu), silver (Ag), lead (Pb), boron (B), gallium (Ga), tellurium (Te), bismuth (Bi), or indium (In), and Bi or Te that is used in an amount of 0.001 to 1.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the main raw material. For example, the P-type semiconductor material may be formed using a mixture of a Bi—Sb—Te as the main raw material and Bi or Te that is used in an amount of 0.001 to 1.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of Bi—Sb—Te. That is, when the weight of Bi—Sb—Te is added to the main raw material, Bi or Te to be additionally mixed may be in the range of 0.001 to 1.0 g. The weight range of the above-described material to be added to the main raw material has meaning in that, when the material is out of the range of 0.001 to 1.0 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the material, thermal conductivity is not lowered and electric conductivity is lowered and improvements in a ZT value cannot be expected. 
     In addition, in a process of aligning the unit members  110  in a multi-layer shape and stacking the unit members  110 , the unit members  110  may be pressed at a temperature of 50° C. to 250° C. and may be formed in a stacked structure. In the embodiment of the present invention, the number of stacks of the unit members  110  may be in the range of 2 to 50. Subsequently, a cutting process may be performed in a desired shape and size, and a sintering process may be added. 
     The unit element  120  formed by stacking a plurality of unit members  110  manufactured in the above-described process may obtain a uniformity of thickness, shape, and size. That is, in a conventional bulky thermoelectric module, after ingot grinding and refining ball-mill process are performed, a sintered bulk structure is cut. Thus, it should be obvious that there are many materials damaged in the cutting process, and it is difficult to cut the conventional bulky thermoelectric module to a uniform thickness. In addition, the conventional bulky thermoelectric module has a large thickness of about 3 mm to 5 mm, and thus it is difficult to make a slim thermoelectric module. However, in the unit element  120  having the stacked structure according to the embodiment of the present invention, after sheet-shaped unit members are stacked in a multi-layer structure, a sheet stacked structure is cut. Thus, there is hardly any loss of a material, and the material has a uniform thickness. Thus, uniformity of the material can be obtained, the thickness of the entire unit element is equal to or less than 1.5 mm, and the entire unit element is able to be made slim and may be applied in various shapes. 
     In particular, the process of manufacturing the unit element according to the embodiment of the present invention may be implemented by additionally performing a process of forming a conductive layer on a surface of each unit member  110  while a process of forming a stacked layer of the unit member  110  is performed. That is, the conductive layer having the structure of  FIG. 5  may be formed between unit members of the stacked structure of  FIG. 4C . The conductive layer may be formed on an opposite surface to a base material surface on which a semiconductor layer is formed. In this case, the conductive layer may be configured as a patterned layer so that a region in which a surface of the unit member is exposed is formed. Thus, electric conductivity can be improved when compared with a case where the conductive layer is formed on the entire surface of the unit member, and adhesion between unit members can be improved, and at the same time thermal conductivity can be lowered. 
     That is,  FIGS. 5A through 5D  illustrate various modified examples of a conductive layer C according to other embodiments of the present invention. Patterns through which the surface of the unit member is exposed may be modified in various shapes including a mesh type structure including closed aperture patterns C 1  and C 2 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 5A and 5B , or a line type structure including open aperture patterns C 3  and C 4 , as illustrated in  FIGS. 5C and 5D . The above conductive layers allow adhesion between unit members inside a unit element formed to have a stacked structure of unit members to be improved, thermal conductivity between unit members to be lowered, and electric conductivity to be improved. In addition, a cooling capacity Qc and ΔT(° C.) are improved when compared with the conventional bulky thermoelectric element, and in particular, a power factor is improved by 1.5 times, i.e., electric conductivity is improved by 1.5 times. Improvements in electric conductivity are directly connected to improvements in thermoelectric efficiency so that cooling efficiency is increased. 
     The conductive layer may be formed of a metal material, and all electrode materials based on metals, such as Cu, Ag, and Ni, may be used to form the conductive layer. 
     When the thermoelectric element having the structure of  FIGS. 4A through 4C  or  FIGS. 5A through 5D  is applied to the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention, thermoelectric efficiency can be improved, and at the same time a degree of freedom of design in which the size of the entire apparatus can be easily reduced or increased to a desired size can be obtained. 
     The apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle according to the embodiment of the present invention can be driven in the following way. 
     First, referring to  FIGS. 1 and 2 , a user inserts a beverage container into the first housing  200  of the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle. As described above, the container accommodation portion  210  for storing the beverage is disposed in the first housing  200 , and a beverage container, such as a can or a cup, can be inserted into the container accommodation portion  210 . 
     Next, a pressing force applied when the beverage container is inserted into the container accommodation portion  210  is transferred to the first housing  200 , and an external force is applied to one surface of the first housing  200  and presses the above-described switching member  330 . Due to the pressed switching member  330 , the circulation control module  230  applies power to the above-described thermoelectric module. When power is applied to the thermoelectric module, the power is used to operate the thermoelectric semiconductor coupled to the apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle, and a heating source or a cooling source generated in the thermoelectric semiconductor is transferred to the first housing  200 . Furthermore, the heating source or the cooling source transferred to the first housing  200  is transferred to the beverage container. Thus, a thermal conversion effect that heats or cools the beverage container can be realized. 
     In addition, when power is applied to the thermoelectric module due to the pressed switching member  330 , the circulation control module  230  operates so that the fan unit  231  operates simultaneously. The fan unit  231  allows the flow of inside air and further increases heat transfer efficiency. In particular, when the cooling source is transferred to the beverage container, an operation effect in which cooling efficiency can be supplemented, is increased. Alternatively, the amount of air-flow of the fan unit  231  or a temperature of wind can be controlled by driving the circulation control module  230  so that the effect of cooling or heating can be realized. 
     As described above, according to an embodiment of the present invention, an apparatus for accommodating a beverage for a vehicle provides a cup holder for a vehicle having an improved structure capable of being detachably attached to places at a cup holder provided in the vehicle so that the convenience of use can be improved, and at the same time may combine frames having various sizes to change an insertion diameter of the cup holder to allow the apparatus to be easily mounted in a conventional cup holder for a vehicle so that the apparatus can be applied to various kinds of vehicles. 
     In addition, according to an embodiment of the present invention, a thermoelectric module for heating a container accommodation portion or absorbing heat from the container accommodation portion is implemented to have a sheet type stacked structure so that thermal conductivity can be lowered, electrical conductivity can be improved, a cooling capacity Qc and a temperature change rate ΔT can be remarkably improved, and a cup holder having a slimmer structure can be implemented, and thus spatial efficiency can be improved. 
     Specifically, a conductive pattern layer is included between unit members having a stacked structure so that electrical conductivity can be maximized, and the thickness of a thermoelectric module according to the embodiment of the present invention is remarkably reduced when compared with the thickness of a conventional bulky thermoelectric module so that spatial utility can be maximized. 
     It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications can be made to the above-described exemplary embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Thus, it is intended that the present invention covers all such modifications provided they come within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.