EASY-TO-ASSEMBLE AIR CARGO CONTAINER

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of International Patent Application No. PCT/KR2023/005889, filed Apr. 28, 2023. The disclosure of this application is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates to an air cargo container, and more particularly, to an easy-to-assemble air cargo container in which profile members are provided at edges of unit panels arranged to form a bottom, both side surfaces, a front surface, a rear surface, and a ceiling of a container, and adjacent unit panels are coupled and assembled by joint members to form the container.

BACKGROUND ART

As trade between countries is widely conducted, the impact of exports and imports on national economies is significantly increasing, and in particular, with the development of aviation technology, trade using aircraft is gradually increasing beyond conventional port-centered trade.

Trade using aircraft has a technical advantage in that cargo may be rapidly transported, and accordingly, a significant portion of total export volume relies on aircraft.

Meanwhile, in order to safely transport cargo using aircraft, air cargo containers are used, and the air cargo containers serve to protect cargo from vibrations or impacts generated due to changes in airflow during aircraft operation and to prevent occurrence of accidents caused by separation of the cargo.

Such air cargo containers vary in shape and form depending on an internal structure of an aircraft or a type of cargo handled, and empty containers after completion of cargo transportation are collected for reuse or stored at airports.

However, conventional air cargo containers have had limitations in being collected again due to volume-related issues, and even when stored at airports, there has been uneconomical inefficiency in that space cannot be efficiently utilized due to a large volume.

In addition, depending on characteristics of importing and exporting countries, air cargo containers are not able to continuously circulate, such that countries with high import volumes suffer from oversupply of containers while countries with high export volumes suffer from shortages of containers, thereby causing a vicious cycle of resource waste in which containers must be continuously manufactured.

In order to resolve this, configurations have been proposed in which empty containers after use are disassembled or folded to reduce volume during storage, and related prior art documents include Japanese Utility Model Publication No. Hei 7-38219 (published on Aug. 30, 1995, hereinafter referred to as “Prior Art Document 1”) and Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1594069 (registered on Feb. 4, 2016, hereinafter referred to as “Prior Art Document 2”).

The air cargo container according to Prior Art Document 1 is disassembled into a body member 11, a bottom member 12, a lid member 13, a sheet member 14, and a support frame 15 as illustrated in FIG. 1A, and the body member 11 is disassembled into a rear panel 11a and a front panel 11b, wherein the disassembled rear panel 11a is folded and arranged together with the front panel 11b and the sheet member 14 in a recessed portion 12a of the bottom member 12 and the lid member 13 is covered, thereby allowing storage in a compact structure.

Meanwhile, in the air cargo container of Prior Art Document 1, during assembly for reuse, the rear panel 11a and the front panel 11b are coupled in a detachable structure by using metal fasteners such as screws, and in the same manner, the body member 11 and the sheet member 14 are coupled in a detachable structure, but due to repeated fastening and removal of the screws, fastening portions become loosened, thereby degrading structural safety, and ultimately, due to wear of screw fastening portions, there is a problem in that coupling between members becomes difficult.

The foldable air cargo container according to Prior Art Document 2 is configured such that first and second side panels 23 and 24 are foldable between an upper plate 21 and a lower plate 22 as illustrated in FIG. 1B, and a space portion is formed inside the upper plate 21 to be provided with a front panel 25 and a rear panel 26, wherein each of the front panel 25 and the rear panel 26 is slid outward from the upper plate 21 to cover a front surface and a rear surface of the foldable container.

In the foldable air cargo container of Prior Art Document 2, the first and second side panels 23 and 24 may be folded and the front panel 25 and the rear panel 26 may be accommodated in the space portion of the upper plate 21, thereby reducing the volume of the container while allowing the front and rear surfaces to be stably covered as needed.

However, since the foldable air cargo container of Prior Art Document 2 reduces volume only in a form compressed in an upward and downward direction by folding of the first and second side panels 23 and 24, a volume reduction rate is relatively low, and since all portions are organically connected, it is difficult to replace only a damaged portion when partial damage occurs, resulting in a problem in that maintenance is not easy.

Moreover, since an assembly method as in Prior Art Document 1 and a folding method as in Prior Art Document 2 easily generate gaps at connection portions between members, there is a problem in that they are difficult to use for transportation of cargo sensitive to temperature changes.

DISCLOSURE

Technical Problem

The present disclosure has been devised to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present disclosure is to provide an air cargo container that may not only easily and firmly assemble adjacent unit panels but also minimize volume through complete disassembly.

Another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air cargo container that may be repaired by replacing a damaged unit panel when partial damage occurs.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to provide an air cargo container capable of minimizing generation of gaps at connection portions between unit panels.

Technical Solution

In order to solve the above-described problems, an easy-to-assemble air cargo container according to the present disclosure is an air cargo container in which a plurality of unit panels 100 are configured to be disassembled and assembled by a panel assembly device J, wherein the panel assembly device J includes profile members 120 coupled along edges of a panel main body 110 to form the unit panel 100; and a joint member 200 having one side inserted into a profile member 120 of any one of a pair of unit panels 100 assembled adjacently and the other side inserted into a profile member 120 of the other unit panel 100, thereby mutually coupling adjacent profile members 120.

In addition, the profile member 120 may include a body portion 121 in a quadrangular bar shape; a panel fixing piece 122 formed in a structure protruding along a longitudinal direction on an outer surface of the body portion 121 so as to be coupled to the panel main body 110; and a coupling groove 123 formed along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 121 so that the joint member 200 may be inserted.

In addition, the coupling groove 123 extends to a longitudinal end of the body portion 121 to form an open insertion portion 123a, and the joint member 200 may be slidably inserted along the insertion portion 123a.

In addition, a connection slot 123b may be formed along a longitudinal direction so as to extend from the coupling groove 123 to an outer surface of the body portion 121 and open the coupling groove 123 in an outward direction, wherein the connection slot 123b is formed to have a width narrower than that of the coupling groove 123 so that a locking protrusion 123c may be provided.

In addition, a hollow portion 125 is formed in the body portion 121 of the profile member 120 along a longitudinal direction, and the easy-to-assemble air cargo container may further include a cap 300 having a portion inserted into the hollow portion 125 to close a longitudinal end of the profile member 120.

In addition, the cap 300 may include, on one side, a pair of insertion pieces 310 formed to be inserted into the hollow portions 125 of respective body portions 121 so as to simultaneously couple an adjacent pair of profile members 120, and, on the other side, a finishing piece 320.

In addition, in a pair of profile members 120 coupled to each unit panel 100 in different directions, end portions are spaced apart from each other so as not to contact each other, and a cap seating portion 130, which is a space for installing the cap 300, may be provided at a corner portion of the unit panel 100.

In addition, the joint member 200 includes a pair of locking portions 210 symmetrically formed along a longitudinal direction so as to be fitted and coupled to the profile member 120, and a connecting portion 220 integrally formed between the locking portions 210 so as to close a gap between adjacent profile members 120.

Further, the easy-to-assemble air cargo container may further include an information processing terminal 400 installed on any one of the plurality of unit panels 100 and configured to receive, store, and display on a screen at least one of information related to cargo loaded in the container, information related to a movement route of the container, information related to a repair history of the container, and information related to temperature and humidity inside the container.

Advantageous Effects

According to the easy-to-assemble air cargo container of the present disclosure, since the container is configured by coupling and assembling adjacent unit panels through coupling of profile members and joint members without screw fastening, the unit panels may be stably coupled regardless of repeated disassembly and assembly, thereby providing a structurally stable air cargo container.

In particular, since the profile members and the joint members coupled to bind adjacent unit panels are coupled by sliding insertion of locking portions along insertion portions of coupling grooves, the profile members and the joint members may be coupled without using a separate tool, thereby providing an air cargo container with excellent assembly performance.

Furthermore, since the joint member slidably inserted into and coupled to the coupling groove of the profile member extends from one longitudinal end of the profile member to the other longitudinal end to completely close a joint portion between unit panels without gaps, airtightness between adjacent unit panels is improved, thereby providing an air cargo container suitable for transportation of cargo sensitive to temperature changes.

In addition, since a plurality of unit panels constituting the air cargo container may be completely disassembled into independent structures to minimize volume, efficiency of storage and transportation may be improved.

In addition, when some of the plurality of unit panels constituting the air cargo container are damaged, repair may be performed by replacing only the damaged unit panels, thereby enabling rapid response and improving convenience of maintenance.

Moreover, since information related to cargo, information related to a movement route, information related to a repair history, and information related to temperature and humidity are managed by using an information processing terminal provided on the container itself, air cargo and the container may be more effectively managed through establishment of a systematic management system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A and 1B are structural views of air cargo containers according to prior art documents,

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an air cargo container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing an arrangement structure of unit panels constituting the air cargo container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

FIGS. 4A to 4E are structural views of profile members used for configuring the air cargo container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure,

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which profile members are coupled by a joint member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing a state in which a cap is coupled to a profile member according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

BEST MODES OF INVENTION

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail based on the matters illustrated in the drawings. However, detailed descriptions of related known functions or configurations will be omitted when it is determined that such descriptions may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present disclosure.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, an air cargo container according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is formed by assembling a plurality of unit panels 100, wherein each unit panel 100 has an independent structure, the unit panels 100 having independent structures are arranged adjacent to each other, the unit panels 100 arranged adjacent to each other are coupled by a panel assembly device J to form the container, and the container is disassembled into independent structures by separation of the panel assembly device J.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, each unit panel 100 of the present disclosure includes a panel main body 110 formed in a flat plate shape and profile members 120 coupled along edges of the panel main body 110.

Each unit panel 100 is basically formed of a rectangular plate, and exceptionally, a first side unit panel 100f and a second side unit panel 100g are formed of plates each having a shape in which a lower front corner of a rectangle is inclined. In addition, the first side unit panel 100f may be formed to have a shorter length than the second side unit panel 100g so as to form an opening O on one side surface of the air cargo container.

The profile members 120 are installed on all sides positioned along a circumference of the panel main body 110, and are installed to extend long along edges of the panel main body 110 on respective sides.

Among the plurality of profile members 120 installed on the unit panel 100 as described above, a pair of profile members 120 coupled to the unit panel 100 in different directions may be spaced apart from each other such that end portions thereof do not contact each other so that a cap seating portion 130 for installation of a cap 300 is formed at a corner portion of the unit panel 100.

As illustrated in FIGS. 4A to 4E, the profile member 120 may include a body portion 121 in a quadrangular bar shape, a panel fixing piece 122 protruding from one outer surface of the body portion 121 for coupling with the panel main body 110, and a coupling groove 123 formed on another outer surface of the body portion 121 for coupling with the joint member 200.

The panel fixing piece 122 protrudes from one outer surface of the body portion 121 and is formed to extend along a longitudinal direction of the body portion 121. Such a panel fixing piece 122 has a flat plate-shaped structure, and depending on a position at which the unit panel 100 is assembled, may be formed in a structure protruding in a direction orthogonal to an outer surface of the body portion 121, or inclined at an acute angle, or inclined at an obtuse angle. As described above, the panel fixing piece 122 protruding from the outer surface of the body portion 121 may be fixed in close contact with the panel main body 110 by rivets.

Meanwhile, the panel fixing piece 122 of the profile member 120 provided on a bottom unit panel 100b may, as illustrated in FIG. 4E, protrude downward from the body portion 121, extend along a longitudinal direction of the body portion 121, and be formed in a block shape in which a receiving groove 124 into which an edge of the panel main body 110 is inserted is formed on a lateral side, thereby forming a fifth profile member 120e together with the body portion 121.

The profile member 120 including such a panel fixing piece 122 is installed to be fixed to the panel main body 110 in a manufacturing process of the unit panel 100 to form the unit panel 100 together with the panel main body 110, and forms the panel assembly device J together with a joint member 200 to be described later.

The coupling groove 123 is formed on an outer surface different from the outer surface on which the panel fixing piece 122 is formed, and extends along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 121. In addition, an insertion portion 123a opened by extending to a longitudinal end of the body portion 121 may be formed at one end or both ends of the coupling groove 123, and the joint member 200 may be slidably inserted along the insertion portion 123a, thereby improving convenience of assembly.

Furthermore, in the coupling groove 123, a connection slot 123b extending from the coupling groove 123 to the outer surface of the body portion 121 so as to open the coupling groove 123 is formed to extend along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 121, thereby allowing the joint member 200 to extend along the longitudinal direction of the body portion 121 to connect adjacent unit panels 100, wherein the connection slot 123b is formed to have a width narrower than that of the coupling groove 123 so that a locking protrusion 123c is formed in the coupling groove 123, thereby preventing the joint member 200 inserted and coupled into the coupling groove 123 from being separated toward the outer surface direction, so that a joint portion between unit panels is completely closed without gaps and a structurally more stable air cargo container may be configured.

The profile members 120 configured as described above may be classified into first to fourth profile members 120a to 120d depending on relative positions of the panel fixing piece 122 and the coupling groove 123.

The first profile member 120a is a profile member in which the panel fixing piece 122 and the coupling groove 123 are located on adjacent outer surfaces and the panel fixing piece 122 protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the outer surface of the body portion 121.

The second profile member 120b is a profile member in which the panel fixing piece 122 and the coupling groove 123 are located on outer surfaces facing each other and the panel fixing piece 122 protrudes in a direction orthogonal to the outer surface of the body portion 121.

The third profile member 120c is a profile member in which the panel fixing piece 122 and the coupling groove 123 are located on outer surfaces facing each other, and the panel fixing piece 122 is formed to be inclined at an acute angle with respect to the outer surface of the body portion 121.

The fourth profile member 120d is a profile member in which the panel fixing piece 122 and the coupling groove 123 are located on outer surfaces facing each other, and the panel fixing piece 122 is formed to be inclined at an obtuse angle with respect to the outer surface of the body portion 121.

The first to fifth profile members 120a to 120e as described above are selectively installed according to a position at which a corresponding unit panel 100 is installed.

For example, in the case of an air cargo container formed, as in the embodiment of the present disclosure, by assembling an upper unit panel 100a, a bottom unit panel 100b, a front upper unit panel 100c, a front lower unit panel 100d, a rear unit panel 100e, a first side unit panel 100f, and a second side unit panel 100g to have a structure in which a lower front corner is inclined, the first profile member 120a is installed on the upper unit panel 100a, the fifth profile member 120e is installed on the bottom unit panel 100b, the first profile member 120a and the second profile member 120b are installed together on the front upper unit panel 100c, the first profile member 120a, the third profile member 120c, and the fourth profile member 120d are installed together on the front lower unit panel 100d, the first profile member 120a and the second profile member 120b are installed together on the rear unit panel 100e, the second profile member 120b is installed on the first side unit panel 100f, and the second profile member 120b is installed on the second side unit panel 100g.

A joint member 200 constituting the panel assembly device J together with the profile members 120 installed on the unit panels 100 as described above couples the profile members 120 installed on adjacent unit panels 100 to fix the adjacent unit panels 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the joint member 200 is coupled such that one side is inserted into a profile member 120 installed on any one of a pair of unit panels 100 assembled adjacently and the other side is inserted into a profile member 120 installed on the other unit panel 100.

For this purpose, the joint member 200 according to the embodiment of the present disclosure includes a locking portion 210 inserted and coupled into the coupling groove 123 of one profile member 120 and another locking portion 210 inserted and coupled into the coupling groove 123 of the other profile member 120, wherein the pair of locking portions 210 have structures symmetrical to each other and extend long along a longitudinal direction similarly to the profile members 120. In addition, an integrated connecting portion 220 is provided between the pair of locking portions 210, and the connecting portion 220 may improve airtightness of the air cargo container by closing a gap between the profile members 120 coupled by the joint member 200.

The panel main body 110, the profile members 120, and the joint member 200 as described above may be manufactured of aluminum, and preferably may be manufactured of AL 6063-T5.

As illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 6, a cap 300 closing an end of the profile member 120 may be further installed, and the cap 300 is inserted into a longitudinal end of the profile member 120 after coupling between the profile member 120 and the joint member 200 is completed, thereby closing the end of the profile member 120.

For this purpose, a hollow portion 125 is formed inside the body portion 121 of the profile member 120 along a longitudinal direction, and the cap 300 includes insertion pieces 310 inserted into and coupled to the hollow portion 125 and a finishing piece 320 closely contacting and closing an end of the profile member 120.

The insertion pieces 310 may be configured as a pair so as to be simultaneously inserted into an adjacent pair of profile members 120 to additionally couple the pair of profile members 120, and the finishing piece 320 may be integrally formed with the pair of insertion pieces 310.

The cap 300 may be formed of poly vinyl chloride (PVC), and it is preferable that a width W and a thickness T of the finishing piece 320 are respectively the same as a width w of the profile member 120 and a height H is twice a profile height h, so that ends of a pair of profile members 120 adjacent in an upward and downward direction may be simultaneously closed, and depending on a position at which the cap 300 is installed, the thickness of the finishing piece 320 may be thinner.

For example, in a case of the cap 300 assembled to close an end of the profile member 120 exposed to an opening O of the air cargo container, the cap 300 may be formed to have a relatively thin thickness so as to minimize a portion protruding inward of the opening O.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the air cargo container may further include an information processing terminal 400 configured to receive, store, and display on a screen various types of information related to the container, including information related to cargo loaded in the container, information related to a movement route of the container, information related to a repair history of the container, and information related to temperature and humidity inside the container, wherein the information processing terminal 400 is installed on any one of the plurality of unit panels 100 and preferably is detachably installed on the first side unit panel 100f located at the opening O.

The information processing terminal 400 may include a touchscreen configured to allow various types of data to be input by touching with a finger, a pen, or the like, and a rechargeable battery, and may be connected to a temperature sensor and a humidity sensor not illustrated by wired or wireless communication to receive temperature and humidity information inside the air cargo container.

The air cargo container of the present disclosure configured as described above is formed by assembling a plurality of unit panels 100 each including a plurality of profile members 120 installed at edges of a panel main body 110, wherein the plurality of unit panels 100 are sequentially arranged to be respectively positioned at a bottom, both side surfaces, a front surface, a rear surface, and a ceiling of a container to be formed, and an adjacent pair of unit panels 100 are fixed by coupling of a joint member 200 and profile members 120 to have a shape of the container to be formed. As such, the air cargo container of the present disclosure may be manufactured by repeatedly performing arrangement of the unit panels 100 and installation of the joint members 200.

Meanwhile, installation of the joint member 200 may be performed by positioning the locking portions 210 of the joint member 200 at an insertion portion 123a opening an end of the coupling groove 123 and moving the joint member 200 such that the locking portions 210 are slidably inserted along the insertion portion 123a to be located inside the coupling groove 123, and thus a connection operation between the unit panels 100 by the joint member 200 may be smoothly performed without using a separate tool.

Furthermore, the joint member 200 installed between the unit panels 100 to fix an adjacent pair of unit panels 100 closes a gap between the unit panels 100, thereby improving airtightness.

In addition, since a pair of profile members 120 coupled by the joint member 200 are additionally coupled by a cap 300 installed at end portions thereof, an adjacent pair of unit panels 100 may be fixed in a more rigid structure.

In particular, after transportation of cargo is completed, the air cargo container of the present disclosure may minimize volume by disassembling the joint members 200 and the caps 300 and stacking the respective unit panels 100 of an empty container, thereby improving efficiency of storage and transportation.

As described above, the air cargo container of the present disclosure may improve assembly performance, airtightness performance, storage efficiency, and transportation efficiency of an air cargo container through improvement of an assembly structure.

As described above, it will be understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains that the easy-to-assemble air cargo container according to the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential features of the present disclosure.

Therefore, the embodiments described above are illustrative in all aspects and should not be construed as limiting, and the scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below rather than the foregoing detailed description. All modifications or variations derived from the meaning, scope, and equivalent concepts of the claims should be interpreted as being included within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

• • 100: unit panel 100a: upper unit panel
  • 100b: bottom unit panel 100c: front upper unit panel
  • 100d: front lower unit panel 100e: rear unit panel
  • 100f: first side unit panel 100g: second side unit panel
  • 110: panel main body 120: profile member
  • 120a: first profile member 120b: second profile member
  • 120c: third profile member 120d: fourth profile member
  • 120e: fifth profile member 121: body portion
  • 122: panel fixing piece 123: coupling groove
  • 123a: insertion portion 123b: connection slot
  • 123c: locking protrusion 124: receiving groove
  • 125: hollow portion 130: cap seating portion
  • J: panel assembly device 200: joint member
  • 210: locking portion 220: connecting portion
  • 300: cap 310: insertion piece
  • 320: finishing piece 400: information processing terminal