BR102017018891B1 - AUTONOMOUS COOLING VEST - Google Patents

Abstract

AUTONOMOUS COOLING GARMENT designed to cool its user through the evaporation of a refrigerant liquid placed in contact with the surface of the user's skin, referring to the technical sector of refrigeration systems associated with clothing. Multifunctional panels fixed to the garment on the corresponding parts of the human body such as chest, back, abdomen, arms or legs, are permeable to ambient air and contain, juxtaposed to the inner side of the multifunctional panel itself, a liquid retaining screen that is kept in contact with the user's skin. The transfer of the refrigerant liquid contained in a reservoir to each screen is automatically controlled and the user adjusts the system's operation in order to activate and deactivate the ventilation incident on the liquid retained in said screens and in order to adjust the amount of liquid dispersed. on the screens according to your needs. The air flow that is ventilated by the fans and the air that permeates through the aforementioned multifunctional panels favors the evaporation of the liquid retained in the screens, promoting cooling for the user.

Description

Invention Technical Sector

[001] AUTONOMOUS COOLING VEST relates to heat exchange systems, specifically systems for refrigerating an individual. More specifically, the present invention relates to cooling systems associated with clothing whose purpose is to maintain thermal comfort for users in high temperature environments.

State of the Art

[002] Certain branches of human activity are usually carried out using clothing that inhibits the exchange of heat between the human body and the environment, and the natural means of cooling the human body may perform unsatisfactorily in certain specific environmental conditions.

[003] There are several inventions proposing individual cooling solutions integrated into a vest, among them the following: “Water Vest For Motocross Riders”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. 4,580,408” of April 8, 1986 presents a vest for motorcyclists composed of impact protection panels that are permeable to ambient air, and screens made of a water-retaining material that is in contact with the user's skin, the evaporation of water retained in the screens and intensified by the flow of ambient air that flows through the panels cools the user, and said screens must be soaked in water when putting on the vest; “Micro-Climate Cooling Garment”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. 5,415,222” of May 16, presents a vest with bags permeable to ambient air, with an internal structure in the shape of a honeycomb. Adhered to this honeycomb-shaped structure is a material that changes its physical state at certain temperatures; “Garment For A Cooling And Hydration System”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. US2006/0191063 A1” of August 31, 2006 presents a vest that has a closed circuit in which water flows and is cooled by passing through a reservoir with ice, pressurized air is injected into the vest to increase the user's contact area with the vest; “Heat Exchange Garment”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. US 2009/0165183 A1” of July 2, 2009 presents a vest with bags distributed inside the vest that are filled with a heat exchange material, these bags must be frozen before being used in the vest; “Man Portable Micro-Climate”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. US 8,281,609 B1” of October 9, 2012 presents a vest to which a bundle of flexible tubes is juxtaposed, dried and cooled air flows through the tubes which are perforated in such a way as to allow the cold and dry air to exit and into its place between hot and humid air that was in the interstice of the vest with the user, this hot and humid air is then treated so that it is dried and cooled and again forced to flow through the tubing; “MOMO ADC Pro Driver Cooling System” features a t-shirt with a water circuit juxtaposed to the t-shirt itself in which water flows that is chilled by an ice box; “Macna Dry Cooling Vest” presents a vest in which the inner part is made of a material that retains water and the outer part is impermeable to water and has holes for the passage of ambient air. Wet the vest so that the inside is soaked in water, the evaporation of this water cools the user; “Flexible personal evaporative cooling system with warming potential”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. US7721349B1” of June 25, 2005 presents a garment with small associated reservoirs from which a refrigerant liquid permeates coming into contact with a heat-conducting material that is in contact with the user's skin and may contain a fan associated with the garment to ventilate and thus accelerate the evaporative process; and “Portable mist cooling device”, patent “U.S. Pat. No. US5775590 A” of February 19, 1998 presents a device composed of a manually pressurized reservoir that squirts a refrigerant liquid close to the surface of the user's skin, including a manually operated valve to control the amount of liquid used.

[004] Considering portability as a common characteristic of the various inventions presented and that portable devices have limited autonomy, it is then considered that the autonomy of the refrigerant effect is limited to the amount of heat exchanger substance or the amount of electrical energy that can be uploaded by the user of the presented inventions. Regarding such inventions, it can be seen that: Solutions that adopt a molten solid as a heat exchanger substance have the disadvantage that the fusion of solid substances, capable of being used as heat exchangers for refrigerating a person, absorbs much less heat than the evaporation of these same substances; Solutions that adopt a liquid-retaining fabric or screen to perform the function of refrigerant reservoir have the disadvantage of having their heat exchanger substance load capacity limited to the amount of fabric or screen; and Solutions that adopt the cooling of a gas through adiabatic expansion processes have the disadvantage of the high consumption of electrical energy necessary to provide refrigeration for an adult individual.

[005] Therefore, such solutions result in short refrigeration autonomy or excess weight that the user must bear.

[006] Considering the independence between the cooling effect and user action as a very desirable characteristic, systems that depend on the user to manually pump or actuate a valve have the disadvantage of the lack of automation, resulting in dependence on user action. to obtain the cooling effect and resulting in a possible excess workload for the user.

Objectives, Solution and Advantages

[007] THE AUTONOMOUS COOLING VEST aims to: Provide individual refrigeration for a person; Provide refrigeration autonomy for at least one hour independently of external resources; Provide means for refrigeration to occur automatically; Provide means for the user to adjust the use of refrigeration resources in order to control the intensity of refrigeration according to their needs; and Be portable.

[008] To provide individual refrigeration for a person, the present invention comprises a garment integrated with a refrigeration support system.

[009] The evaporation of a liquid in contact with the surface of a person's skin causes a cooling effect. Based on this phenomenon, the present invention disperses a refrigerant liquid over liquid-retaining screens which are kept in contact with the surface of the wearer's skin in parts of the body corresponding to the chest, back, abdomen, arms or legs.

[010] To have refrigeration autonomy for at least one hour independently of external resources, considering that said refrigerant liquid is mainly water, that 2.5L (liters) of liquid are needed to provide the user with refrigeration and that said system The refrigeration support system consumes electrical energy at a rate of 15W (watts), so the refrigeration support system includes: A reservoir with a storage capacity of at least 2.5L (two and a half liters); and A battery with at least 1250mAh (milliampere.hour) electrical charging capacity.

[011] For refrigeration to occur automatically, the present invention comprises a set of interconnected devices so that the dispersion of the liquid over the screens and the ventilation incident on the same screens occurs without the need for user action.

[012] To keep the screens in contact with the surface of the user's skin, each screen is integrated into a multifunctional panel that is fixed to the garment in the parts corresponding to the user's chest, back, abdomen, arms or legs, the multifunctional panel being permeable to ambient air and adapted to house in its interstice the components of the refrigeration support system that act directly on the respective screen.

[013] To distribute the liquid from the reservoir to the various screens located in the garment, a network of ducts connects the reservoir to the screens.

[014] In order for the flow of liquid towards each of the screens to be compatible with the speed of its evaporation, a device called a calibrated orifice, which restricts the flow of liquid passing through it, is connected to each of the terminal branches of the screen. network of ducts such that the liquid flow in each terminal branch is a function of the liquid pressure at the inlet of the calibrated orifice and also a function of the caliber of this calibrated orifice itself.

[015] An air electric pump pressurizes the reservoir and a pressure switch, connected to the electric pump in order to control its activation, maintains the pressure inside the reservoir stable, and consequently, maintains the stable pressure at the inlet of each calibrated orifice.

[016] So that the user can adjust the amount of liquid that is dispersed on the screens according to their needs, a device, hereinafter called a timer, is connected to a solenoid valve in order to open and close the flow of liquid in the solenoid valve repetitively according to opening and closing times adjusted by the user through a selector switch integrated into the timer. The inlet nozzle of the solenoid valve is connected to the liquid outlet nozzle of the reservoir and the outlet nozzle of the valve is connected to the inlet of the duct network.

[017] So that the user can adjust the intensity of the ventilation incident on the screens, at least one fan installed in the interstice of each multifunctional panel ventilates the liquid retained on the respective screen of the multifunctional panel, with the wearer controlling the activation of the fans through an electrical current switch button.

[018] Considering that the adopted solution meets the proposed objectives, the present invention presents an advantage in relation to the state of the art by: Having autonomy of at least one hour independent of external resources; Being able to use refrigerant liquids with high energy absorption power during their evaporation; Be automatic; and Allow the user to adjust its operation according to their needs.

List of Figures

[019] FIG. 1 shows a view of the front part of the suit, highlighting: the integration of the suit with the elements of the cooling support system and the arrangement and shape of the multifunctional panels located on the front part of the suit.

[020] FIG. 2 shows a view of the rear part of the suit, highlighting: the integration of the suit with the elements of the refrigeration support system, the arrangement and shape of the multifunctional panels located on the back of the suit and the location and shape of the reservoir.

[021] FIG. 3 shows an example of a screen comprising the innermost layer of the multifunctional panels.

[022] FIG. 4 shows an example of the intermediate layer of the multifunctional panels, showing the elements of its construction.

[023] FIG. 5 shows a sample fan.

[024] FIG. 6 shows an example of the outermost layer of the multifunctional panels.

[025] FIG. 7 shows an example of a multifunctional panel showing the integration: with a terminal branch of the duct network, with a calibrated orifice and with a fan.

[026] FIG. 8 shows the second compartment.

[027] FIG. 9 shows the arrangement of components of the refrigeration support system in the first compartment.

Detailed Description of the Invention

[028] THE AUTONOMOUS COOLING VEST, preferably: It is made from a vest with leather fabric; It has a 101 Zipper sewn into the garment to connect the right and left sides of the front part of the garment that covers the abdominal and thoracic areas; It has elastic straps 102 and 103 sewn on the edges adjacent to the front and back parts of the garment, between the armpit and waist area, connecting the front and back parts that cover the torso, the length of these straps being adjustable by a buckle; and It has leather straps 104 and 105 measuring 2.0 cm wide and 2.5 mm thick sewn into the fabric of the garment in the form of straps surrounding the gap corresponding to the passage of the user's arms, and in the form of two straps 208 and 209 that connect the two straps passing through the back below the cervical area and maintaining a distance of 30.0 cm between them at the midpoint of the straps in the form of straps; It has cutouts of parts of the vest's original fabric on the right and left sides in the chest, abdomen, dorsal and lumbar area, totaling a number of eight cutouts, made in the shape of the contour of the respective multifunctional panel that will be superimposed on each cutout, maintaining a 1.0 cm margin from the cutout to the contour of the multifunctional panel projection under the cutout; and It is integrated into a refrigeration support system.

[029] The refrigeration support system that is integrated into the garment preferably comprises: a reservoir, multifunctional panels, a pressure switch, an air pump, a solenoid valve, a timer, a calibrated orifice for each multifunctional panel, a fan for each multifunctional panel, an electrical current source, three electrical current supply circuits, a duct network with a terminal branch for each multifunctional panel, two electrical current switches and two compartments.

[030] The reservoir 202, preferably: Is made of 1.0 mm thick flexible rubber wrapped in inflexible nylon fabric; with an internal volume of 2.5 liters; It has a cylindrical shape with an internal diameter of 10 cm and a height of 35 cm; It has an inlet nozzle 203 at the top of the reservoir with 4.0 cm in diameter, with a 2.5 cm long threaded rod, with a threaded cap and a nut that fixes the inlet nozzle by pressing the reservoir rubber. against the flanges of the inlet nozzle itself; It has a 205 outlet nozzle at the bottom of the reservoir with a spigot-type connection for hoses with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm, with a 1.0 cm long rod with thread and a nut that fixes the nozzle, pressing the reservoir rubber against it. the flanges of the outlet nozzle itself; It has a 204 air passage at the top of the reservoir with a spigot-type connection for hoses with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm, with a 1.0 cm long rod with thread and a nut that fixes the nozzle, pressing the reservoir's rubber against it. the flanges of the air passage itself; and It is surrounded by two straps 206 and 207, 2.0 cm wide and 2.5 mm thick, sewn to the fabric that surrounds the reservoir, one at 2.5 cm from the top and the other at 2.5 cm from the bottom of the reservoir. reservoir, these straps being sewn to the straps in the form of strips.

[031] Each multifunctional panel 106, 107, 108, 109, 210, 211, 212 and 213, preferably: It is made in three juxtaposed layers, with the outermost layer being resin reinforced by 1.0 mm thick aramid fibers , the intermediate layer of ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA) with a thickness of 13.0 mm, and the innermost layer, which comprises the liquid-retaining screen, made of cotton terry fabric with a weight of 300g/m2; It has an irregular trapezoidal, pentagonal or hexagonal contour, depending on the area of the body where the respective multifunctional panel is superimposed, with circular corners of 2.5 cm radius and with the outermost layer molded according to the surface of the area of the human body that each panel multifunctional overlaps; It has holes 601 and 401 that cross the outer and intermediate layers perpendicularly to the surface of the multifunctional panel, with the holes having a rectangular profile with rounded edges, equally spaced between each other, maintaining a distance of at least 1 cm from the edges of the multifunctional panel, and covering one-third of the surface area of the multifunctional panel; It has in the geometric center of the intermediate layer a cavity 402 in the shape of a parallelepiped with a square cross section of 40.0 mm on a side and 10.0 mm in depth from the outermost surface, perpendicular to the plane formed by the bottom of the cavity a through and circular hole 403 of 38.0 mm in diameter is opened from the geometric center of the square in the plane formed by the bottom of the cavity; It has a first channel 404 open on the side of the intermediate layer with 5.0 mm in diameter, with an axis of symmetry parallel to the surfaces of the intermediate layer, starting on the side of the intermediate layer and directed to the geometric center in a straight line, with a depth such that the bottom of the channel is positioned 5.0 mm away from the walls of the parallelepiped-shaped cavity; It has a liquid dispersion nozzle formed from a second channel 405 with 2.0 mm in diameter, open in the intermediate layer from the contact surface with the screen and directed to the bottom of the first channel, intercepting it in such a way as to communicate the first channel to the interstice between the intermediate layer and the screen; and It has a third channel 406 and 701 open in the intermediate layer from the contact surface with the outermost layer, perpendicular to this surface and surrounding the entire contour of the intermediate layer 5 mm away from the edge of this layer, with the profile being cross section to the third rectangular channel 10 mm deep and 1 mm wide.

[032] The multifunctional panels are attached to the garment, preferably: Overlapping the cutouts of the original garment fabric corresponding to each respective multifunctional panel; Sewing each screen of the multifunctional panel directly to the garment fabric, occupying the area corresponding to the respective cutout of the original garment fabric; Sewing each intermediate layer of the multifunctional panel directly to the garment fabric, overlapping the respective fabric, this sewing being done through the third channel opened in the intermediate layer itself; and Gluing the outermost layer of the multifunctional panel onto the respective intermediate layer with adhesive.

[033] Pressure switch 901, preferably: Has a normally closed configuration; It has switching pressure adjusted to 35 kPa; and It has a pressure socket with a spigot connection for hoses with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm.

[034] The air pump 902, preferably: Has a supply voltage of 12V with direct current; It has a flow rate of 2L/min; It has an outlet nozzle with a spigot connection for hoses with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm; and It is a diaphragm pump type.

[035] The solenoid valve 906, preferably: Has a supply voltage of 12V with direct current; It has a normally closed type configuration; and It has inlet and outlet nozzles with spigot-type connection for hoses with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm.

[036] The pressure switch pressure tap and the air pump outlet nozzle are connected by hose segments with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm to a Y-shaped 907 adapter with spike-type couplings that is connected by another segment 908 of the same hose to the air passage nozzle 204 at the top of the reservoir.

[037] The inlet nozzle 910 of the solenoid valve is connected to the outlet nozzle 205 of the reservoir through a hose segment with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm.

[038] The duct network with a terminal branch for each multifunctional panel, preferably: Connects, via a hose segment with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm, the outlet nozzle 909 of the solenoid valve to a multiple branch 905 of couplings spike type with outlets equivalent to the number of multifunctional panels; and Connects, through segments and hose with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm and an external diameter of 5.0 mm, each outlet of the 905 multiple bypass to a multifunctional panel.

[039] The calibrated holes 702, preferably: Are adapted for insertion into flexible hoses with an internal diameter of 3.2 mm; They are inserted at a depth of 2.0 cm from the outlet nozzle, one in each terminal branch of the duct network; and They have a caliber of 0.2 mm (millimeters).

[040] The outlet nozzle of each terminal branch of the duct network must be inserted into the first channel 404 of a multifunctional panel to a maximum depth of 2.0 cm and fixed in this position with adhesive as shown in FIG. 7.

[041] The electric current source 904, preferably: It is a battery with three Li-ion cells with a load capacity of 7740 C (Coulomb) each, nominal voltage of 3.6 V (Volts) each, connected in series totaling 10 .8V (Volts) nominal voltage.

[042] Timer 903, described as a device with means for repetitively varying between open and closed the state of an electrical current supply circuit, the duration of the opening and closing times of the circuit being controlled by the user, preferably: It has voltage 12V power supply with direct current; It has a selector switch to control the duration of the opening time of the electric current supply circuit connected directly to the timer body; It has an 804 selector switch to control the duration of the closing time of the electric current supply circuit connected to the rest of the device through 1m (meter) long cables; and It is capable of varying the closing and opening time duration of the electric current supply circuit between 0s (second) and 60s (seconds).

[043] The fan 703, preferably: Has a supply voltage of 12V with direct current; It has a parallelepiped shape with a square cross section measuring 40 mm (millimeters) on a side and 10 mm (millimeters) thick; It has the capacity to ventilate 1.9 L/s (liters per second).

[044] The first electrical current supply circuit, preferably: Connects in series the electrical contacts of the air pump, the pressure switch, a first electrical current switch 802 and the battery.

[045] The second electrical current supply circuit, preferably: Connects in series the electrical contacts of the solenoid valve, the timer, the first electrical current switch and the battery.

[046] The third electrical current supply circuit, preferably: Connects the electrical contacts of all fans in parallel; and Connects in series the nodes resulting from the parallel connections of the fans to the electrical contacts of a second electrical current switch 803 and the battery.

[047] The first compartment shown in FIG. 9, preferably: It is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic; It is made in the form of a parallelepiped with sides of 20.0 cm, 10.0 cm, 5.0 cm and 2.0 mm thick; It is fixed to the reservoir at the height of the midpoint of the reservoir's symmetry axis; and Contains the air pump, pressure switch, solenoid valve, timer, battery and multiple bypass.

[048] The second compartment shown in FIG. 8, preferably: It is made of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic; It is made in the shape of a parallelepiped with sides of 6.0 cm, 3.0 cm and 1.5 cm and 2.0 mm thick; It has two straps 806 and 807 of adjustable length by a buckle on each strap, which are fixed with adhesive to the second compartment at the ends of the surface formed by the plane of sides 6.0 cm and 3.0 cm, these straps being used to fix the compartment on the user's forearm; It is connected to the first compartment by a 1 m (meter) long 805 conduit; and Contains the first and second electrical current switches and the timer selector switch, whose electrical current conduction cables pass through said conduit.

Claims (3)

1. Clothing integrated into a refrigeration support system intended for refrigerating a person, equipped with at least one liquid reservoir (202), a network of ducts, at least one liquid retaining valve screen (906), at least one fan (703) for each liquid retaining valve screen (906), at least one propellant pump (902), means for automatically controlling the operation of said refrigeration support system, means for keeping each liquid retaining screen in contact with the surface of the user's skin and means for irrigating each liquid retaining valve screen (906) with liquid contained in at least one reservoir (202); this garment being integrated into a refrigeration support system further characterized by comprising: a) at least one hydraulic device (702) provided with means for restricting the flow of liquid flowing through itself; b) at least one pressure sensor (901) provided with means for sensing the pressure of the liquid; c) at least one valve (906) provided with means for opening and closing the liquid flow; and d) means for the ventilation produced by at least one fan (703) to affect each liquid retaining screen. 2. Vest integrated into a refrigeration support system, according to claim 1, characterized by including: a) each reservoir (202) connected to the outlet nozzle of said at least one propellant pump (902) in order to pressurize each reservoir (202), each air pump comprising an air electropump (902) whose electrical contacts are connected in series to a first electrical current supply circuit; b) each reservoir (202) connected to the pressure tap of said at least one pressure sensor (901) in order to sense the pressure within each reservoir (202), each pressure sensor (901) comprising a pressure switch ( 901) whose electrical contacts are connected in series to the first electrical current supply circuit; c) the outlet nozzle (205) of each reservoir (202) connected to the inlet nozzle (910) of said at least one valve (906) in order to capture the liquid drained from each reservoir (202), with each valve (906) comprises a solenoid valve (906) whose electrical contacts are connected in series to a second electrical current supply circuit; d) the outlet nozzle (909) of the solenoid valve (906) connected to the inlet nozzle of the duct network; e) the outlet nozzle of each terminal branch of the duct network connected to said at least one hydraulic device (702) in order to restrict the flow of liquid in the respective terminal branch of the duct network, each hydraulic device (702), hereinafter referred to as calibrated orifice (702), provided with a hole in the tube through which the liquid flows, the dimensions of which make the amount of liquid ejected a function of the pressure of the liquid in the terminal branch of the duct network; f) the second electrical current supply circuit connected in series to at least one electrical device (903) provided with means for repetitively varying the state of the second electrical current supply circuit between open and closed, being each said electrical device (903), hereinafter called timer (903), also provided with at least one potentiometer (804) through which the user selects the duration of time for the open state and the closed state; g) the first and second electrical current supply circuits connected in series to an electrical current switch (802); h) the first and second electrical current supply circuits connected in series to at least one electrical current source (904). i) each fan (703), comprising a fan (703) powered by electric current, is connected in series to a third electric current supply circuit; j) the third electrical current supply circuit connected in series to a second electrical current switch (803); and k) the third electric current supply circuit connected in series to the electric current source; 3. Clothing integrated with a refrigeration support system according to any claim 1 or 2, characterized by the fact that the means for maintaining each liquid-retaining valve screen (906) in contact with the surface of the user's skin, the means for irrigating each liquid-retaining valve screen (906) with liquid contained in at least one reservoir (202) and means for ventilation produced by at least one fan (703) to impinge on each liquid-retaining valve screen (906) liquid, are supported by a panel, hereinafter called multifunctional panel (106, 107, 108, 109, 210, 211, 212 and 213), which: a) is fixed to the garment over each liquid retaining screen in parts corresponding to the chest, user's back, abdomen, arms or legs; b) has, on its outermost face, a fan (703) fixed tangentially to this face, with on this face an opening with the same dimensions as the fan's air outlet nozzle (703) and aligned with it; c) has the innermost face juxtaposed to the respective liquid retaining valve screen (906), parallel to the outermost face, and formed by a structure that accompanies its perimeter; and d) has the outer and inner faces separated from each other at a distance of at least 3mm by spacers in such a way that its sides are completely open.