HRP20080116A2 - Wearing apparel with adoptive microclimate condition - Google Patents

Abstract

A garment with adaptive microclimate states consists of a number of anthropometrically shaped segmented thermal insulation chambers (1) interconnected by a mesh structure or semi-permeable membrane (2) and located between the outer base fabric and the lining. On the lower part of the hem there is a detachable bracket (3) with valves (4) for blowing and blowing air into the chambers and with built-in pressure sensors, a bus (5), a microcompressor (6), a control microcontroller system (7), a battery style (8 ) and the battery charging connector (9). The garment also has two sensor layers for measuring the thermodynamic states of the external environment (10) and the microclimate of the interior (11). In cold conditions, compressed air is blown into the chambers, which increase their thickness continuously with increasing pressure, and in warm conditions the thickness of the chambers is reduced by blowing air, while for special needs additional forced circulation via a nozzle (12) located along the connecting duct structure is included. The accumulated condensate from the chambers is discharged with a valve (13). If the batteries are discharged while carrying or failing the system, it is possible to charge the thermal insulation chambers (1) by means of a hand pump (14), which is connected to the duct via the connection clamps (15). A tension braid of elastic knit is placed on the chamber system, which facilitates the blowing of the chambers.

Description

The field to which the invention relates

This invention relates to clothing with adaptive microclimate conditions and therefore according to the International Patent Classification (IPC) it can be classified as A 41 D 13/00 (Daily life necessities, Clothing, Outerwear, Protective clothing, Professional, industrial and sports protective clothing ).

Technical problem

The human body protects itself from cold and excessive heat with clothing. When it's cold, several layers of voluminous clothing are worn, dominated by a thick air layer that effectively protects the body from cold penetration and with which a pleasant microclimate is formed in the space between the human body and the first layer of clothing. With an increase in the external temperature or an increase in the body's physical activity, the need for excessive thermal protection decreases, so the clothing is gradually removed layer by layer.

At extremely high temperatures, the use of multi-layered clothing is also resorted to, which protects the body from excessive temperatures (e.g. Bedouins in deserts). Even in such cases, thermal balance is achieved by the optimal number of clothing items on the body, i.e. by establishing an air layer that will balance the influence of the external temperature and the temperature of the body, which is cooled by sweating, while also creating a tolerable microclimatic condition.

A common feature when wearing clothes at both low and high temperatures is a constant distance between the outer wall of the clothing and the body, so the value of the thermal insulation properties is constant, that is, it cannot be changed, and therefore not adjusted. The only possible adjustment reaction to the feeling of cold is to put on a multi-layered garment, and in the case of an increased sensation of body heat, the reaction is in the form of removing layer by layer of clothing until the thermal balance and microclimate state resulting in thermal comfort is established.

Disadvantages of such, so far, conventional wearing of clothes are generally the need to put on and take off several layers of clothing, problems of wearing and putting away currently unnecessary clothes, and relatively large and rough jumps in insulating properties when changing individual items of clothing.

The functional properties of clothing can be significantly improved if devices in the form of thermal insulation chambers are attached to them, with the help of which it is possible to continuously change the value of thermal insulation, i.e. protection from external temperatures. This is especially clothing in which the temperature in the environment and in itself varies over a wide range, and it is especially intended as work clothing for road, customs, maritime, service and other services that work in open spaces, military uniforms, clothing for athletes and recreationists, patients and others

Functional properties of clothing with added technical devices and designs for continuously variable and adjustable thermal protection, introduction of specially designed zones for thermal protection of parts of the body that are more sensitive to temperature changes, additional devices for forced cooling of the body by forced air flow and achieving adaptive optimum microclimate conditions by managing in clothing through sensors, control circuits and actuators, could be further significantly increased, which is the purpose of this patent application.

State of the art

Patent documentation, with which various inventors have protected their intellectual rights, is the best reference for creating an overview of the state of development of the so-called smart or intelligent clothing with thermal protection properties against too low or too high environmental temperatures. Patent activity is reflected in several different areas, which can be classified into the following groups:

a) passive thermal protection against low temperatures, which can be:

• on the basis of different solutions when constructing clothes,

• by choosing complex versions of protective layers,

b) semi-active thermal protection against low temperatures with complex laminate constructions,

c) cooling the garment by natural or forced ventilation at higher temperatures i

d) with systems of active thermal regulation that includes different ways of heating or cooling the inside of the garment.

According to the author's knowledge, the closest technical solution to a device with variable thermal insulation properties is that of D. Rogala, S. F. Rogala, Z. Dragčević and G. Nikolić in the patent "Intelligent clothing with active thermal protection" HR PK20030727, while none has been found for cooling by forced ventilation. not even close to a similar solution.

During experimentation with prototypes of intelligent clothing with active thermal protection, several possible improvements and new, significantly better technical solutions and performances were observed, which are fundamentally different, so that they represent a completely new solution for achieving adaptive microclimate conditions in clothing.

Active thermal protection according to HR PK20030727 is achieved by different combinations of activation of the shoulder, chest or belt sealing chamber, which enhances or disables the chimney effect inside the garment. The chambers function according to the system full/empty, i.e. activated/deactivated, so they can assume only two extreme states. The activated chamber seals the space between the outer shell of the clothing and the body and prevents the chimney effect, while the inactive chamber allows air circulation.

Intermediate states, i.e. the possibility of achieving a controlled thickness, cannot be achieved with this solution, but different degrees of thermal protection are achieved by different combinations of activated and non-activated chambers, that is, only six discrete states of thermal protection are achieved.

From the point of view of the rational consumption of compressed air, activating or deactivating the chambers means a large consumption of compressed air, because often some chambers are completely deflated, while others are inflated, and already at the next level of protection, the newly inflated chambers must be drained, and new ones must be activated, etc., which requires and greater consumption of electricity to drive the microcompressor, which can become a significant problem with an autonomous power source, due to the limited capacity of the batteries.

At the place of the activated chambers, the air flow is sealed, preventing ventilation and air circulation, and there the thermal protection is the greatest, while where the chambers are not activated, circulation is enabled, and the thermal protection is minimal. Thus, it can happen that some parts of the body have the highest thermal protection, and neighboring, in the immediate vicinity, minimal. Because of this, a subjective feeling of warmth can appear on one part of the body, and a feeling of cold already in its immediate vicinity.

Inflated sealing chambers expand mainly in the direction of least resistance and therefore unevenly, so deformations of the shape and thickness of the chambers are possible, which affect the aesthetics of the garment.

From the aspect of the construction of the chambers of the garment, the sealing chambers must be horizontally located and distributed in three levels (shoulders, chest and waist), so it is not possible to approach the construction of chambers that have a specific and optimal shape intended to fulfill the physiological feeling of the need for warmth, which is not equal to all parts of the body. Sealing chambers are also not suitable for the use of heat-insulating chambers of ribbed construction.

The placement of tubes for blowing air into the shoulder, chest and belt sealing chambers also necessitated the attachment of pressure sensors and electrovalves for blowing air into and out of the chambers in the immediate vicinity of the tube openings, which was unsuitable for installation in clothing.

The air blow-out in the presented solution is not forced, so the air is blown out very slowly, causing a certain inertness of the system, while the air blow-out is not complete, so the chambers retain unnecessarily high thermal insulation properties.

With the existing patent solution presented, the problem of sweating, i.e. removing sweat from the microclimate of such clothing, was not observed or mentioned, so the method of removing excess sweat and with it heat when using the mentioned chambers on the human body was not solved. In fact, the sealing chambers, since they are airtight, significantly prevent air from being removed from the clothing's microclimate.

The problem of the appearance of water condensate that is released from the compressed air in the thermal insulation chambers with the mentioned technical solution was also not observed, nor was it solved. Condensed water appears in this type of chamber, makes the chamber heavier, reduces its insulating properties and has a detrimental effect on the elements of integrated micropneumatics.

The presented existing patent solution only uses temperature sensors for judging thermodynamic conditions, and the usefulness of using sensors and measuring relative humidity, chamber heat flow and perspiration was not observed or mentioned. Comprehensive measurements of thermodynamic conditions significantly contribute to a more realistic and accurate assessment of the state of the clothing microclimate.

From the review made, it is clear that there is a working solution in the indicated patent, but that it has the mentioned shortcomings that can be removed by developing a garment with adaptive microclimatic conditions.

Presentation of the essence of the invention

The primary goal of the invention is to make a garment that can change thermal insulation by regulated heat conduction in such a way that it can adapt optimal microclimatic conditions in its interior in a wide temperature range. This is achieved in a new way, by activating thermo-insulating chambers of variable thickness into which compressed air is blown, whereby the chambers continuously change their thickness in accordance with the increase in air pressure in them, thereby increasing the thermo-insulating properties of the chambers, since resistance increases due to the increased air layer conduction-based heat conduction. This preserves the body heat of the wearer of such clothing to a greater extent. Thermal insulation chambers are placed between the outer shell of the garment and its lining as an independent and integral insert, and consist of several smaller chambers that are shaped to adapt well to the shape of the human body.

The construction of the insert is based on the application of several segmented thermal insulation chambers that are constructed according to the anthropometric proportions of the wearer population (men, women and children of different ages and physical development) and enables a new way of segmented thermal protection of parts of the human body in such a way that the more sensitive parts of the body are coated with chambers of different thicknesses that can, at the same pressures, reach greater thicknesses. In this way, the level of thermal protection changes in a targeted and controlled manner according to individual needs.

Chamber segmentation was also used in such a way as to introduce additional new technical solutions:

The first is that the thermo-insulating chambers are connected using mesh flat structures or they are connected with wide ribbons cut from flat semi-permeable membranes (Goretex, Simpatex). Mesh structures and semi-permeable membranes enable the flow of air saturated with sweat, thus allowing sweat to be removed. The shapes of the chambers can be ergonomically shaped so that during extreme ergonomic movements of the body, the chambers do not fold, but the insert folds at the points of connection between the chambers. This preserves the original shapes of the segmented chambers, their thermal conductivity does not change and the aesthetics of the garment remains preserved.

For the case of excessively high temperatures in the microclimate of clothing, when neither the deflated chambers in which the garment has minimal thermal protection, i.e. when even the maximum thermal conductivity is not sufficient to create a pleasant microclimate, this invention provides additional forced air circulation inside the clothing. For these needs, the compressed air that normally fills the chambers is diverted to the cooling nozzles. The cooling nozzles are placed on the front, side and back center of the garment, as a rule, next to the connecting channel structures created by connecting the segmented chambers with the help of meshes or semi-permeable membranes. In these areas, the increased circulation of air saturated with sweat takes place anyway, and the forced circulation of air blown into the connecting channels will only further intensify the evaporation and removal of sweat, and thus additionally cool the body while creating a pleasant microclimate of the clothes.

The secondary goal of the invention is that the adaptation of the microclimate conditions of the garment is performed automatically. For these purposes, various sensors are used (temperature, relative humidity, heat flow, perspiration, air flow speed) which comprehensively monitor the thermodynamic state of the garment's environment and its microclimate, as well as a control system based on a microcontroller that collects and interprets the results of measurements by sensors and makes decisions. To implement decisions, the system is also equipped with additional integrated elements of micropneumatics (electrovalves, air ducts, microcompressor), electrical supply system and busbars so that it automatically increases and adjusts the necessary thermal protection in a cold environment or performs forced internal circulation in order to cool the body and ensure a favorable microclimate clothes. In the case of discharged batteries or failure of one of the technical systems, manual pumping of air into the thermal insulation chambers using a hand pump is used.

A further goal of the invention was to improve the speed and completeness of the deflation of segmented chambers, considering that in known similar solutions the chambers were not fully deflated. With this solution, this is achieved by applying a tensioned elastic braid, which with its tension covers all the thermo-insulating chambers in a way that at the same time gently presses them evenly and thus accelerates the exit of air from the chambers.

Furthermore, as a further further goal of the invention, the implementation of a technical solution for removing condensed water in the chambers in such a way that a discharge valve intended for the occasional discharge of the accumulated condensate from the chambers is placed at their bottom.

An additional object of the invention is to concentrate part of the sensors, electrovalves, microcompressors, air ducts, nozzles, control system, battery pack and buses on a single support attached to the hem or lower edge of the garment. The carrier of the mentioned components can be easily separated from the chamber, which can be easily achieved with well-known clips, buttons, push-buttons (so-called pushers), with the help of zippers, velcro, etc., with the intention of facilitating separate production from the chambers, rational consumption materials, light, fast and simple assembly, simple service, repair or replacement of elements. The location along the hem of the garment has two more useful features: the sharp edges of the components cannot damage the chambers and do not affect the aesthetics of the upper part of the garment, and the weight of the carrier is evenly distributed and uniformly loads the garment, tightening it downwards, which gives it a fitted appearance. .

All the presented objectives well describe the essence of the invention, which consists of the application of new and original technical solutions in order to be able to construct and produce a new type of clothing with adaptive microclimatic conditions.

The following table shows the basic characteristics, starting points of patent protection, differences and novelties of the invention between HR PK20030727 and this application, which shows the complete originality of the invention for which protection is sought.

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It is clear from the comparative analysis that the construction and operation of clothing with adaptive microclimatic conditions is based on completely new principles.

Brief description of the drawing

The accompanying drawings that are included in the description and that form part of the description of the invention illustrate the best considered and implemented method for the actual implementation of the invention so far, and also help in explaining the basic principles of the invention.

Sl. 1 is a representation of the insert of an adaptive garment with a representation of shaped segmented thermal insulation chambers, connecting channel structures with meshes or semi-permeable membranes and the main construction elements located on the belt support.

Sl. 2 is a representation of the electrical scheme of the control system with two microcontrollers intended for measurements and management of the operation of the garment with adaptive microclimate conditions.

Sl. 3 is a schematic representation of the connection of micropneumatics elements (microcompressor, hand pump, air ducts, electrovalves, discharge valves and nozzles)

A detailed description of at least one way of realizing the invention

The best way to implement the invention is shown in Fig. 1. It clearly shows the placement of segmented thermo-insulating chambers and their connection with mesh flat structures or semi-permeable membranes, as well as the placement of all elements of the technical subsystems required for the realization of the invention. Other details of the connection of thermal insulation chambers and the realization of the control system, which cannot be discerned from Fig. 1, will be described in the following text.

Interconnection of thermal insulation chambers can be performed by sewing, ultrasonic, thermal or high-frequency joining techniques, as well as gluing.

Thermal insulation chambers can be made from several types of foil. The tt foils proved to be the best of the several tested types of highly elastic polymer foils for making thermal insulation chambers. Bayer Epurex Films GmbH from Germany. All types of films were subjected to extreme loads and pressures, and the best results were shown by the highly elastic polyurethane film of the brand Walopur 4201AU.

It is characterized by a material density of 1.15 g/cm3, a softening point of 140 – 150 C0 and a very high elongation at break of 550%. In addition, the material has high UV resistance, hydrolytic resistance, good joining properties by thermal and ultrasonic methods, and good microbiological resistance, important for incorporation into clothing.

The selected highly elastic polyurethane film showed better bonding properties with ultrasound than bonding with a hot wedge or hot air stream.

The joining of thermal insulation chambers was performed with a special ultrasonic machine for joining foils made of artificial polymers. The machine was produced by tt. PFAFF, and its mark is Seamsonic 8310-003. Polymer materials are joined by an ultrasonic sonotrode operating at a frequency of 35 kHz, and the ultrasonic vibrations are transmitted to a rotating disc made of aluminum and titanium alloy, with a diameter of 105 mm and a width ranging from 2 to 10 mm. The joining speed can be from 0.6 to 13.6 m/min.

The thickness of the joined material composite must be in the range of 50 μm to 2 mm. The gap between the sonotrode and the counterroller can be changed with an accuracy of 20 μm with a joining force of 0 - 800 N. The machine is equipped with a process microcomputer that calculates and adjusts the continuous density of the ultrasonic joining energy at non-uniform joining speeds, which achieves the visual uniformity of the joining and the strength of the ultrasonic joint .

The results of the implementation of the microcontroller system, which is important for the implementation of clothing with adaptive microclimate conditions, are shown in the electrical diagram, Fig. 2

The system is based on two microcontrollers. More powerful microcontroller tt. The PIC16F877P microchip is used to perform measurements, activate the microcompressor, inflating and deflating valves, and monitor the behavior of the garment when adapting to the microclimatic condition, and the smaller microcontroller of the same company, PIC16F628P, is used for the rational consumption of electrical energy using complex control of consumer activation and PWM power supply of the necessary currents.

The microcontrollers are connected to each other by a data bus, and the other part of the data bus is connected from the PIC16F877P microcontroller to the parallel LCD display.

Among the integrated circuits in the microcontroller system, there is an integrated circuit IC3, marked MAX232 tt. Microchip. Integrated circuit IC3 is a level converter and enables serial communication with an external electronic computer. An external electronic computer can be connected to the micro-controller system of the garment via connectors marked DB9/2, DB9/3 and DB9/5 in order to program the micro-controller and diagnose the condition.

The upper part of the electrical diagram shows a six-pole connector marked ANA, to which the sensor bus of analog signals from the measuring amplifier of the pressure sensor in the thermal insulation chambers is connected, and they are then fed to the A/D converters of the PIC16F877P microcontroller via the data bus. To the right of the mentioned connector, there is a voltage divider for voltage measurements on the battery assembly in order to determine the state of charge of the batteries, as well as a MOSFET transistor T10 marked IRF520, which periodically checks the state and charge of the battery system via resistor R6.

There are also three buttons in the microcontroller system. Button S1 resets the microcontroller system, and buttons S2 and S3 are used for program control of the system.

Data is displayed on a parallel LCD display of alphanumeric type, which can display 16 characters in two lines. The contrast of the display is adjusted with a trimmer potentiometer marked R10. The display also has the possibility of backlighting (BACK LIGHT). The backlight is connected to the connector marked BL via transistor T9. In order to save energy and the backlight is controlled by PWM control mode.

Connectors for connecting temperature sensors are also shown on the right side of the electrical diagram. The last of the connectors shown on the right side of the schematic is the connector labeled PUMP. A microcompressor is connected to it. The microcompressor is turned on by the signal from port number 16 of the PIC16F877P microcontroller, which activates the MOSFET transistor T11, which serves as an amplifier of the output signal, since the microcontroller does not have enough power to directly drive the microcompressor.

On the left side of the electrical diagram, eight MOSFET transistors are shown, from T1 to T8. These transistors are excited by signals from the PIC16F628P microcontroller, which is responsible for the rational consumption of electricity. The output signals from the microcontroller are PWM type and they excite the bases of transistors T1 to T8. The mentioned transistors serve as output amplifiers for driving electric valves for blowing in and blowing out air from thermal insulation chambers.

Solenoid valves are connected to connector JP2, marked VENTS, via the actuator bus. The microcontroller circuit is powered by a voltage stabilizer IC4 mark 7805.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic representation of the connection of micropneumatics elements (microcompressor, hand pump, air ducts, electric valves, discharge valves and nozzles) to thermal insulation chambers. Micropneumatics elements are placed on a detachable support as shown in Fig. 1.

Method of application of the invention

The invention is intended for clothing items used for work or stay in extremely cold or hot conditions or in conditions where there are frequent changes in external temperatures and physical activities. It is widely used for military and police purposes, service services, security services, security services for open buildings and spaces, workers in cold storage facilities, athletes such as mountaineers, alpinists, sailors and similar cases.

The invention is applied in such a way that an insert made of segmented and interconnected thermal insulation chambers of different thicknesses shaped according to the shape of the human body is placed between the outer base fabric and the inner lining of the garment. During wear, the thermodynamic state sensors constantly determine the state parameters in the environment of the garment and within its microclimate and forward the measurement data to the control device. The control device has a display for displaying data and buttons or a keyboard for entering data and controlling the device, so with them it is possible to define the desired microclimate, monitor measurements and the current state, and monitor the adaptation of the garment in order to achieve the desired microclimate, whereby different cases and needs are possible .

If it is determined that in a cold environment adaptation is needed in the form of increased thermal protection of clothing, the microcompressor and electrovalves for blowing air are turned on and the filling of the chambers begins, which continuously increase their thickness in accordance with the achieved air pressure in the chambers. In this way, the value of the thermal insulation of the garment is increased and thus the amount of body heat removed is reduced.

In the event that, for example due to physical activity, there is a need to reduce the necessary thermal protection, exhaust valves are turned on, whereby the air is blown out of the chambers, reducing their thickness and thermal insulation properties.

The blowing of air from the chambers helps and speeds up the tensioned braid made of elastic fabric, which covers the entire system of chambers.

When sufficient cooling of the body cannot be achieved even with fully deflated chambers and with minimal thermal insulation, forced air circulation inside the garment is activated with cooling nozzles to which cold compressed air from the microcompressor is redirected.

If there is an excessive discharge of the drive batteries or a malfunction in the control system, the thermal insulation chambers can be inflated with a hand pump via the connection to the air duct system.

Air saturated with sweat, released within the microclimate of the clothing, is drained during wear through connecting structures made of a mesh structure or semi-permeable membranes, and when enhanced cooling is required with the jets on, the flow, cooling of the body and the drainage of sweat from the microclimate of the clothing to the environment are further enhanced.

Condensed water in the chambers is periodically manually drained with a drain valve.

Periodic washing of thermal insulation chambers and eventual repair of some part of the technical system takes place in such a way that the carrier with concentrated elements is separated from the system of thermal insulation chambers.

Claims (7)

1. A garment with adaptive microclimate conditions consisting of several interconnected segmented thermal insulation chambers shaped according to the shape of the human body or of different thicknesses as needed when thermal protection is desired for certain parts of the body, all together in the form of an insert that is placed between the outer base fabric and inner linings characterized by the fact that compressed air can be blown into the chambers, whereby in accordance with the increase in pressure, the chambers continuously increase their thickness and their thermal insulation properties, thereby reducing the conduction of heat from the body to the surrounding space, so that in this way the optimum thermophysiological conditions can be adjusted microclimate parameters inside the garment and wearing comfort. 2. An article of clothing with adaptive microclimatic conditions according to claim 1 characterized by the fact that it has external and internal sensors of the thermodynamic state of the environment and the microclimate of the interior, a control unit for interpretation of measurements, decision-making and activation of a microcompressor with valves for blowing air in case the thickness of the chambers needs to be increased and the level of thermal protection or for the activation of exhaust valves for blowing air from the chambers when their thickness needs to be reduced, i.e. the level of thermal protection, which enables the automatic establishment of adaptation of the microclimatic state to the measured conditions. 3. An article of clothing with adaptive microclimatic conditions according to requirements 1 and 2, characterized by the fact that it has an auxiliary manual pump for blowing compressed air into the chambers in case of wear of the drive batteries or system failure, and that it has the possibility of manual release of air from the chambers, which enables manual control and establishment the required microclimatic condition of the interior of the clothing. 4. An article of clothing with adaptive microclimate conditions according to requirements 1 to 3, characterized by the fact that in the lower part, in addition to the connecting channel structures, there are cooling nozzles into which the air from the microcompressor is redirected and that through them a current of cold air is blown into the interior of the article of clothing between body and insert with chambers in order to achieve increased air circulation and additional cooling of the body in case of need when even fully inflated chambers cannot ensure sufficient removal of body heat to the environment. 5. An article of clothing with adaptive microclimatic conditions according to requirements 1 to 4 characterized by the fact that along the lower edges it has a removable support for concentrated stacks of elements for controlling the thickness of the chambers to which the microcompressor, valves, nozzles, air ducts, sensors, buses, control system are attached. power supply system, battery charging connections, control system programming and hand pump, displays, control buttons and other elements characteristic for specific chamber applications. 6. An article of clothing with adaptive microclimate conditions according to requirements 1 to 5 characterized by the fact that the segmented thermo-insulating chambers are connected by wide strips made of a mesh structure or semi-permeable membranes in a way that enables effective drainage of sweat-saturated air from the microclimatic space of the article of clothing to the outside environment, and that these mesh or membrane connections also form connecting channel structures that enable efficient flow and cooling with a stream of cold air from the cooling nozzles. 7. An article of clothing with adaptive microclimate conditions according to requirements 1 to 6 characterized by the fact that it has a discharge valve for releasing the condensate accumulated in the chambers and that around the system of thermal insulation chambers it has a tensioned braid made of elastic mesh, which encourages the forced emptying of the chambers.