JP2015521519A - Heat therapy garment - Google Patents

Abstract

A heat therapy garment (1) capable of providing a cooling effect to a part of the body, the garment absorbing heat on one side with a semiconductor heat pump (2) provided in the layer of the garment, A heat distributor (8), arranged to distribute heat inside the heat distributor and dissipate heat from the opposite side of the heat distributor, forming another layer of garment, and heat from the semiconductor pump A heat exchanger (7) arranged to transfer fluid to be removed from the semiconductor heat pump and forming another layer, and an inflatable bladder (9) provided outside the garment and forming another layer of garment And a plurality of semiconductor heat pump devices respectively connected to the heat exchanger circuits that are individually branched in parallel.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[Technical field]
The present invention relates to a heat therapy garment, which is not particularly limited, and particularly relates to an electric heat therapy garment used for treatment of damage to humans and / or animals, post-operative treatment or emergency treatment, and other PRICE guidelines. is there.

[background]
When sports damage or other soft tissue damage occurs, it is known to squeeze the damaged site with ice. However, in this case, not only must there be ice at hand, but the injured athlete must hold the pressure in the proper position by hand. This is generally a poor solution.

[Overview]
In the first aspect of the present invention, a heat therapy garment capable of giving a cooling effect to a part of the body is provided. The garment is arranged with a semiconductor heat pump provided in the layer of garment and another side of the garment that absorbs heat on one side, distributes heat inside the heat distributor and distributes heat from the opposite side. A heat distributor to form a heat exchanger disposed outside the garment, arranged to transfer fluid that removes heat from the semiconductor pump from the semiconductor heat pump, and to form another layer, A plurality of semiconductor heat pump devices, each of which is connected to a heat exchanger circuit that is individually branched in parallel.

The heat distributor may be in the form of a sheet material.
The garment may comprise two heat distributors, each in the form of a heat distribution plate, the heat pump device and the heat exchanger being located between the heat distribution plates. The surface of the heat exchanger may be in thermal communication with one of the heat distribution plates, and the surface of the heat pump device may be in thermal communication with the other heat distribution plate.

The semiconductor heat pump device may include a Peltier device.
One side of one heat distributor may be arranged to absorb heat from the semiconductor heat pump means, and the other side is arranged to transfer heat to the wall of the heat exchanger.

The heat exchanger may include a chamber, an inlet, and an outlet, and the inlet is disposed at a position shifted from the outlet.
In one embodiment, one side of one heat distributor is arranged to absorb heat from the semiconductor heat pump device and the other side is arranged to transfer heat to the wall of the heat exchanger, The exchanger is arranged to receive a heat sink fluid flow through the heat exchanger.

  The pneumatic bladder may be provided outside the heat exchanger layer. When the pneumatic bladder is used with sufficient air filling, local swelling that occurs in each part of the limb of a human or animal patient is suppressed by pressurization to that local swelling.

The garment may comprise a magnetic material.
The heat distributor may be in the form of a sheet material.
One embodiment of the present invention comprises a group of semiconductor devices mounted on an inflatable cuff attached to a damaged site, the cuff being inflatable to reduce swelling at the damaged site, the damaged site being a cuff. It is cooled by. Excess heat is removed from the cuff by a pump and dispersed. While the cuff inflation duration is controlled by a timer, the deflation is automatically performed after a preset time has elapsed, and when the cuff is reinflated is notified on the liquid crystal screen of the controller. Cooling sequencing, “soft start” circuitry, pump shut down, and temperature control advantageously extend battery life and improve patient comfort. Advantageously, the controller and cuff are self-contained and self-powered and can be carried for use in a sports arena / field. The cuff can also cool the damaged site to the level published in the PRICE guidelines.

Independent (separate) battery packs may be provided for the control logic and Peltier device / semiconductor heat pump.
The garment may comprise a series of transducers / sensors for monitoring and controlling the temperature and / or pressure of the injury site or part of the garment.

The garment may be a flexible structure that can be worn around a limb or other part / part of the body.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a heat therapy garment apparatus comprising the heat therapy garment of the first aspect and a control device arranged to control the garment.

The control device may comprise a fluid pump arranged to pump fluid into the heat exchanger by the pump.
The control device may be arranged to send an electrical signal to the heat pump.

The control device may include a rechargeable battery.
The control device may be a device that can be manually conveyed.
The control device may be in the form of a garment having a flexible semiconductor heat pump embedded with a heat transfer device and a pneumatic or hydraulic peripheral container and embedded in a thermal gel-like material.

  Depending on the dimensional and power requirements of the particular shape of the garment and engine, the garment and engine may be combined as a single device that does not require two independent parts and supply lines.

The device may be controlled and / or operated by a wireless connection.
Various embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of various layers of a heat therapy garment. It is a perspective view of a heat exchanger. It is a top view of the heat exchanger of FIG. It is the schematic of the fluid circuit of a heat exchanger. It is a block diagram of the control apparatus for controlling heat therapy garment and a garment so that operation | movement is possible.

Detailed Description of the Invention
Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown an electric injury treatment garment 1 arranged to provide heat therapy to a human or animal damaged limb. The garment comprises a plurality of semiconductor heat pump devices 2 in the form of a Peltier device.

  Each of the Peltier devices 2 includes an upper ceramic plate and a lower ceramic plate, and a large number of bismuth telluride cubes (or the like) are sandwiched between the upper ceramic plate and the lower ceramic plate. The Peltier device may be flexible. The Peltier device can provide either heating or cooling.

  Pads (not shown) are installed on both sides of the Peltier device, the pads are arranged to protect the device from damaging impacts, and calculations are made so that the periphery of the extremities can be flexibly fixed. Are arranged. The pad may include a therapeutic magnetic material.

  Layer 9 is adjacent to heat exchanger 7 and is provided with a pneumatic bladder that, in use, is filled with air and applies pressure to the part of the limb where the garment is mounted, thereby causing the part of the limb to be It is designed to suppress local swelling. The bladder 9 can be inflated / deflated manually or automatically by a pump / valve arrangement (not shown).

  A heat exchanger 7 is provided directly above the upper surface of each Peltier device, and the heat exchanger 7 transfers heat sink fluid that is pumped into the heat exchanger 7 by a pump. As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 2 a, each heat pump 2 is individually provided with a heat exchanger 7. The heat exchanger 7 includes a heat exchange chamber 7a, an inlet conduit 7b, and an outlet conduit 7c. The lower surface of the chamber 7a is in thermal communication with the individual Peltier device 2 (the lower surface thereof). The opposite surface of the Peltier device 2 is in thermal communication with the heat distribution plate 8.

  As best seen in FIG. 2a, when the heat exchanger is viewed in plan, the inlet conduit 7b and outlet conduit 7c are offset from each other with respect to the longitudinal central axis of the chamber 7a. This advantageously and intentionally causes turbulence of the heat exchange fluid in the chamber. This turbulent flow promotes heat dispersion in the heat exchanger.

  The heat distribution plate 8 distributes the heat received by heat conduction from the “active” surface of the individual Peltier device 2 almost evenly to the area of the heat distribution plate 8 and is required at the site requiring treatment. Are arranged so as to supply a uniform temperature efficiently. Usually, the plate 8 is made of a so-called phase change material and may contain a hydrated salt.

The outer layer 12 is made of an appropriately flexible plastic material and serves to protect the underlying layer.
Finally, a skin side layer 3 is provided that is placed in contact with the patient's skin. Layer 3 is an elastomer or polymer and provides structural integrity and a securing mechanism. The skin layer may be disposable, in which case it is preferably provided with an adhesive backing so that the replacement skin layer can be used for hygienic reasons when the garment 1 is used on another patient.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the heat exchanger 7 forms part of a fluid circuit of the heat exchanger that includes a lead-in conduit 20 and a return conduit 21. The inlet conduit 7 b is in fluid communication with the retracting conduit 20 and the outlet conduit 7 a is connected to the return conduit 21. The respective heat exchangers are arranged in parallel so that one heat exchanger 7 is provided in each branched individual heat exchange fluid circuit. The controller described below contains a fluid pump connected to the lead-in conduit 20 and the return conduit 21 and is arranged to pump fluid into the fluid circuit of the heat exchanger by the pump. This parallel heat exchange system advantageously ensures that all heat pumps in the garment have the same heat exchange mechanism. This means that the electrical load for each Peltier device is made uniform, and the removal of areas with uneven temperatures on the garment is facilitated.

  As best shown in FIG. 4, the garment 1 is connected to the controller 30 by a supply line / flexible tube 40 and electrical wiring 50 and 60. The control device 30 is preferably easy to carry and operates to supply power to the Peltier device 2 (via the electrical wiring 50) and a programmable control 33 (provided as firmware), A heat sink fluid pump 31. The device 30 may include a pneumatic pump for pressurizing the pressure bladder / chamber.

The power source housed in the controller 30 includes a suitable rechargeable and / or user replaceable battery pack.
The programmable control 33 is advantageously arranged to gently control the power supplied to the Peltier device at startup. This start-up procedure is sometimes called soft start, and soft start includes gradually increasing the voltage supplied to the Peltier device until the required operating voltage is reached. This soft-start procedure not only extends the life of the Peltier device, but also helps to extend battery life.

  A temperature measuring device (not shown) is built in the garment 1 and connected to a programmable control device (see below), and controls the power to the Peltier device according to the required temperature setting using the temperature feedback signal. One or more temperature sensors may be further provided to measure the temperature difference inside the system. There may be similar devices for pressure measurement and control in the system.

  The system operates as follows when in use. The garment 1 is attached to a damaged limb by wrapping the garment around the damaged limb. The garment 1 remains mounted using a suitable fixture such as Velcro (registered trademark) attached to the outer layer 12. Next, the bladder 9 is inflated with air to suppress swelling of the damaged area. Next, the user interface 34 is activated and the necessary treatment, such as cooling the damaged part, is selected. Subsequently, the programmable control 33 instructs the power source 32 to give an appropriate DC voltage polarity to the Peltier device 2 in order to cool the operating surface of the Peltier device 2. Then, the cooling effect is conducted to the heat distribution plate 8, distributed to the skin side layer 3 by the heat distribution plate 8, and further distributed to the patient's skin.

  In initiating treatment, the programmable control 33 further operates to cause the pump 31 to circulate water (or any suitable fluid) through the heat exchange fluid circuit. The temperature rise on the “opposite” surface of the Peltier device 2 is then conducted to the individual heat exchanger 7 and to the heat sink fluid through the wall of the chamber 7a. Although not shown, the pump 31 is connected to suitable heat exchange means (eg, a further semiconductor heat pump, etc.) acting on the fluid before recirculation to the garment 1.

  If it is necessary to apply the thermal effect to the patient, the patient operates the user interface 31 and the control 33 so that the power supply applies a DC voltage having a reverse polarity to the Peltier device 2. This heats the lower layer 20b of the Peltier device and cools the upper layer.

Claims (15)

A heat therapy garment that can give a cooling effect to a part of the body,
A semiconductor heat pump,
A heat distributor;
A heat exchanger,
With an inflatable bladder,
The semiconductor heat pump is provided in a layer of the garment;
The heat distributor is arranged to absorb heat on one side of the heat distributor, distribute the heat inside the heat distributor, and dissipate heat from the opposite side of the heat distributor. Form another layer of the garment,
The heat exchanger is arranged to transfer a fluid that removes heat from the semiconductor pump from the semiconductor heat pump, forming another layer;
The inflatable bladder is provided on the outside of the garment and forms another layer of the garment;
A heat therapy garment comprising a plurality of semiconductor heat pump devices respectively connected to heat exchanger circuits that are individually branched in parallel.   The heat therapy garment according to claim 1, wherein the heat distributor is in the form of a sheet material.   The heat therapy according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the garment comprises two heat distributors each having the shape of a heat distribution plate, and the heat pump device and the heat exchanger are located between the heat distribution plates. Garment.   The heat therapy garment according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein a surface of the heat exchanger is in thermal communication with one of the heat distribution plates, and a surface of the heat pump device is in thermal communication with the other of the heat distribution plates. .   The heat therapy garment according to claim 1, wherein the semiconductor heat pump device includes a Peltier device.   One side of the heat distributor is arranged to absorb heat from the semiconductor heat pump device and the other side is arranged to transfer heat to the wall of the heat exchanger. Item 6. The heat therapy garment according to any one of Items 1 to 5.   The heat therapy garment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the heat exchanger includes a chamber, an inlet, and an outlet, and the inlet is disposed at a position shifted from the outlet.   The heat therapy garment according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the pneumatic bladder is provided outside a layer of the heat exchanger.   9. A heat therapy garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the garment comprises a series of transducers / sensors for monitoring and controlling the temperature and pressure of a damaged site or part of the garment.   10. A heat therapy garment according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the garment has a flexible structure that can be worn around a limb or other body part / part. The heat therapy garment according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
A control device arranged to control the garment;
A heat therapy garment device.   The heat therapy garment of claim 10 or 11, wherein the controller comprises a fluid pump arranged to pump fluid into the heat exchanger by a pump.   The heat therapy garment device according to any one of claims 10 to 12, wherein the control device is arranged to transmit an electric signal to the heat pump.   The heat therapy garment device according to any one of claims 10 to 13, wherein the control device includes a rechargeable battery.   The heat therapy garment device according to claim 10, wherein the control device is a device that can be manually conveyed.

Images