JP3180367U - Cooling system - Google Patents

Abstract

A portable cooling device that is compact, excellent in portability, and can be realized at low cost.
A plate-like member having thermal conductivity and a plate-like element provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member, wherein one surface absorbs heat by passing an electric current, An element 20 whose surface generates heat, a heat dissipating part 30 provided so as to be in contact with a surface opposite to the surface of the element 20 facing the plate-like member 10, and a surface of the heat dissipating part 30 that is in contact with the element 20 A blower unit 40 provided on the opposite side and configured to blow air to the heat dissipation unit 30.
[Selection] Figure 2

Description

  The present invention relates to a cooling device.

  In order to appropriately adjust the body temperature of a human (worker) who operates in an environment without an air conditioning facility or the like, there is a portable air conditioner that is used individually for each worker. In particular, in recent years, portable cooling devices for preventing workers from becoming heat stroke when working in a hot room or under hot weather have attracted attention.

  For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that a liquid medium circulating in a circulation path in a hermetically sealed container radiates or absorbs heat using a Peltier element, and heat exchange is performed using the liquid medium. A local air conditioning unit to be adjusted is described.

JP 2006-61440 A

  In the local air conditioning apparatus described in Patent Literature 1, the cooling effect (heating effect) can be maintained at a desired temperature by controlling the temperature of the circulating liquid medium. However, in such a local air conditioning / heating device, it is necessary to provide a circulation device and a circulation path in order to circulate the liquid medium. Therefore, it is difficult to make the device compact, and there is a problem in terms of portability for the operator. It was. In addition, the configuration for circulating the liquid medium tends to be complicated, and it has been difficult to realize a local air-conditioning apparatus having sufficient performance at low cost.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a portable cooling device that is compact, excellent in portability, and can be realized at low cost.

  The main idea for achieving the above object is a plate member having thermal conductivity and a plate-like element provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate member. Absorbs heat and the other surface generates heat, a heat dissipating part provided in contact with the surface of the element opposite to the surface facing the plate-like member, and the surface of the heat dissipating part opposite to the surface in contact with the element A cooling unit, provided on the side, for blowing air to the heat radiating unit.

  Other features of the present invention will be clarified in the description and drawings described below.

  According to the present invention, a portable cooling device that is compact and excellent in portability and can be realized at low cost can be realized.

It is a perspective view showing the whole shape of cooling device 1 of a 1st embodiment. It is a perspective view showing the decomposition | disassembly state of the cooling device 1 of 1st Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the state at the time of mounting | wearing the body with the cooling device. FIG. 4A is a plan view when the cooling device 1 is viewed from the front surface side. FIG. 4B is a plan view when the cooling device 1 is viewed from the back side. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the thermoelectric element 20 in the cooling device 1. FIG. It is a figure explaining the flow of heat when operating the cooling device. It is a figure explaining the cooling device 5 of a comparative example. It is the schematic of the cooling device 1 of 2nd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the cooling device 1 of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining the flow of the air by arrangement | positioning of the thermal radiation part 30, and the ventilation part 40 about the cooling device 1 of 3rd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the cooling device 1 in the modification of 3rd Embodiment. It is a figure explaining arrangement | positioning of the thermal radiation part 30, and the flow of the air by the ventilation part 40 about the cooling device 1 of the modification of 3rd Embodiment. It is the schematic of the cooling device 1 in the modification of 4th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the cooling device 1 of 5th Embodiment. It is the schematic of the cooling device 1 of 6th Embodiment. In the cooling device 1 of 6th Embodiment, it is a figure shown about the example when the thermal radiation part 30 and the ventilation part 40 are comprised integrally.

  At least the following matters will be apparent from the description and drawings described below.

A plate-like member having thermal conductivity, and a plate-like element provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member, wherein one surface absorbs heat and the other surface generates heat by passing a current; A heat dissipating part provided so as to be in contact with the surface opposite to the surface facing the plate-like member of the element, and provided on a side opposite to the surface of the heat dissipating part contacting the element, A cooling device comprising: a blower that blows air.
Thereby, the portable cooling device which is compact and excellent in portability and can be realized at low cost can be provided.

The cooling device includes a plurality of the elements and the heat radiating portions, the air blowing portions are arranged so as to straddle the heat radiating portions, and the air blowing portions blow air to the heat radiating portions. It is desirable.
According to such a cooling device, cooling can be performed efficiently.

In this cooling device, a plurality of heat radiating fins are provided in parallel on the side of the heat radiating portion opposite to the surface in contact with the element, and the direction in which the plurality of heat radiating fins are aligned is a radial direction centered on the air blowing portion Thus, it is desirable that the heat dissipating part is provided.
According to such a cooling device, the air blown from the blower portion can easily flow smoothly, and the heat dissipation efficiency can be increased.

In this cooling device, it is preferable that the four heat radiating portions are arranged in a cross shape so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member, and the heat radiating portions are arranged at the center of the four heat radiating portions.
According to such a cooling device, cooling can be performed efficiently.

In this cooling device, it is preferable that the four heat radiating portions are arranged in a cross shape so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member, and the heat radiating portions are arranged at the center of the four heat radiating portions.
According to such a cooling device, cooling can be performed more efficiently.

In such a cooling device, it is preferable that at least one set of the element, the heat radiating unit, and the air blowing unit is provided, and the air blowing unit blows air to the heat radiating unit belonging to the same group.
According to such a cooling device, since the blower unit and the heat radiating unit correspond one-to-one, it becomes easier to radiate heat more reliably and safety is improved.

This cooling device has a plurality of rectangular plate-like members each provided with at least one set of the element, the heat radiating portion, and the air blowing portion, and an outer edge portion of the rectangular plate-like member. At least one side is connected to the outer edge of the other plate-shaped member so as to have a predetermined interval, and is not connected to the outer edge of the other plate-shaped member among the outer edges of the rectangular plate-shaped member. It is desirable that the portion has a gap wider than the gap between an outer edge portion of the plate-like member and an outer edge portion of another plate-like member.
According to such a cooling device, even when a cooling object (for example, a human body) moves, the plurality of plate-like members move following the movement, and the contact area with the cooling object is reduced. Can keep big. Therefore, the cooling efficiency can be further increased.

=== First Embodiment ===
<Outline of cooling device>
First, the outline | summary of the cooling device of this embodiment is demonstrated. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the overall shape of the cooling device 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view illustrating an exploded state of the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a state when the cooling device 1 is attached to the body. For the sake of explanation, coordinate axes (X axis, Y axis, Z axis) as shown in FIG. 1 are set.

  The cooling device 1 is a device that cools the back of a person who wears it (hereinafter also referred to as a user) by wearing it on the back. The cooling device 1 includes a plate-like member 10, a thermoelectric element 20 (see FIG. 2), a heat radiating unit 30, a blower 40, and a power source 60 (see FIG. 3). Although the function and configuration of each part will be described later, the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment has two thermoelectric elements 20 and two heat radiating parts 30 in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. In other words, the four sets of thermoelectric elements 20 and the heat radiation unit 30 are arranged in a cross shape. And the plate-shaped member 10, the thermoelectric element 20, the thermal radiation part 30, and the ventilation part 40 are comprised by the laminated form in the Z-axis direction.

  When the cooling device 1 is mounted on the back, the cover 2 and the mounting belt 3 are used. The cover 2 is an exterior covering the entire cooling device 1 and is attached and fixed to the plate member 10. By covering the entire cooling device 1 with the cover 2, the user is prevented from directly touching the heat generating part such as the heat radiating unit 30. Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the cover 2 is provided with vent holes 2ha and 2hb. The ventilation hole 2ha is an intake hole for taking in air outside the cover 2, and the ventilation hole 2hb is a slit-like exhaust hole for releasing the air inside the cover 2 to the outside. The air flow (gas flow inside the cover 2) when using the cooling device 1 will be described later. In addition, the shape of each vent hole is not restricted to the example of a figure.

  The belt 3 is attached to the belt attachment groove 12 of the plate-like member 10 and has a length adjusting mechanism (not shown). When the user wears the cooling device 1 on the back, the belt 3 is put on the shoulder as shown in FIG. 3, and the length of the belt is adjusted so that the plate-like member 10 of the cooling device 1 is brought into close contact with the back side. .

  In FIG. 3, the power source 60 is mounted as an external unit on the side of the user's waist, but the power source 60 may be housed in the cover 2 as an internal unit.

<Description of each configuration>
FIG. 4A is a plan view when the cooling device 1 is viewed from the front surface side, and FIG. 4B is a plan view when the cooling device 1 is viewed from the back surface side. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the thermoelectric elements 20 in the cooling device 1. Note that the “front surface” is a surface that is visually recognized when the cooling device 1 is viewed from the upper side to the lower side in the Z-axis in FIG. 1, and the “back surface” refers to the cooling device 1 in FIG. It is a surface visually recognized when viewed from the lower side of the shaft to the upper side.

(Plate-shaped member 10)
The plate-like member 10 is a plate-like member having thermal conductivity, and is cooled by the thermoelectric element 20 so as to cool the back when worn on the back of the user. That is, heat exchange is performed between the thermoelectric element 20 and the back of the user via the plate-like member 10. In the present embodiment, the plate-like member 10 is a substantially rectangular member formed of a metal having high thermal conductivity such as aluminum. Aluminum plates have high thermal conductivity, are light and easy to process. Moreover, since the material cost is low, it is suitable for realizing a compact and low-cost cooling device. Furthermore, since it is difficult to corrode, it is safe even when it comes into direct contact with the human body, and is suitable for a cooling device for human bodies. Of course, a member (for example, a copper plate) other than an aluminum plate can be used as the plate-like member 10. Moreover, it is not necessary to use a metal as long as it is a member having thermal conductivity equivalent to that of an aluminum plate. For example, it is possible to use plastic or resin having high thermal conductivity.

  A thermoelectric element 20, a heat radiating part 30, and a blower part 40 are provided on the surface side of the plate member 10 (see FIGS. 2 and 4A). On the other hand, nothing is provided on the back side of the plate-like member 10 (however, a screw or the like for fixing the heat dissipating part 30 is provided), which basically becomes a smooth surface (see FIG. 4B).

Since the entire plate surface is cooled on average by using a metal having high thermal conductivity, the back surface is cooled over a wide area by fitting the entire smooth surface to the user's back (see FIG. 3). Can do. In addition, the area | region shown with the broken line of FIG. 4B represents the position where the thermal radiation part 30 is fixed in the surface side.

  The size and shape of the plate-like member 10 are arbitrary, but are determined according to the cooling capacity of the thermoelectric element 20 and the size of the user's body (for example, for adults, children, etc.). The plate-like member 10 of the present embodiment has a rectangular shape with a length in the longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction in FIG. 1) of about 250 mm and a length in the width direction (X-axis direction in FIG. 1) of about 200 mm. Moreover, the back surface side of the plate-shaped member 10 may be curved according to the human body so as to easily fit the user's back, and the plate-shaped member 10 does not necessarily have to be a flat plate.

  In addition, belt attachment grooves 12 for attaching the belt 3 are provided at the four corners of the plate-like member 10, respectively. Further, the plate-like member 10 is provided with a plurality of screw holes 13 for fixing the heat radiating portion 30 (see FIGS. 4A and 4B).

  In this embodiment, the outer edge part of the plate-shaped member 10 is surrounded by the frame 15 for safety (see FIG. 2). The frame 15 is a flexible member formed of silicon, resin, or the like, and prevents the outer edge of the plate-like member 10 from directly contacting the body (back) when the cooling device 1 is attached to the body. Meanwhile, the plate-like member 10 is protected from impact.

(Thermoelectric element 20)
The thermoelectric element 20 is a thin plate-like element that absorbs heat on one side and generates heat on the other side when an electric current is applied. In the present embodiment, the thermoelectric element 20 is provided in contact with the surface of the plate-like member 10. And it absorbs heat from the surface (back surface side) of the thermoelectric element 20 on the side facing the plate-shaped member 10, and the plate-shaped member 10 is cooled by generating heat on the opposite surface (front surface side). As the thermoelectric element 20, for example, a Peltier element is used. Since the Peltier element can be controlled to some extent according to the magnitude of the supplied power, it is easy to suppress excessive cooling. Although the Peltier device of this embodiment is a square of about 40 mm × 40 mm, the size of the device can be changed according to the supplied power. That is, if the supplied power is large, it is possible to use a larger Peltier element, and a greater cooling effect can be obtained.

  Note that silicon grease or the like is applied between the thermoelectric element 20 and the plate-like member 10 so that no gap is generated between them. Thereby, the thermal conductivity between the thermoelectric element 20 and the plate-like member 10 can be kept as high as possible.

  In the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, four thermoelectric elements 20 are arranged in a cross shape, and each thermoelectric element 20 is connected in series. By supplying a direct current from the power source 60 to the thermoelectric element 20, heat is absorbed from the same plane side of the four thermoelectric elements 20 (surface on the side facing the plate-like member 10).

  The thermoelectric element 20 can exchange the heat absorption surface side and the heat generation surface side by reversing the direction in which the current flows. That is, by generating heat on the surface facing the plate member 10, it can be used as a heater instead of a cooling device.

  A heat insulating material 25 is provided around each thermoelectric element 20 (see FIGS. 2 and 5). The thermoelectric element 20 is sandwiched between the plate member 10 and the heat radiating portion 30 in the upper and lower sides (Z-axis direction), and the surrounding area (XY plane) is surrounded by the heat insulating material 25, thereby reducing the contact area with the surrounding air. Thereby, it is suppressed that heat exchange is performed between the thermoelectric element 20 and air, and the cooling efficiency of the cooling device 1 can be improved by suppressing useless heat loss. In addition, the broken line part of FIG. The heat insulating material 25 also has a function as a cushioning material between the heat radiating portion 30 and the plate-like member 10. In this embodiment, the heat radiating part 30 is fixed to the plate-like member 10 with screws as shown in FIG. Therefore, by providing the heat insulating material 25 as a buffer member, a large load is not applied to the thermoelectric element 20 sandwiched between the heat radiating portion 30 and the plate-like member 10 when the screw is tightened.

(Heat dissipation unit 30)
The heat radiating unit 30 is a member for cooling the thermoelectric element 20 by diffusing heat generated from the heat generating surface of the thermoelectric element 20 into the air. In the present embodiment, one heat radiating part 30 is provided for one thermoelectric element 20. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, in the cooling device 1, the four heat radiating portions 30 are arranged in a cross shape.

  As the heat radiating part 30, for example, a commercially available heat sink can be used. The heat radiating part 30 of the present embodiment includes a base plate 31 and a plurality of heat radiating fins 32. The base plate 31 is attached to a surface opposite to the surface of the thermoelectric element 20 facing the plate-like member 10 (that is, the heat generating surface on the Z-axis direction upper side of the thermoelectric element 20). It is desirable to apply the above-described silicon grease between the base plate 31 and the thermoelectric element 20. The heat radiating fins 32 are formed by arranging a plurality of plate-like members in parallel, and increase the overall surface area to facilitate the diffusion of heat into the air. In the present embodiment, in consideration of the flow of air blown from the blower 40, as shown in FIG. 1, the direction of the radiating fins 32 is outside from the center (position where the blower 40 is disposed) on the XY plane. The heat dissipating part 30 is arranged so as to go to. The air flow when operating the cooling device will be described later.

  In order to ensure sufficient heat dissipation performance, the size of the base plate 31 of the heat dissipation portion 30 is set to be at least larger than that of the thermoelectric element 20. In the heat radiating portion 30 of the present embodiment, the base plate has a size of about 60 mm × 60 mm, and a larger size than the thermoelectric element 20 (40 mm × 40 mm) is selected. Further, by increasing the size of the base plate 31, the thermoelectric element 20 (and the heat insulating material 25) can be sandwiched between the base plate 31 and the plate-like member 10, and the thermoelectric element 20 can be stably held.

  The heat sink having the plate-like heat radiation fins 32 as described above is inexpensive, and the cost of the entire apparatus can be kept low by using the heat sink. On the other hand, the radiating fins 32 may not be a plate-like member, but may have a shape in which a plurality of rod-like members are provided like a sword mountain. In this case, since the arrangement of the heat radiating unit 30 can be determined regardless of the flow direction of the air blown from the blower unit 40, the degree of freedom in design is increased.

(Blower 40)
The air blower 40 is a blower having a fan and facilitates heat exchange between the heat dissipating fins 32 and the air by blowing air to the heat dissipating part 30 to easily release heat into the air. As shown in FIG. 3, it is assumed that the cooling device 1 of the present embodiment is used with the cover 2 attached. In this case, the heat generated from the thermoelectric element 20 is generated between the cooling device 1 and the cover 2. It is easy to stay in the space between. Therefore, the air is forcibly moved by the blower 40 so that heat is not trapped in the space inside the cover 2.

  The air blower 40 is provided above the heat radiating part 30 (heat radiating fin 32) in the Z-axis direction. In other words, the air blowing unit 40 is provided on the opposite side of the thermoelectric element 20 with respect to the heat radiating unit 30. In the cooling device 1 of the first embodiment, one air blowing unit 40 is provided at the center upper portion of the four heat dissipating units 30 arranged in a cross shape so that air flows from the upper side to the lower side in the Z-axis direction. The And since the ventilation part 40 is arrange | positioned so that it may straddle the four thermal radiation parts 30, the one ventilation part 40 can ventilate the four thermal radiation parts 30. FIG.

  As a power source for driving the blower unit 40, a power source 60 common to the thermoelectric element 20 may be used, or another power source may be secured separately.

<Power supply 60>
The power source 60 supplies current to the thermoelectric element 20. Moreover, you may supply the electric power for driving the ventilation part 40 as mentioned above. The power source 60 of this embodiment is a small battery that can supply power of about 20 W, and a battery for a mobile phone or the like can also be used. Since it is small in size, even when it is worn around the user's waist as shown in FIG. Moreover, since it is lightweight, even when carrying a spare battery, it is hard to become a big burden.

  As another form of the power supply 60, there is a method using a solar panel. For example, if a solar panel is attached to the surface of the cover 2, the cooling device 1 can be used while generating electricity during daytime outdoor work, which is particularly effective. Furthermore, a battery capable of storing electric power generated by the solar panel may be provided.

<About the operation of the cooling device 1>
A basic operation when the cooling device 1 is used will be described. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the flow of heat when the cooling device 1 is operated.

  First, the flow of heat through the thermoelectric element 20 will be described. When a current is passed through the thermoelectric element 20, the surface on the side in contact with the plate-like member 10 absorbs heat as described above, and the opposite surface (the surface on the side in contact with the heat radiating portion 30) generates heat. Therefore, when the plate-like member 10 is attached to the human body (represented by the hatched portion in the AA cross-sectional view of FIG. 6), the heat generated from the human body is low as shown by the solid line arrow in the figure. It moves (thermally conducts) to the plate-like member 10 on the side, and further moves (thermally conducts) to the heat radiating part 30 via the thermoelectric element 20. Thereby, heat is stored in the heat radiating section 30.

  Next, the flow of air by the blower 40 will be described. When the blower 40 is driven, the air sucked from the upper side in the Z-axis direction (intake air) moves downward in the Z-axis direction. The air that has moved to the lower side of the air blowing unit 40 passes through the four heat dissipating units 30 provided in a cross shape on the XY plane, and is discharged in the horizontal direction as indicated by the dashed arrows in the figure (exhaust). . Since the heat dissipating section 30 is installed such that the heat dissipating fins 32 are along the air flow direction (ie, from the center side toward the outside), the exhausted air is guided to the heat dissipating fins 32 and flows smoothly. . Therefore, the heat stored in the heat radiating unit 30 is efficiently released into the air.

  Since the surface (heat generating surface) of the thermoelectric element 20 in contact with the heat radiating portion 30 is appropriately cooled by the air blown from the blower portion 40, heat is continuously exchanged between the thermoelectric element 20 and the human body. be able to. When the surface of the thermoelectric element 20 in contact with the heat radiating part 30 (heat generation surface) is not sufficiently cooled, the temperature on the surface rises and the surface on the side in contact with the plate member 10 (heat absorption surface). Since the temperature of the air also rises, there is a possibility that a sufficient function as a cooling device cannot be exhibited.

  In particular, when the cooling device 1 is used with the cover 2 attached, sufficient care must be taken so that the air flow as described above is not hindered. For example, if the vent hole 2ha (intake side) and the vent hole 2hb (exhaust side) provided in the cover 2 are blocked, the air flow by the blower 40 is hindered and heat dissipation cannot be performed sufficiently. Therefore, it is necessary to be careful enough not to block these vent holes during the operation of the cooling device 1.

<Comparative example>
Here, the influence at the time of changing the positional relationship of the thermal radiation part 30 (and thermoelectric element 20) and the ventilation part 20 of the cooling device 1 is demonstrated using a comparative example. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating the cooling device 5 of the comparative example. In the cooling device 5 of the comparative example, the configuration itself of each part (for example, the plate member 10 and the thermoelectric element 20) is the same as that of the cooling device 1 of the first embodiment, and only the arrangement of each part is different.

  In the cooling device 5 of the comparative example, the thermoelectric elements 20 (not shown in FIG. 7) and the heat radiating section 30 are arranged in a grid pattern (on the XY plane) on the surface of the plate-like member 10, and a blower section is provided at the center portion thereof. 40 is arranged.

  When such a cooling device 5 is operated, the air blown from the blower 40 moves radially on the XY plane around the blower 40 as shown by the broken line arrows in FIG. On the other hand, since the heat radiating portions 30 are arranged in a lattice shape and the interval between the adjacent heat radiating portions 30 is widened, a sufficient amount of air hardly flows to each heat radiating portion 30. Furthermore, since the direction of the radiation fin 32 is different from the moving direction of the air, it is difficult for the air to flow excessively, and the cooling device 5 does not easily diffuse the heat generated from the thermoelectric element 20 into the air.

  On the other hand, in the cooling device 1 according to the first embodiment, the heat radiating unit 30 (thermoelectric element 20) is disposed so as to surround the air blowing unit 40, and the gap between the heat radiating units 30 is also narrow. Is easier to flow. In addition, as described with reference to FIG. 6, since the radiating fins 32 are arranged in parallel to the air flow direction for each heat radiating portion 30, the air flow becomes smooth and the heat generated from the thermoelectric element 20 is efficiently transferred to the air. Can diffuse in.

  In addition, by disposing the plurality of heat dissipating units 30 so as to surround the air blowing unit 40, a single air blowing unit 40 blows cooling air to the plurality of heat dissipating units 30 while maintaining high heat dissipating efficiency. Is possible. Thereby, since the quantity of components (especially quantity of the thermal radiation part 40) can be decreased, the cooling device 1 can be reduced in size and weight.

  In the cooling device 1 of the first embodiment and the cooling device 5 of the comparative example, the quantity and size of the thermoelectric elements 20 and the supplied power are the same, and therefore the heat absorption amount of the entire device should be equivalent. However, since the cooling device 5 has poor heat dissipation efficiency, it is difficult to sufficiently exhibit the cooling performance. On the other hand, the cooling device 1 can efficiently dissipate heat by appropriately disposing the heat dissipating part 30. As a result, the temperature on the heat generation side of the thermoelectric element 20 can be kept lower, and as a result, the cooling performance can be improved by arranging each part as in the cooling device 1 rather than the cooling device 5.

<Effects of First Embodiment>
In 1st Embodiment, the plate-shaped member 10, the thermoelectric element 20, the thermal radiation part 30, and the ventilation part 40 are comprised by the laminated form, and it can implement | achieve a small and thin cooling device as a whole. And by improving the heat radiation efficiency by devising the arrangement of each component (particularly the positional relationship between the air blowing section 40 and the heat radiation section 30), it is possible to provide a cooling device that has a small size but sufficient cooling performance. Is possible.

  Further, since it is not necessary to use water or the like as a cooling medium, the entire apparatus is lightweight, and it can be said that the cooling apparatus is excellent in portability including a battery. Moreover, since a commercial item can be diverted to each component parts, such as the thermal radiation part 30 and the ventilation part 40, it is realizable at low cost.

  Furthermore, the cooling device of the present embodiment is less limited by the usage environment. For example, when working in a radioactively contaminated environment, the user may wear the cooling device over protective clothing. When the cooling device is used in such an environment, air contaminated with radioactivity is blown to cool the heat radiating unit 30, but the contaminated air does not contact the human body (user). It is possible to use the cooling device safely.

=== Second Embodiment ===
In the cooling device 1 according to the second embodiment, the air blowing unit 40 is individually provided for each of the heat radiating units 30. In other words, the thermoelectric element 20, the heat radiating part 30, and the air blowing part 40 are a set, and one or more sets are provided. FIG. 8 is a schematic view of the cooling device 1 of the second embodiment.

  In 2nd Embodiment, the structure and arrangement | positioning of the plate-shaped member 10, the thermoelectric element 20, and the thermal radiation part 30 are as substantially the same as 1st Embodiment. That is, the four thermoelectric elements 20 and the heat radiating portions 30 are arranged in a cross shape on the plate-like member 10 (on the XY plane). A heat radiating portion 40 is provided above each of the four heat radiating portions 30 in the Z-axis direction.

  In the present embodiment, the air blowing unit 40 belonging to the same group performs air blowing with respect to the heat radiating unit 30. That is, since the heat radiating part 30 and the air blowing part 40 correspond one-to-one, it becomes easier to flow air to the heat radiating part 30 more reliably, and the heat radiating performance is improved. Further, since heat can be stably radiated regardless of the arrangement of the heat radiating portion 30 and the direction of the heat radiating fins 32, the degree of freedom in design becomes higher. For example, in FIG. 8, the heat dissipating part 30 (thermoelectric element 20) is arranged in a cross shape. However, even if the heat dissipating part 30 (thermoelectric element 20) is arranged in a grid as shown in FIG. The heat dissipation performance does not deteriorate as in the comparative example.

  On the other hand, in the second embodiment, since the number of installed blower units 40 increases, the weight and manufacturing cost of the entire cooling device may increase. However, since it is easier to radiate heat more reliably, the safety of the device is increased. In particular, since the cooling device 1 is used by being mounted on a human body, it is important to ensure high safety.

  In addition, since the ventilation volume per one ventilation part 40 can be less than the ventilation part 40 of 1st Embodiment, the ventilation part 40 itself uses a thing smaller than the ventilation part 40 of 1st Embodiment. can do.

=== Third Embodiment ===
In the third embodiment, a cooling device that is further downsized than the first embodiment by shifting the position of the heat dissipating unit 30 (thermoelectric element 20) will be described. FIG. 9 is a schematic view of the cooling device 1 of the third embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating the arrangement of the heat radiating unit 30 and the air flow by the air blowing unit 40 in the cooling device 1 of the third embodiment.

  The basic configuration of the cooling device 1 in the third embodiment is substantially the same as that in the first embodiment, but the size of the plate-like member 10 and the arrangement of the heat dissipating section 30 (thermoelectric element 20) are different. Specifically, the width of the entire apparatus is reduced by making the length in the width direction (X direction) of the plate-like member 10 shorter than in the first embodiment. And with shortening of the width direction length of the plate-shaped member 10, arrangement | positioning of the thermal radiation part 30 (thermoelectric element 20) is also changed. In FIG. 9 and FIG. 10, assuming that the heat dissipating part located on the right side is 30a, the heat dissipating part located on the lower side is 30b, the heat dissipating part located on the left side is 30c, and the heat dissipating part located on the upper side is 30d, The heat dissipating part 30a and the heat dissipating part 30c arranged in the X-axis direction are respectively displaced in the central direction. This is because the space in the X-axis direction is narrowed by reducing the width direction (X-axis direction) length of the plate-like member 10. As a result, as shown in FIG. 10, a part of the heat radiating portions 30a and 30c overlaps with the heat radiating portions 30b and 30d in the X-axis direction.

  The air flow by the blower 40 when operating the cooling device 1 of the third embodiment is basically the same as that of the first embodiment. That is, the air is sucked in from the upper side in the Z-axis direction of the blower 40 and is exhausted radially from the center of the XY plane toward the outside. And when air flows along the radiation fin 32 about each of the thermal radiation parts 30a-30d, heat exchange is performed between the radiation fin 32 and air, a heat | fever is spread | diffused in the air and it is outside the cooling device 1. It is discharged (see broken line arrow in FIG. 10).

  In 3rd Embodiment, the cooling device 1 can be comprised more compactly by making the plate-shaped member 10 small. At that time, it is not necessary to change the components such as the heat radiating unit 30 and it is possible to cope with it only by changing the installation position.

<Modification>
When operating the cooling device 1 according to the third embodiment, the air inlets at both ends of the heat radiating portions 30b and 30d (regions represented by hatching in FIG. 10) are blocked by the ends of the heat radiating portions 30a and 30c. Therefore, it is difficult for the air blown from the blower 40 to flow in the area represented by the oblique lines. Therefore, heat exchange is not sufficiently performed in the shaded area, and the cooling performance may be deteriorated. Then, the form which has two or more ventilation parts 40 is demonstrated as a modification of 3rd Embodiment. FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram of the cooling device 1 according to a modification of the third embodiment. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement of the heat dissipating unit 30 and the flow of air by the air blowing unit 40 in the cooling device 1 according to the modification of the third embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 11, in the modified example, two air blowing units 40 a and 40 b arranged in the Y-axis direction are provided. Other configurations are the same as those of the cooling device 1 of the third embodiment. By providing a plurality of air blowing sections 40, air is easily supplied to the heat radiating section 30, and the heat radiating performance is further improved.

  When the cooling device 1 of the modified example is operated, the air blowing part 40a on the upper side in the Y-axis direction blows air to the heat radiation part 30d and the upper half of the heat radiation parts 30a and 30c in the Y-axis direction, as shown by the broken line arrows in FIG. To do. Similarly, the air blower 40b on the lower side in the Y-axis direction blows air to the heat dissipating part 30b and the lower half in the Y-axis direction of the heat dissipating parts 30a and 30c. Since each air blower shares the heat dissipating part to be blown, air can be stably blown to each of the heat dissipating parts 30a to 30d. In addition, since the air blower 40a is installed so as to straddle between the heat radiating parts 30a and 30c and the heat radiating part 30d, the air also flows to both ends of the heat radiating part 30d (the shaded area in FIG. 12). Can be suppressed. Similarly, since the air blower 40b is installed so as to straddle between the heat radiating parts 30a and 30c and the heat radiating part 30b, air also flows to both ends of the heat radiating part 30b (the shaded area in FIG. 12). Efficiency reduction is suppressed.

=== Fourth Embodiment ===
In the cooling device described in each of the above-described embodiments, the air after being blown from the blower 40 and passing through the heat dissipation part 30 is exhausted in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, respectively. However, depending on the usage and conditions of the cooling device, the direction in which air can be exhausted may be limited. Therefore, in the fourth embodiment, a cooling device in which the direction of the air exhausted from the heat radiating unit is limited to the Y-axis direction will be described as an example when the exhaust direction is limited.

  FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of the cooling device 1 of the fourth embodiment. In the cooling device 1 of 4th Embodiment, the structure of each apparatus of the plate-shaped member 10, the thermoelectric element 20, the thermal radiation part 30, and the ventilation part 40 is as substantially the same as 1st Embodiment. On the other hand, the arrangement of each device is different from that of the first embodiment, and the cooling device 1 of the fourth embodiment is provided with a restriction plate 50 for restricting the air flow direction.

  In the fourth embodiment, the thermoelectric elements 20 and the heat radiating portions 30 are arranged in a grid pattern on the XY plane on the plate member 10. In FIG. 13, the heat dissipating part located in the upper right is 30a, the heat dissipating part located in the lower right is 30b, the heat dissipating part located in the upper left is 30c, and the heat dissipating part located in the lower left is 30d. At this time, in the heat radiating portions 30a to 30d, the heat radiating fins 32 are arranged so as to be aligned along the Y-axis direction. And the ventilation part 40a is provided in the position between the thermal radiation part 30a and the thermal radiation part 30b, and the ventilation part 40b is provided in the position between the thermal radiation part 30c and the thermal radiation part 30d. That is, in 4th Embodiment, the ventilation part 40a blows air to the thermal radiation part 30a and the thermal radiation part 30b, and the ventilation part 40b ventilates the thermal radiation part 30c and the thermal radiation part 30d.

  Further, in order to suppress the movement of air in the X-axis direction from between the heat radiating part 30a and the heat radiating part 30b, a limiting plate 50 as shown in FIG. 13 is provided. An air flow path along the Y-axis direction is formed by a space surrounded by the restriction plate 50, the plate-like member 10, and the air blowing unit 40 (see the BB cross-sectional view in FIG. 13), and the air is blown from the air blowing unit 40. The air can be blown only in the Y-axis direction while suppressing the air flowing in the X-axis direction.

  When the cooling device 1 according to the fourth embodiment is used, the air sucked from the upper part (upper in the Z-axis direction) of the blower 40a is guided to the lower part (lower in the Z-axis direction) of the blower 40a. Then, the movement direction is restricted to the Y-axis direction by the restriction plate 50, so that the air moves up and down in the Y-axis direction. When air passes through the heat dissipating part 30a disposed on the upper side in the Y-axis direction and the heat dissipating part 30b disposed on the lower side in the Y-axis direction, heat exchange is performed between the heat dissipating part 30 and the air. Heat diffuses into The air after the heat is radiated is exhausted from the top and bottom of the cooling device 1 in the Y-axis direction to the outside. The same applies to the blower 40b.

  In the above example, the device in which air flows in the Y-axis direction has been described. However, by adjusting the arrangement of the heat dissipating unit 30 and the direction of the heat dissipating fins 32, air can flow in directions other than the Y-axis direction. Is also possible. Thereby, a cooling device capable of exhausting in a desired direction is realized.

=== Fifth Embodiment ===
5th Embodiment demonstrates the cooling device with which the thermal radiation part 30 and the ventilation part 40 were comprised integrally.

  FIG. 14 is a schematic view of the cooling device 1 of the fifth embodiment. In the cooling device 1 of the fifth embodiment, the configuration and arrangement of the plate member 10 and the thermoelectric element 20 (not shown in FIG. 14) are substantially the same as those of the second embodiment. On the other hand, the structure of the thermal radiation part 30 and the ventilation part 40 differs from 2nd Embodiment (1st Embodiment).

  The heat radiation part 30 of the fifth embodiment is circular, and a plurality of heat radiation fins 31 are arranged radially from the center toward the outer periphery. And the ventilation part 40 is arrange | positioned so that the rotating shaft of a fan may correspond to the center part of the thermal radiation part 30. FIG. Thereby, the cooling air blown by the blower 40 flows substantially uniformly from the central part of the heat radiating part 30 toward the outer peripheral part, and diffuses the heat accumulated in the heat radiating part 30 from the thermoelectric element 20 more efficiently. Let Moreover, in FIG. 14, although the thermoelectric element 20, the thermal radiation part 30, and the ventilation part 40 are arrange | positioned with respect to the plate-shaped member 10 in the grid | lattice form, in this embodiment, these arrangement | positioning can be changed freely. As described above, since the heat radiating unit 30 and the air blowing unit 40 are integrally configured and the positional relationship between them is determined in advance, stable cooling performance is obtained regardless of the arrangement on the plate member 10. be able to.

  In this embodiment, since the shape of the heat dissipation fin 31 of the heat dissipation part 30 is special, the cost is likely to be higher than that of the heat dissipation part 30 in the second embodiment. However, by integrating the heat radiating unit 30 and the air blowing unit 40 into a compact configuration, the degree of freedom in design is increased, and the device can be further downsized. Moreover, even if the air blower 40 itself is made small, sufficient thermal efficiency can be obtained, and as a result, the total weight of the heat radiating part 30 and the air blower 40 can be reduced. Therefore, the weight of the entire cooling device can be reduced.

=== Sixth Embodiment ===
In the sixth embodiment, a cooling device in which the plate-like member 10 is constituted by a plurality of plates instead of a single plate will be described.

  FIG. 15 is a schematic view of the cooling device 1 of the sixth embodiment. In FIG. 15, the configuration and arrangement of the thermoelectric element 20, the heat radiating unit 30, and the air blowing unit 40 are substantially the same as those in the second embodiment. On the other hand, the configuration of the plate-like member 10 is different from that of the second embodiment (first embodiment).

  In the cooling device of the sixth embodiment, the plate member 10 is constituted by four heat exchange plates 10A to 10D. Each of the heat exchange plates 10A to 10D is a rectangular flat plate having substantially the same size (actually slightly different size), and is formed of the same material (aluminum plate or the like) as the plate member 10 of the second embodiment. Is done. Each of the heat exchange plates 10A to 10D is provided with at least one set of the thermoelectric element 20, the heat radiating unit 30, and the air blowing unit 40, and each of the heat exchange plates 10A to 10D can function as a small cooling device alone. That is, in this embodiment, it can be said that each heat exchange plate is the plate-like member 10. And at least one side is connected so that it may have a predetermined space | interval with the outer edge part of another heat exchange board among the outer edge parts of a heat exchange board. In FIG. 15, four heat exchange plates are connected to each other by three connection members 17 to constitute one cooling device as a whole.

  The connection member 17 is a member having a structure like a hinge, for example. As shown in the CC cross-sectional view of FIG. 15, the heat exchange plates 10 </ b> A and 10 </ b> B are rotatably connected on the XZ plane with a shaft 17 a provided at the center of the connection member 17 as a rotation center. An interval a is provided between the outer edge of the heat exchange plate 10A and the outer edge of 10B (see FIG. 15). By providing an appropriate interval, it is possible to prevent the outer edge of the heat exchange plate 10A and the outer edge of the heat exchange plate 10B from interfering with each other during rotation. Further, the connecting member 17 desirably has an elastic force in the X-axis direction in the CC cross section of FIG.

  Similarly, the heat exchange plate 10 </ b> A and the heat exchange plate 10 </ b> C are connected by a connection member 17 so as to be rotatable on a YZ plane with a shaft 17 a as a rotation center. An appropriate distance a is provided between the heat exchange plate 10A and the heat exchange plate 10C. Further, the heat exchange plate 10B and the heat exchange plate 10D are connected by a connecting member 17 so as to be rotatable on the YZ plane around the shaft 17a as a rotation center, and a gap a is provided between the two.

  On the other hand, the connecting member 17 is not provided between the heat exchange plate 10C and the heat exchange plate 10D. That is, the heat exchange plate 10C and the heat exchange plate 10D are not connected, and both move independently of each other. Further, as shown in FIG. 15, a gap b wider than the gap a is provided between the heat exchange plate 10C and the heat exchange plate 10D. In other words, the portion where the outer edge of one heat exchange plate and the outer edge of another heat exchange plate are not connected is more than the portion where the outer edge of the heat exchange plate and the outer edge of another heat exchange plate are connected. Wide spacing is provided. In a portion where the heat exchange plates are not connected to each other, the heat exchange plates are likely to come into contact with each other when operating. However, the gap between the two is set as wide as possible so that the heat exchange plates (that is, the heat exchange plate 10C and the heat exchange plate 10D) operate independently even if they are operated independently.

  Also in this embodiment, as described in the fifth embodiment, a configuration in which the heat radiating unit 30 and the air blowing unit 40 are integrally configured may be used. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example where the heat radiating unit 30 and the air blowing unit 40 are integrally configured in the cooling device 1 of the sixth embodiment. Also in this case, similarly to the above-described example, the heat exchange plates 10A to 10D each function as the plate-like member 10, and each of the heat exchange plates can function alone as a small cooling device.

  In the cooling device of the present embodiment, the heat exchange plates (plate-like members) are operatively connected to each other, so that the back side of each heat exchange plate is fitted to the object to be cooled (for example, a human back). It has become easier. In other words, since each of the plurality of heat exchange plates (plate-like members) can move independently according to the movement of the body, the contact area between each heat exchange plate (plate-like member) and the body is always kept large and cooling is performed. Efficiency can be increased. In particular, when using a cooling device during work or exercise, it is possible to always fit each heat exchange plate to the back by moving multiple heat exchange plates following the movement of the back, It is possible to cool the back efficiently regardless of the posture of the human being in motion.

  In the above-described example, the example in which the entire plate-like member 10 is configured by four rectangular heat exchanger plates has been described, but the number of heat exchange plates is not limited to four. For example, two or three heat exchange plates may be connected in series, or may have a structure having a larger number of heat exchange plates.

=== Other Embodiments ===
The above-described embodiments are intended to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can be changed and improved without departing from the gist thereof, and it goes without saying that the present invention includes equivalents thereof.

<About thermoelectric element 20>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the example in which the Peltier element is used as the thermoelectric element 20 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this example. The thermoelectric element 20 can use another element as long as one surface absorbs heat and the other surface generates heat when a current is passed.

<Temperature adjustment mechanism>
In each of the above-described embodiments, a temperature sensor or the like may be provided to monitor the temperature of the plate member 10 during cooling and the temperature of the heat radiating unit 30 during heat dissipation. Since the cooling device of the present embodiment is assumed to be used by being attached to a human body, higher safety is required. For example, when the temperature of the plate-like member 10 is too low, there is a risk of harming the user's health. Moreover, when the temperature of the thermal radiation part 30 is too high, the cooling effect is not acquired on the design of the thermoelectric element 20, and there exists a possibility of causing a raise of body temperature on the contrary. Therefore, these temperatures are monitored, and when the temperature range shows an abnormal value, it is preferable to restrict the power supply to the thermoelectric element 20 or the like. Moreover, it is good also as a mechanism which can adjust temperature so that those apparatuses may always become a design temperature range by using a thermostat etc.

<About the structure of the cover 2>
In each of the embodiments described above, the cover 2 covers the entire cooling device. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the cover 2 may partially cover the cooling device. For example, a structure in which the heat radiating unit 30 is exposed to the outside of the cover may have a structure in which heat is not easily trapped inside the cooling device. Moreover, the structure where the whole cover 2 is formed with a mesh-like member, and can diffuse heat, maintaining a waterproof function may be sufficient.

<About usage of cooling device>
In each of the above-described embodiments, the configuration in which the user holds the cooling device on the back has been described, but this is not a limitation. For example, the cooling device may be configured integrally with the backpack, and the back side of the backpack may be cooled. In this case, since the back is cooled by the user carrying the backpack, the function as the cooling device and the function as the backpack can be realized at the same time.

1 cooling device,
2 Cover, 2ha vent, 2hb vent,
3 belt,
5 Cooling device (comparative example),
10 plate-like member, 10A to 10D heat exchange plate, 12 mounting groove, 13 screw hole,
15 frame, 17 connecting portion, 17a shaft,
20 thermoelectric elements, 25 heat insulating materials,
30 heat radiation part, 30a-30d heat radiation part, 31 base plate, 32 heat radiation fin,
40 air blower, 40a-40b air blower,
50 limit plate,
60 power supply

Claims (7)

A plate-like member having thermal conductivity;
A plate-like element provided so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member, wherein one element absorbs heat and the other surface generates heat by passing an electric current;
A heat dissipating part provided so as to be in contact with the surface opposite to the surface facing the plate-like member of the element;
A blower unit provided on the opposite side of the surface of the heat dissipating part that contacts the element, and blows air to the heat dissipating part;
A cooling device comprising: The cooling device according to claim 1,
A plurality of each of the element and the heat dissipating part,
The air blowing part is arranged so as to straddle a plurality of the heat radiating parts,
The cooling device, wherein the air blowing unit blows air to the plurality of heat radiating units. The cooling device according to claim 1 or 2,
A plurality of heat dissipating fins are provided in parallel on the opposite side of the surface of the heat dissipating part that contacts the element,
The cooling device, wherein the heat radiating portion is provided such that a direction in which the plurality of heat radiating fins are aligned is a radial direction centered on the air blowing portion. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The four heat radiating portions are arranged in a cross shape so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member,
The cooling device, wherein the heat dissipating part is arranged at a center position of the four heat dissipating parts. The cooling device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The four heat radiating portions are arranged in a cross shape so as to be in contact with the surface of the plate-like member,
The cooling device, wherein a plurality of the heat radiating portions are arranged at the center of the four heat radiating portions. The cooling device according to claim 1,
At least one set of the element, the heat radiating part, and the air blowing part is provided,
The cooling device characterized in that the air blowing part blows air to the heat radiating part belonging to the same set. The cooling device according to claim 6,
A plurality of rectangular plate-like members provided with at least one set of the element, the heat radiating part, and the air blowing part;
At least one side of the outer edge portion of the rectangular plate-like member is connected to the outer edge portion of the other plate-like member so as to have a predetermined interval,
Of the outer edge of the rectangular plate-like member, the portion that is not connected to the outer edge of the other plate-like member is between the outer edge of the plate-like member and the outer edge of the other plate-like member. A cooling device characterized by having a wider interval.

Images