JP7525836B2 - Air conditioning unit and clothing equipped with same - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an air conditioning unit and clothing equipped with the same, and in particular to technology for cooling or heating the body of a user wearing the air conditioning unit.

Conventionally, there is known clothing with a fan attached to the garment that draws in outside air into the garment to cool the wearer's (user's) body (see, for example, Patent Document 1). However, because fan-equipped clothing only sends outside air into the garment, it has a low cooling effect when the outside temperature is high, and is not considered comfortable clothing.

There are also known garments that allow the body to be cooled or heated by running cold or hot water through water channels provided inside the garment (e.g., Patent Document 2). However, a configuration in which cold or hot water runs inside the garment has the disadvantage that the weight of the garment increases, slowing down the user's movements.

Patent No. 6200113 JP 2012-161446 A

By the way, since Peltier elements can be used to cool or heat, it is conceivable that they could be worn on the user's body to cool or heat the body. For example, one method would be to wear a Peltier element on the user's clothing.

However, because Peltier elements consume a lot of power, attaching many of them to the inside of clothing consumes too much power to be practical. Therefore, when using Peltier elements, it is desirable to reduce the number of Peltier elements so that the user's body can be cooled or heated efficiently.

Therefore, the present invention aims to provide an air conditioning unit that can efficiently cool or heat the user's body using a Peltier element, and clothing equipped with the same.

In order to achieve the above object, firstly, the present invention provides an air conditioning unit for cooling or heating a user's body, characterized in that it comprises a Peltier element, a metal plate joined to one side of the Peltier element, a metallic heat exchange plate that is larger in area than the metal plate and is placed on the body side while joined to the metal plate, a heat sink placed on the other side of the Peltier element, a fan that is placed opposite the heat sink and releases heat from the heat sink to the outside, and a fan cover that is attached to cover the heat sink and the fan.

Secondly, the present invention is an air conditioning unit having the above-mentioned first configuration, characterized in that the fan cover is formed in a bottomed cylindrical shape having a peripheral wall that covers the sides of the heat sink and the fan and a bottom that covers the rear side of the fan, and is formed with an intake window that takes in outside air and an exhaust window that releases heat from the heat sink to the outside.

Thirdly, the present invention is characterized in that in an air conditioning unit having the second configuration described above, the exhaust window is formed in a lateral position of the heat sink on the peripheral wall.

Fourthly, the present invention is an air conditioning unit having the above-mentioned third configuration, characterized in that the intake window is formed in the bottom.

Fifth, the present invention is an air conditioning unit having the third or fourth configuration, characterized in that the intake window is formed in the peripheral wall at a position closer to the bottom side than the exhaust window.

Sixthly, the present invention is an air conditioning unit having the fifth configuration described above, characterized in that the edge tip of the intake window formed in the peripheral wall, located near the heat sink, has an airflow forming section that is bulged inward at least and has a substantially circular cross section.

Seventh, the present invention is an air conditioning unit having any of the configurations 3 to 6 above, characterized in that the interior angle of the connection between the peripheral wall and the bottom of the fan cover is less than a right angle.

Eighth, the present invention provides an air conditioning unit having any one of the configurations 3 to 7 above, further comprising a duct that is attached to the fan cover in a state where it covers the exhaust window and guides the exhaust air released from the exhaust window to the upper part of the body.

Ninthly, the present invention is an air conditioning unit having any one of the configurations 1 to 8 above, characterized in that it further comprises a body attachment plate that supports the heat exchange plate at a predetermined position on the user's body.

Tenthly, the present invention is a garment characterized by having an air conditioning unit having any one of the configurations 1 to 8 above.

The present invention makes it possible to provide an air conditioning unit that utilizes a Peltier element, reduces power consumption, and can cool or heat the user's body to a comfortable temperature, and also provides clothing equipped with such an air conditioning unit.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an air conditioning unit. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a garment equipped with an air conditioning unit. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view showing the configuration of the air conditioning unit. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an air conditioning unit attached to clothing. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure when a jacket is worn on the outside of the air conditioning unit. FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the heat sink, the fan, and the fan cover. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of clothing to which the air conditioning unit is attached. 2 is a block diagram showing a control mechanism of the air conditioning unit 1. FIG. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of an air conditioning unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of clothing to which an air conditioning unit of a second embodiment is attached. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing one configuration example of an air conditioning unit according to a second embodiment. FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing an example of a configuration of a duct. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an air conditioning unit attached to clothing. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing an example of an air conditioning unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of an air conditioning unit attached to a user's body. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing one configuration example of an air conditioning unit according to a third embodiment. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an air conditioning unit attached to a user's body using a body attachment plate. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure of an air conditioning unit with a duct attached thereto. 13A and 13B are diagrams illustrating modified examples of the fan cover.

Below, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Note that the same reference numerals are used to designate components common to the embodiments described below, and redundant descriptions of these components will be omitted.

First Embodiment
First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing an example of an air conditioning unit 1 in the first embodiment of the present invention, and (a) and (b) show views from different directions. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a garment 100 to which an air conditioning unit 1 is attached. FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of the configuration of the air conditioning unit 1. The air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment shown in these drawings performs heat exchange using a Peltier element 17, and cools or heats the body of a person wearing the garment 100 (user). For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the air conditioning unit 1 is attached to the fabric 101 of the back of the garment 100, and cools or heats the back of the user's body. This air conditioning unit 1 is a device that cools or heats the area from between the shoulder blades to the waist of the user.

As shown in FIG. 3, the air conditioning unit 1 is mainly composed of a fan cover 11, a fan 14, a heat sink 15, a Peltier element 17, a holding member 18, a metal plate 19, a heat exchange plate 20, an insulating pad 30, and a fixing pad 40. In this air conditioning unit 1, the holding member 18 holds the Peltier element 17.

The Peltier element 17 is a roughly rectangular thin plate element with two different types of metal arranged on the front and back sides. It is a semiconductor element that utilizes the Peltier effect, in which heat is transferred from one metal to the other by passing a current through the junction between the two types of metal. For example, when a direct current is passed from one metal to the other, one side of the Peltier element 17 absorbs heat and the other side generates heat. Reversing the polarity of the direct current reverses the side that absorbs and generates heat. The air conditioning unit 1 utilizes the characteristics of this Peltier element 17 to cool or heat the user's body.

A heat dissipation mechanism that releases waste heat exchanged by the air conditioning unit 1 to the outside of the Peltier element 17 is provided on the surface of the Peltier element 17 that corresponds to the outside of the clothing. To be more specific, a heat sink 15 is arranged to be joined to the surface of the Peltier element 17 that corresponds to the outside of the clothing. For example, the periphery of the heat sink 15 is fixed to the holding member 18. The heat sink 15 is provided with a number of fins 16 on its periphery to increase the heat exchange efficiency. A fan 14 is arranged on the outer side of the heat sink 15 so as to face the heat sink 15. The fan 14 is a fan for releasing the heat of the heat sink 15 to the outside. The fan cover 11 is a cover member attached to the periphery of the heat sink 15 and the fan 14, and is attached to the outside of the clothing 100 in a state of covering the fan 14 and the heat sink 15. The fan cover 11 is provided with an intake window 12 (12a, 12b) for introducing air into the cover and an exhaust window 13 for releasing the air in the cover to the outside. For example, the fan cover 11 is formed in a cylindrical shape with a bottom, with a peripheral wall 11b that covers the sides of the heat sink 15 and the fan 14, and a bottom 11a that covers the back side (outside the clothing) of the fan 14. The intake window 12a is formed in the bottom 11a of the fan cover 11, and the intake window 12b is formed on the bottom side of the peripheral wall 11b. The exhaust window 13 is formed in the peripheral wall 11b of the fan cover 11 at a position to the side of the heat sink 15 (more specifically, the fins 16).

On the other hand, a heat transfer mechanism is provided on the surface of the Peltier element 17 that corresponds to the inside of the clothing, to efficiently transfer the cooling or heating effect of the Peltier element 17 to the user's body. To be more specific, a metal plate 19 is arranged to be bonded to the surface of the Peltier element 17 that corresponds to the inside of the clothing. For example, the peripheral portion of this metal plate 19 is fixed in a state where it is bonded to the surface of the holding member 18 that is on the inside of the clothing. The metal plate 19 is attached in a state where one surface of the metal plate 19 is bonded to one surface of the Peltier element 17, and the temperature is lowered or raised by the heat absorption or heat generation action of the Peltier element 17. This metal plate 19 is formed of, for example, aluminum metal. Aluminum metal has a relatively high thermal conductivity and is lightweight, so it is suitable for wearing on clothing. However, the metal plate 19 is not limited to being made of aluminum, and any metal that has a relatively high thermal conductivity may be used. For example, the metal plate 19 may be formed of copper, tin, or the like.

It is preferable to use a metal plate 19 whose area is larger than that of the Peltier element 17. By joining a metal plate 19 larger than the area of the Peltier element 17 to one side of the Peltier element 17, the Peltier element 17 can be joined to approximately the center of one side of the metal plate 19, and the heat absorption or heat generation occurring on one side of the Peltier element 17 can be efficiently transmitted to the metal plate 19.

However, it is not preferable for the area of the metal plate 19 to be too large compared to the area of the Peltier element 17. The temperature of the metal plate 19 increases or decreases overall due to the heat absorption or heat generation of the Peltier element 17, so if the heat capacity of the metal plate 19 becomes too large, a load is placed on the Peltier element 17, and the current consumption of the Peltier element 17 increases. For this reason, it is preferable to keep the area of the metal plate 19 at about 1.5 to 4 times the area of the Peltier element 17.

The heat exchange plate 20 is a metal plate that is arranged so as to be joined to the surface of the metal plate 19 that corresponds to the inside of the garment. It is a plate that is arranged inside the garment 100 and cools or heats the user's body. For example, the heat exchange plate 20 is formed to be larger in size than the metal plate 19. Therefore, the heat capacity of the heat exchange plate 20 is larger than that of the metal plate 19. In addition, the heat exchange plate 20 is formed using, for example, a copper plate, a tin plate, an aluminum plate, or the like.

For example, when a copper plate is used as the heat exchange plate 20, the heat conductivity is relatively high, so that heat exchange can be performed efficiently. In this case, it is preferable to use a heat exchange plate 20 having a base material of a copper plate having a thickness of, for example, about 0.3 to 0.8 mm, and having a tin plating 22 applied to the plate surface (including both the front and back surfaces) except for the joint 21 where it is joined to the metal plate 19 as shown in FIG. 3. By making the plate thickness about 0.3 to 0.8 mm, it is possible to obtain an appropriate hardness for use in clothing. In addition, because copper is easily oxidized, oxidation can be prevented by applying a tin plating 22 to the plate surface. In addition, by not providing the tin plating 22 at the joint 21 with the metal plate 19, the heat absorbed from the user's body can be efficiently conducted to the metal plate 19.

For example, when a tin plate is used as the heat exchange plate 20, it has the advantage of being softer than copper or aluminum, and therefore more closely adheres to the user's body. In this case, it is preferable to use a heat exchange plate 20 that is made of a tin plate having a thickness of, for example, about 0.5 to 1.0 mm, and that has a silver or copper plating 22 applied to the plate surface (including both the front and back surfaces) except for the joint 21 where it is joined to the metal plate 19. By making the plate thickness about 0.5 to 1.0 mm, it is possible to obtain a suitable hardness for use in clothing. In addition, since tin has a lower thermal conductivity than copper, the low thermal conductivity can be significantly improved by applying a silver or copper plating 22 to the plate surface. In addition, by not providing the silver or copper plating 22 at the joint 21 with the metal plate 19, the heat absorbed from the user's body can be efficiently conducted to the metal plate 19.

For example, when an aluminum plate is used as the heat exchange plate 20, an aluminum plate with a thickness of, for example, about 0.5 to 0.8 mm is used as the base material. In this case, the aluminum plate is anodized in advance. The anodizing process can prevent corrosion due to oxidation of the aluminum. It is also preferable to use an aluminum plate with silver plating 22 on the plate surface (including both the front and back surfaces) except for the joint 21 where it is joined to the metal plate 19. Silver has the highest thermal conductivity of all metals, so it can efficiently cool or heat the user's body.

The heat exchange plate 20 has a roughly inverted T-shape so that it can directly or indirectly contact the area between the user's shoulder blades and down to the waist, and can efficiently cool or heat that area, and is formed so that the width at the bottom is wider than the width at the top. The upper part is narrow so that the heat exchange plate 20 does not interfere with the user's shoulder blades and does not cause discomfort to the user, even if the shoulder blades move due to the user's movements. On the other hand, by making the width at the bottom of the heat exchange plate 20 wider than the upper part, it is possible to widely cool or heat the area from the user's back to the waist. Note that the heat exchange plate 20 is not limited to a roughly inverted T-shape, and may be, for example, a trapezoid or a triangular shape.

The heat exchange plate 20 is provided with a hole 23 through which a screw 29 is inserted at the center of the joint 21 where the heat exchange plate 20 is joined to the metal plate 19. The screw 29 is inserted into this hole 23 from the inside of the garment to the outside, and screws into a screw hole provided on the inner surface of the metal plate 19 on the inside of the garment, fixing the heat exchange plate 20 and the metal plate 19 in a joined state. However, this is not limited to the above, and the heat exchange plate 20 and the metal plate 19 may be bonded to each other with an adhesive or the like.

The insulating pad 30 is a member for holding the peripheral portion of the heat exchange plate 20 and attaching the air conditioning unit 1 to the clothing 100. The insulating pad 30 has approximately the same shape as the heat exchange plate 20 so that it can hold the peripheral portion of the heat exchange plate 20. For example, the insulating pad 30 is formed in a roughly inverted T shape, similar to the heat exchange plate 20. However, if the heat exchange plate 20 has a shape other than a roughly inverted T shape (for example, a trapezoid or a triangle), the insulating pad 30 will have a shape that matches the shape of the heat exchange plate 20.

The heat insulating pad 30 is made of, for example, silicone resin. Silicon resin is suitable because it has excellent flexibility and heat insulating properties. The back side of the heat insulating pad 30, which corresponds to the outside of the clothing, is covered, and a hole 31 is formed on the back side for joining the metal plate 19 to the joint 21 of the heat exchange plate 20. This hole 31 is a hole of approximately the same size as the outer size of the metal plate 19. Therefore, through this hole 31, the metal plate 19 fixed to the holding member 18 can be joined to the joint 21 of the heat exchange plate 20 held by the heat insulating pad 30. In addition, the back side of the heat insulating pad 30 is provided with a cylindrical fixing part 32 that engages with the engagement protrusions 42 provided on the fixing pad 40 at three positions at the top and bottom.

On the other hand, the front side (inside the clothing) of the heat insulating pad 30 is open to expose the heat exchange plate 20 as shown in FIG. 1(b), and a holding portion 33 is provided on the periphery to hold the periphery of the heat exchange plate 20. In other words, the heat insulating pad 30 holds the heat exchange plate 20 in a state that covers the periphery of the back side and front side of the heat exchange plate 20. By covering the back side of the heat exchange plate 20 that corresponds to the outside of the clothing, the heat insulating pad 30 allows the heat absorbing action of the heat exchange plate 20 to occur effectively toward the user's body, preventing heat exchange loss.

The fixed pad 40 is, for example, a resin pad, and is fixed to the insulating pad 30 arranged on the inside of the garment 100 from the outside of the garment 100. The fixed pad 40 is formed, for example, in substantially the same shape as the insulating pad 30. The fixed pad 40 has a hole 41 formed in a size slightly larger than the outer shape of the fan cover 11, and the fan cover 11 is attached in a state where it protrudes from the fixed pad 40 to the outside of the garment through this hole 41. In addition, the above-mentioned engagement protrusion 42 is provided on the inner surface of the garment of the fixed pad 40 at a position corresponding to the fixing part 32 of the insulating pad 30. For example, the fixed pad 40 is fixed to the insulating pad 30 by fitting the engagement protrusion 42 into the fixing part 32 of the insulating pad 30. At this time, the garment 100 is arranged in a state where it is sandwiched between the insulating pad 30 and the fixed pad 40. As a result, the air conditioning unit 1 is attached to the fabric 101 of the back of the garment 100 as shown in FIG. 2. Furthermore, the engagement protrusion 42 is designed to be engaged when fitted into the cylindrical hole of the fixing part 32, making it not only easy to install but also easy to remove.

Figure 4 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of the air conditioning unit 1 attached to the garment 100. The air conditioning unit 1 cools or heats the body 200 of the user wearing the garment 100 by supplying a direct current to the Peltier element 17 and driving the fan 14. When a direct current is supplied to the Peltier element 17, the Peltier element 17 generates a heat absorption or heat generation effect on one side facing the user's body 200. This heat absorption or heat generation effect is thermally conducted to the metal plate 19. The heat capacity of the metal plate 19 is smaller than the heat capacity of the heat exchange plate 20. Therefore, the Peltier element 17 can efficiently cool or heat the metal plate 19 without increasing the current consumption.

When the temperature of the metal plate 19 increases or decreases due to the heat absorption or heat generation of the Peltier element 17, the heat is transferred to the heat exchange plate 20 via the joint 21. As a result, the temperature of the heat exchange plate 20 decreases or increases, and the user's body 200 can be cooled or heated directly or indirectly. In other words, the Peltier element 17 can cool or heat the heat exchange plate 20 via the metal plate 19. In particular, since the heat exchange plate 20 is formed using a metal with a relatively high thermal conductivity as described above, the heat transferred from the metal plate 19 is relatively efficiently distributed throughout the heat exchange plate 20. Therefore, the air conditioning unit 1 can efficiently cool or heat a relatively wide area of the user's back with one Peltier element 17.

As described above, the Peltier element 17 also exerts an opposite effect on the other surface that does not face the user's body 200. For example, when cooling the user's body 200, a heat generating effect occurs on the surface of the Peltier element 17 that faces the outside of the clothing. This heat is absorbed by the heat sink 15. When the fan 14 is driven, as shown in FIG. 4, outside air enters the fan cover 11 from the intake window 12 provided in the fan cover 11 as shown by the arrow F1. This air absorbs heat from the heat sink 15, becomes warm air, and is exhausted to the outside of the fan cover 11 from the exhaust window 13 as shown by the arrow F2. In other words, the heat of the heat sink 15 is released to the surroundings of the fan cover 11 from the exhaust window 13 provided at the side of the heat sink 15.

When the user's body 200 is heated, heat absorption occurs on the surface of the Peltier element 17 facing the outside of the clothing. This heat is also absorbed by the heat sink 15. Then, the air entering the fan cover 11 from the intake window 12 by the fan 14 removes the heat from the heat sink 15, becoming cool air that is exhausted to the outside of the fan cover 11 from the exhaust window 13.

The air conditioning unit 1 cools or heats the user's body 200 in the manner described above. In particular, when the air conditioning unit 1 is attached to the clothing 100 for cooling purposes in the summer, the skin temperature of the body 200 is approximately 33°C, whereas the metal heat exchange plate 20 is often at a lower temperature than the skin temperature. Therefore, when the clothing is on, the body 200 touches the heat exchange plate 20, providing the user with a certain feeling of coolness. However, the feeling of coolness obtained when the clothing is on is temporary, and when the Peltier element 17 is not driven, the heat exchange plate 20 gradually rises to the same temperature as the skin temperature of the body 200.

On the other hand, if the Peltier element 17 is driven immediately after putting on clothes, the Peltier element 17 starts to cool the heat exchange plate 20 before the heat exchange plate 20 starts to rise in temperature. This makes it possible to suppress the temperature rise of the heat exchange plate 20. In other words, when used for cooling purposes in summer, the Peltier element 17 simply needs to absorb the heat of the heat exchange plate 20 to suppress the temperature rise of the heat exchange plate 20. Therefore, the above-mentioned air conditioning unit 1 has the advantage that it is possible to give the user a feeling of coolness from the time the user puts on clothes without increasing the power consumption of the Peltier element 17, and furthermore, the feeling of coolness can be maintained for a long time.

The clothes 100 on which the air conditioning unit 1 is attached may be summer clothes or winter clothes. For example, as shown in FIG. 4, it may be the outermost clothes worn by the user. Also, for example, as shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioning unit 1 may be attached to the clothes 100 worn inside the jacket 150. However, as shown in FIG. 5, if the jacket 150 is present on the outside of the air conditioning unit 1, when the fan 14 is driven, the intake window 12a provided on the bottom 11a of the fan cover 11 is covered by the jacket 150, so that sufficient air cannot be taken into the inside of the fan cover 11 from the intake window 12a of the bottom 11a. Therefore, the air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment has an intake window 12b not only on the bottom 11a of the fan cover 11 but also on the peripheral wall 11b. As shown in FIG. 5, this intake window 12b is formed in a position closer to the bottom 11a than the lateral position of the fan 14 on the peripheral wall 11b of the fan cover 11, and is formed on the upstream side of the airflow generated by the fan 14. Therefore, when the fan 14 is driven, it is possible to take in outside air from the intake window 12b formed in a position close to the bottom 11a into the inside of the fan cover 11. Therefore, even if the jacket 150 is stuck to the intake window 12a of the bottom 11a, air can be taken into the inside of the fan cover 11 from the intake window 12b formed in the peripheral wall 11b, and sufficient air can be supplied to the heat sink 15.

In this embodiment, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the interior angle θ at the connection between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b of the fan cover 11 is formed to be a right angle or less. By forming the interior angle θ at the connection between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b to be a right angle or less, even if the jacket 150 is stuck to the bottom 11a as shown in Fig. 5, a space S can be formed between the jacket 150 and the peripheral wall 11b. That is, by forming the space S near the peripheral wall 11b where the intake window 12a is formed, it is possible to allow air to enter the fan cover 11 from the intake window 12b formed in the peripheral wall 11b as shown by the arrow F1. As a result, sufficient air can be taken in from the intake window 12b to remove heat from the heat sink 15. The air that has become warm or cold by removing heat from the heat sink 15 is exhausted to the outside of the fan cover 11 from the exhaust window 13 as shown by the arrow F2. This exhaust air mixes with the outside air inside the jacket 150, becomes room temperature air, and is again taken into the fan cover 11 through the intake window 12a. In other words, even when the jacket 150 is worn on the outside of the clothing 100, the air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment is configured to prevent excessive temperature rise or fall of the heat sink 15 and maintain good cooling and heating effects by circulating air inside the jacket 150 through the intake window 12b and exhaust window 13 provided in the peripheral wall 11b of the fan cover 11.

For example, in the summer, if a person wears clothing 100 with an air conditioning unit 1 attached for cooling purposes and a jacket 150 on the outside, the air exhausted from the exhaust window 13 becomes warm air. In this case, by increasing the air volume of the fan 14, the cooling capacity can be increased beyond the heat absorption capacity of the heat sink 15, so the warm air exhausted from the exhaust window 13 does not warm the air inside the jacket 150. In other words, the skin temperature of the user's body 200 is about 33°C, and even when the effects of the outside air temperature and kinetic energy are taken into account, the skin temperature does not exceed about 36°C. The relationship between wind speed and sensible temperature is that a wind speed of 1 m/sec lowers the sensible temperature by about 1°C, so by blowing wind of 2 m/sec or more inside the jacket 150, the user can feel cooler due to the synergistic effect with the cooling effect of the Peltier element 17. Therefore, for cooling purposes, the wind speed of the fan 14 can be set to 2 m/sec or more.

The fan cover 11 may also be configured to partially increase the wind speed of the fan 14. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, a structure may be adopted in which an airflow forming section 11c having a substantially circular cross section that is inflated at least toward the inside of the fan cover 11 is provided at the edge tip of the intake window 12b, which is provided at a position close to the bottom 11a of the peripheral wall 11b, close to the heat sink 15. The airflow forming section 11c shown in FIG. 6 is formed at the edge of the opening edge that forms the intake window 12b, at least at the edge close to the heat sink 15, and has a shape that is inflated to a substantially circular cross section on the inside and outside of the fan cover 11. However, the shape of the airflow forming section 11c is not limited to this, and it may be inflated only toward the inside of the fan cover 11. In addition, it is preferable that the distance between the airflow forming section 11c and the fan 14 is about 3 mm or less. By providing such airflow forming portion 11c on the edge of intake window 12b, airflow F1a is formed near airflow forming portion 11c. This airflow F1a has a faster wind speed than the airflow flowing through other parts due to the Venturi effect. As a result, the amount of air flowing into the inside of fan cover 11 through intake window 12b increases. In other words, the amount of air can be increased with the same fan 14 capacity. And by setting the gap between airflow forming portion 11c and fan 14 to about 3 mm or less as described above, the Venturi effect can be enhanced, and the amount of air sucked in from intake window 12b can be effectively increased.

The opening width of the exhaust window 13 is preferably approximately the same as the height of the fins 16 provided on the heat sink 15. This is to avoid a decrease in efficiency due to a decrease in the amount of air released to the outside from the exhaust window 13 when the opening width of the exhaust window 13 is small. As described above, by providing the airflow forming portion 11c on the edge of the intake window 12b on the heat sink 15 side and making the opening width of the exhaust window 13 approximately the same as the height dimension of the fins 16 on the heat sink 15, the fan 14 can be made to perform at its maximum capacity to ensure a sufficient amount of air and efficiently remove heat from the heat sink 15.

It is preferable that the clothing 100 on which the air conditioning unit 1 as described above is attached has holes formed in advance for passing through the cylindrical fixing portion 32 that engages with the holding member 18 and the engaging protrusion 42. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of such clothing 100. For example, it is preferable that a hole 102 for inserting the holding member 18 and a hole 103 for passing through the fixing portion 32 are formed in advance in the fabric 101 of the back of the clothing 100. Furthermore, as shown by the diagonal lines in FIG. 7, it is more preferable to place a reinforcing member 110 using a reinforcing patch or the like in the part of the clothing 100 on which the air conditioning unit 1 is attached in order to prevent damage to the fabric 101 and deformation of the clothing 100. This reinforcing member 110 will be placed between the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixing pad 40 as shown in FIG. 1. By providing the reinforcing member 110 to the garment 100, it is possible to prevent damage to the fabric 101 around the holes 102 and 103, which are subjected to stress when the air conditioning unit 1 is attached, and the garment 100 can be used for a long period of time. It is also possible to prevent the garment 100 from losing its shape when worn. Note that the reinforcing member 110 is preferably of substantially the same shape as the air conditioning unit 1, but if the purpose is to reinforce only the peripheral portions of the holes 102 and 103, it may be arranged only around the peripheral portions of the holes 102 and 103.

The air conditioning unit 1 as described above can be easily removed from the garment 100 by removing the engagement protrusions 42 of the fixing pad 40 from the fixing portion 32 of the heat insulating pad 30. Therefore, it is possible to wash or clean the garment 100 with the air conditioning unit 1 removed. It is also possible to use one air conditioning unit 1 attached to different garments 100. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the air conditioning unit 1 is placed on the fabric 101 of the back of the garment 100. However, the position at which the air conditioning unit 1 is attached is not necessarily limited to the fabric 101 of the back.

Next, FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing the control mechanism of the air conditioning unit 1. The air conditioning unit 1 described above includes a Peltier element 17 and a fan 14 as components that require electrical current. Therefore, the air conditioning unit 1 includes a controller 5 and a mobile battery 6 as control mechanisms for electrically controlling the Peltier element 17 and the fan 14, respectively. The mobile battery 6 is, for example, a rechargeable battery, and supplies power to the controller 5. The controller 5 drives the Peltier element 17 and the fan 14 by supplying power supplied from the mobile battery 6 to the air conditioning unit 1. The controller 5 can switch between cooling and heating by switching the polarity of the direct current supplied to the Peltier element 17. However, whether cooling or heating, the direction in which the fan 14 is driven (the direction of rotation) does not change. Such a controller 5 and mobile battery 6 are carried in a state where they are stored in, for example, a pocket (not shown) provided in the clothing 100.

As described above, the air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment is configured to include a Peltier element 17, a metal plate 19 joined to one side of the Peltier element 17, and a metal heat exchange plate 20 that is larger in area than the metal plate 19 and is placed inside the clothing 100 while being joined to the metal plate 19. With this configuration, the Peltier element 17 exerts a heat absorption or heating effect on the metal plate 19, which has a smaller heat capacity than the heat exchange plate 20, and cools or heats the heat exchange plate 20, which has a larger heat capacity, via the metal plate 19, thereby cooling or heating the user's body 200. Therefore, it is possible to efficiently cool or heat the user's body 200 without increasing the direct current supplied to the Peltier element 17, and even a single Peltier element can provide sufficient comfort.

In contrast, if the large-area heat exchange plate 20 were directly joined to the Peltier element 17 without providing the metal plate 19, the heat capacity of the heat exchange plate 20 that the Peltier element 17 tries to cool or heat would be large, which would inevitably increase the direct current to be supplied to the Peltier element 17, resulting in increased power consumption and a shorter usable time. This problem is solved by interposing the metal plate 19 between the Peltier element 17 and the heat exchange plate 20 as described above, making it possible to operate the air conditioning unit 1 for a long period of time, allowing the user to spend a comfortable day.

In addition, the heat exchange plate 20 in this embodiment is placed in the area extending from between the user's shoulder blades to the waist (the center of the back), so a single Peltier element 17 can cool or heat a wide area of the user's back.

The air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment also includes a heat sink 15 joined to the other surface of the Peltier element 17, a fan 14 for dissipating heat from the heat sink 15 to the outside, and a fan cover 11, so that the heat exchange efficiency of the Peltier element 17 is not reduced. In particular, the fan cover 11 of this embodiment is shaped so that even when a jacket 150 is worn over the clothing 100 on which the air conditioning unit 1 is attached, a space S can be formed between the fan cover 11 and the jacket 150, and an intake window 12b for taking air from the space S into the inside of the fan cover 11 is formed in the peripheral wall 11b. Therefore, when the fan 14 is driven, air is circulated inside the jacket 150, and the Peltier element 17 can efficiently absorb heat or generate heat, so that the user's body 200 can be comfortably cooled or heated.

Second Embodiment
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing an example of the air conditioning unit 1 in the second embodiment of the present invention, in which a duct 50 is attached to the air conditioning unit 1 described in the first embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a garment 100 to which an air conditioning unit 1 is attached. FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view showing one configuration example of the air conditioning unit 1. FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing an example of the duct 50, and (a) and (b) show views seen from different directions. The air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment shown in these drawings performs heat exchange using a Peltier element 17, cools or heats the body 200 of a user wearing the garment 100, and blows out exhaust air from the exhaust window 13 through the duct 50 toward the upper part of the body from the air outlet 51 as shown by the arrow F2 in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 10, the air conditioning unit 1 is attached to the fabric 101 of the back of the garment 100, and cools or heats the back of the user's body 200. This air conditioning unit 1 cools or heats the area from between the shoulder blades to the lower back of the user, and has the function of blowing air from the upper back toward the neck and back of the head. In particular, the function of the air conditioning unit 1 to blow air toward the neck area is suitable when the air conditioning unit 1 is used for cooling purposes in the summer, and has the effect of providing a cool feeling around the neck area of the user.

As shown in FIG. 11, the air conditioning unit 1 is mainly composed of a fan cover 11, a fan 14, a heat sink 15, a Peltier element 17, a holding member 18, a metal plate 19, a heat exchange plate 20, an insulating pad 30, a fixing pad 40, and a duct 50. The fan cover 11, the fan 14, the heat sink 15, the Peltier element 17, the holding member 18, the metal plate 19, the heat exchange plate 20, the insulating pad 30, and the fixing pad 40 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

The duct 50 is, for example, a resin duct, and blows the exhaust air from the exhaust window 13 towards the upper part of the body. This duct 50 is detachable from the air conditioning unit 1 described in the first embodiment. Therefore, for example, when using the air conditioning unit 1 for heating purposes in winter, it is possible to use it with the duct 50 removed from the air conditioning unit 1. Also, when using it for cooling purposes in summer, attaching the duct 50 to the air conditioning unit 1 makes it possible to give a cool feeling around the user's neck, further improving the cooling effect.

12, the duct 50 has a hollow duct body 50a for guiding air in one direction, with an air outlet 51 formed at one end of the duct body 50a, an intake port 52 formed at the other end, and a ring-shaped guide 54 formed near the intake port 52. The guide 54 has a hole 53 of approximately the same size as the outer shape of the fan cover 11. The fan cover 11 is inserted into the hole 53 of the guide 54 and attached, so that the duct 50 is attached in a state that covers the periphery of the exhaust window 13 formed in the fan cover 11, as shown in FIG. 9. Therefore, the exhaust air discharged from the exhaust window 13 is guided by the guide 54 to the intake port 52, passes through the inside of the duct body 50a, and is discharged from the air outlet 51. As shown in FIG. 9, the air outlet 51 is provided, for example, at the upper back position of the user, and the opening direction is set toward the back of the head, so that air can be efficiently blown from the upper back of the user to the neck and back of the head.

Figure 13 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of the air conditioning unit 1 attached to the clothing 100, and illustrates the case where the unit is used while wearing a jacket 150. The air conditioning unit 1 cools the body 200 of the user wearing the clothing 100 by supplying a direct current to the Peltier element 17 and driving the fan 14. At this time, a heat generation effect occurs on the surface of the Peltier element 17 facing the outside of the clothing. This heat is absorbed by the heat sink 15. When the fan 14 is driven, as shown in Figure 13, air in the space S formed between the jacket 150 and the fan cover 11 enters the fan cover 11 as shown by the arrow F1 from the intake window 12b provided in the fan cover 11. This space S is formed, for example, by making the interior angle θ of the connection part between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b of the cylindrical fan cover 11 an angle of less than a right angle. The air that enters the fan cover 11 removes heat from the heat sink 15, becomes warm air, and is exhausted to the outside of the fan cover 11 from the exhaust window 13 as shown by the arrow F2. The warm air exhausted from the exhaust window 13 then goes around the inside of the guide 54 and is guided to the intake port 52, passes through the inside of the duct body 50a, and is exhausted from the air outlet 51. The warm air discharged from the exhaust window 13 of the fan cover 11 can be cooled by increasing the air volume of the fan 14, so the air discharged from the air outlet 51 toward the user's neck to the back of the head is not very warm. Therefore, the air from the air outlet 51 can be blown against the user's neck to the back of the head to give the user a cool feeling.

As described above, the air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment is equipped with a duct 50 that guides the exhaust air discharged from the exhaust window 13 of the fan cover 11 to the upper part of the user's body 200, and is configured to be able to blow air onto the user's neck or back of the head via this duct 50. With this configuration, it is possible not only to cool the user's back, but also to blow air onto the neck and back of the head, providing the user with sufficient comfort.

In the above, an example in which the duct 50 is attached when the air conditioning unit 1 is used for cooling purposes has been described, but this is not limited thereto, and the duct 50 may also be attached when the air conditioning unit 1 is used for heating purposes. Furthermore, other than the points described above in this embodiment, the present embodiment is the same as that described in the first embodiment.

Third Embodiment
Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described. In this embodiment, an air conditioning unit 1 that can be directly attached to a user's body 200, rather than attached to a garment 100, will be described. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing an example of an air conditioning unit 1 in the third embodiment of the present invention, in which a body attachment plate 60 is attached to the air conditioning unit 1 of the first embodiment. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of an air conditioning unit 1 attached to a body 200. FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view showing an example of a configuration of the air conditioning unit 1. The air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment shown in these drawings is attached to a position close to the user's body 200, for example, inside underwear, so that the user's body 200 can be cooled or heated. For example, as shown in FIG. 15, the air conditioning unit 1 is attached to the back 201 of the body 200, and cools or heats the back 201 of the user's body 200.

As shown in FIG. 16, the air conditioning unit 1 is mainly composed of a fan cover 11, a fan 14, a heat sink 15, a Peltier element 17, a holding member 18, a metal plate 19, a heat exchange plate 20, an insulating pad 30, a fixing pad 40, and a body attachment plate 60. The fan cover 11, the fan 14, the heat sink 15, the Peltier element 17, the holding member 18, the metal plate 19, the heat exchange plate 20, the insulating pad 30, and the fixing pad 40 are the same as those in the first embodiment. The body attachment plate 60 is for supporting the heat exchange plate 20 at a predetermined position on the user's body 200, and is an accessory part of the air conditioning unit 1.

The body attachment plate 60 is made of, for example, plastic, and is a member for attaching the air conditioning unit 1 to the body 200, and has a certain degree of flexibility. This body attachment plate 60 is detachable from the air conditioning unit 1 described in the first embodiment. The body attachment plate 60 is formed in a roughly inverted T shape, for example, similar to the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixed pad 40. However, as shown in FIG. 14, the body attachment plate 60 is formed to be slightly larger in size in the vertical and horizontal directions than the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixed pad 40. Specifically, the body attachment plate 60 has a shape in which its upper part protrudes upward from the upper end of the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixed pad 40, and its lower part protrudes left and right from both ends of the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixed pad 40 in the left and right directions. The body attachment plate 60 has holes 62 (62a, 62b) for inserting the belt 61 (61a, 61b) for attaching the air conditioning unit 1 to the body 200 in the parts protruding upward and left and right. The body-attached plate 60 is not limited to a generally inverted T-shape, but may be, for example, a trapezoid or triangular shape.

As shown in FIG. 16, a hole 63 slightly larger than the outer shape of the holding member 18 is formed in the center of the body attachment plate 60. In addition, a hole 64 is formed in the body attachment plate 60 at a position corresponding to the fixing part 32 of the heat insulating pad 30, through which the fixing part 32 can be inserted. By inserting the fixing part 32 of the heat insulating pad 30 into the hole 64 of the body attachment plate 60 and fitting the engagement protrusion 42 of the fixing pad 40 into the fixing part 32 of the heat insulating pad 30, the body attachment plate 60 is arranged in a state sandwiched between the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixing pad 40. Then, as shown in FIG. 15, the shoulder belt 61a is attached to the hole 62a near the scapula, and the waist belt 61b is attached to the hole 62b at the waist position, so that the air conditioning unit 1 can be attached to the user's body 200.

17 is a diagram showing the cross-sectional structure of the air conditioning unit 1 attached to the user's body 200 using the body attachment plate 60, and shows the case where clothing 100 such as underwear is worn on the air conditioning unit 1. The air conditioning unit 1 cools or heats the body 200 of the user of the air conditioning unit 1 by supplying a direct current to the Peltier element 17 and driving the fan 14. In addition, as described above, the heat sink 15 of the Peltier element 17 absorbs heat generated on the other side of the air conditioning unit 1 that does not face the user's body 200, and releases the heat to the outside by the blowing action of the fan 14. For example, when the fan 14 is driven, air in the space S formed between the clothing 100 and the fan cover 11 enters the inside of the fan cover 11 through the intake window 12b provided in the fan cover 11 as shown by the arrow F1 from the intake window 12b provided in the fan cover 11 as shown in FIG. The air that has entered the inside of the fan cover 11 absorbs heat from the heat sink 15 and is exhausted to the outside of the fan cover 11 through the exhaust window 13 as shown by the arrow F2. If an airflow forming portion 11c is provided at the tip of the edge of the intake window 12b provided in the peripheral wall 11b, the Venturi effect will increase the wind speed of the air flow F1a passing through the inside of the peripheral wall 11b, increasing the amount of air sucked in from the intake window 12b and improving the cooling capacity.

As described above, the air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment is configured to include a body attachment plate 60 for attaching the air conditioning unit 1 to the body 200. With this configuration, the air conditioning unit 1 can be attached directly to the body 200 using the body attachment plate 60, so there is no need to previously form holes in the clothing 100 for the holding member 18 and the fixing part 32 to pass through. In other words, there is no need to prepare special clothing for attaching the air conditioning unit 1, which is more convenient.

In this embodiment, the duct 50 may also be attached to the air conditioning unit 1 as described in the second embodiment. FIG. 18 is a diagram showing a cross-sectional structure showing an example in which the duct 50 is attached to the air conditioning unit 1. By attaching the duct 50 as shown in FIG. 18, it is possible to blow air against the neck area of the user's body 200. In particular, if the user wears the air conditioning unit 1 inside clothing 100 such as underwear, an upward wind is generated inside the clothing 100, which has the advantage of providing the user with a moderate feeling of coolness.

In this embodiment, the air conditioning unit 1 is directly attached to the body 200 by the belt 61 attached to the body attachment plate 60, but this is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioning unit 1 of this embodiment may be attached after putting on the clothes 100. Furthermore, a configuration example has been described in which the body attachment plate 60 for attaching the air conditioning unit 1 to the body 200 is attached in a state sandwiched between the heat insulating pad 30 and the fixed pad 40, but this is not limited to this. For example, the fixed pad 40 may be provided with the function of the body attachment plate 60 by forming a hole 62 in which the belt 61 can be attached. In this embodiment, the controller 5 and the mobile battery 6 described above may be carried in a state attached to the belt 61, for example.

Furthermore, other than the points mentioned above, this embodiment is the same as that described in the first or second embodiment.

(Modification)
Although one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the contents described in the above embodiment, and various modified examples are applicable.

For example, in the above embodiment, the air conditioning unit 1 is described as being capable of switching between cooling and heating, but this is not limited to this. For example, the air conditioning unit 1 may be a unit dedicated to cooling or a unit dedicated to heating.

In the above embodiment, the air conditioning unit 1 that cools or heats the user's back has been described as an example. However, the part of the body 200 that the air conditioning unit 1 cools or heats is not necessarily limited to the user's back.

In the above embodiment, the fan cover 11 is exemplified as having a cylindrical shape with a bottom, including a bottom 11a and a peripheral wall 11b. However, the shape of the fan cover 11 is not necessarily limited to a cylindrical shape. For example, the fan cover 11 may be a cylindrical shape with a bottom as a whole, and may be a prism shape, a truncated cone shape, a truncated pyramid shape, or a combination of these shapes.

In addition, when the outerwear 150 is present outside the air conditioning unit 1, it is preferable that the fan cover 11 is configured to form a space S near the peripheral wall 11b as described above and to allow air to flow into the inside of the fan cover 11 from the intake window 12b. In order to achieve this, in the above embodiment, an example was described in which the interior angle θ of the connection part between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b of the fan cover 11 is an angle of less than a right angle, but if the interior angle θ of the connection part between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b can be formed near the peripheral wall 11b without being a right angle or less, the interior angle θ of the connection part between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b does not necessarily have to be an angle of less than a right angle. Figure 19 is a diagram showing an example of a configuration in which the size of the bottom 11a of the fan cover 11 is formed larger than the size of the peripheral wall 11b, and the peripheral edge part 11d of the bottom 11a is extended further outward from the end of the peripheral wall 11b. In this case, even if the outerwear 150 sticks to the intake window 12a formed in the bottom 11a, the peripheral portion 11d of the bottom 11a extends to the outside of the peripheral wall 11b, so that the outerwear 150 can be prevented from sticking to the intake window 12b formed in the peripheral wall 11b, and a space S can be formed near the intake window 12b. As a result, it becomes possible to take in outside air from the intake window 12b into the inside of the fan cover 11, and the above-mentioned operation of the air conditioning unit 1 can be performed normally. In this configuration in which the peripheral portion 11d of the bottom 11a of the fan cover 11 is expanded beyond the peripheral wall 11b, the interior angle θ of the connection between the bottom 11a and the peripheral wall 11b is not necessarily limited to being less than a right angle.

1...air conditioning unit, 5...controller, 6...mobile battery, 11...fan cover, 14...fan, 15...heat sink, 17...peltier element, 19...metal plate, 20...heat exchange plate, 30...insulating pad, 40...fixing pad, 50...duct, 60...body-worn plate, 100...clothing, 110...reinforcing member, 150...jacket.

Claims (8)

1. An air conditioning unit for cooling or heating a user's body, comprising:
A Peltier element;
A metal plate joined to one surface of the Peltier element;
A metal heat exchange plate having an area larger than that of the metal plate and disposed on the body side in a state of being joined to the metal plate;
a heat sink disposed on the other surface of the Peltier element;
a fan disposed opposite the heat sink to dissipate heat from the heat sink to the outside;
a fan cover attached to cover the heat sink and the fan;
A duct attached to the fan cover;
Equipped with
the fan cover has a peripheral wall covering sides of the heat sink and the fan, the peripheral wall being formed with an intake window and an exhaust window, the exhaust window being formed at a lateral position of the heat sink,
The air conditioning unit is characterized in that the duct has a ring-shaped guide and a hollow duct body for guiding air in one direction from the guide, the guide is attached in a manner covering the periphery of the exhaust window formed in the peripheral wall of the fan cover, and the exhaust air released from the exhaust window is guided from the guide to the duct body and released toward the upper part of the body . The air conditioning unit according to claim 1 , wherein the fan cover is connected to an end of the peripheral wall and has a bottom portion covering a rear side of the fan. The air conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein the air intake window is formed in the bottom portion. 4. The air conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein the intake window is formed in the peripheral wall at a position closer to the bottom side than the exhaust window. 5. The air conditioning unit according to claim 4 , wherein the edge tip of the air intake window formed in the peripheral wall, which is located close to the heat sink, has an air flow forming portion that is bulged inward and has a substantially circular cross section. 6. The air conditioning unit according to claim 2 , wherein an interior angle between the peripheral wall and the bottom of the fan cover is equal to or smaller than a right angle. a body attachment plate for supporting the heat exchange plate at a predetermined position on the user's body;
7. The air conditioning unit according to claim 1, further comprising: A garment comprising an air conditioning unit according to any one of claims 1 to 7 .

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