JPH07265173A - Bed cooling device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a bed cooling device which does not disturb a good sleep by reducing the noise of a fan. CONSTITUTION:This device is provided with a thermo-element 8 having the Peltier effect, cool storage means 9 arranged close to the heat absorbing side of the thermo-element 8 and performing cooling effect, cooling air fan 12 for feeding the cooled air generated by the means 9 towards the human body on the bed, and a heat radiation fan 13 which ejects the heat generated at the heat generation side of the thermo-element 8 towards the direction where the heat is not sucked with the cooling air fan 12. Further, it is provided with a control means 3 which energizes the thermo-element 8 and the heat radiation fan 13 but not energizes the cooling air fan 12 when the bed is not used while energizes the cool air fan 12 and the thermo-element 8 and gradually reduces the power supply amount to the heat radiation fan 13 when it is used.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a bed cool air device for sending cool air to a person sleeping on a bed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A general structure of an electronic cooling device having a Peltier effect is shown in FIG. P-type semiconductor S1 and N-type semiconductor S2
P through the metal A and not connected to the metal A
A metal B is coupled to one end of each of the N-type semiconductor S1 and the N-type semiconductor S2, and a DC power supply terminal is connected to each metal B to form a closed circuit.

When a current flows through this closed circuit, the metal A absorbs heat and each metal B generates heat. Then, when each metal B portion is cooled with cold water or the like, a low temperature is obtained in the metal A portion. Since cold air can be generated using a fan or the like from the low temperature obtained with the metal A, and it is suitable for downsizing, it is used for a small indoor or local cooling device. Further, the effects of heat absorption and heat generation are reversible, and when the direction of the current passed through the element is changed, the generation and absorption of heat are reversed, and it is applied to various uses as a cooling and heating device.

As a method of cooling the heat radiation portion of the Peltier element, a water cooling method and an air cooling method are known, and as a conventional example of the air cooling method, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 1-202122 is disclosed.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view of this conventional example. In the figure, a thermal element 3 having a Peltier effect is arranged at an end of a work table top plate 1 supported on an abutment 2. A heat absorbing fin 5 and a heat radiating fin 6 are attached to the heat absorbing side upper surface and the heat radiating side lower surface of the heat element 3, respectively, and blowers 7 and 8 are provided so as to face the heat absorbing fin 5 and the heat radiating fin 6, respectively. Hoods 9 and 10 are provided above and below the hoods 7 and 8, respectively.

The operation of the above conventional example is as follows. When an electric current is applied to the heat element 3, the heat absorption side of the heat element 3, which is the upper side of the top plate 1, becomes low temperature, and the heat radiation side of the heat element 3, which is the lower side of the top plate 1, becomes high temperature. Air is sucked by the operation of the blowers 7 and 8, and cool air is blown upward from the upper hood 9,
Warm air blows downward from the lower hood 10. Thereby, the air in the room can be circulated, and the temperature of the entire room can be kept uniform. It is also possible to locally obtain a temperature environment that suits the individual's taste.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned conventional example, since the fan is continuously rotated, for example, when it is used as a cold air device attached to a bed, noise from the fan may make sleepless. There is.

Therefore, the present invention solves the above problems,
An object is to provide a bed cool air device that does not disturb sleep.

[0009]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a bed cooling air device according to the present invention is provided with a thermoelectric element having a Peltier effect and a thermoelectric element disposed in contact with the heat absorbing surface side of the thermoelectric element and having a refrigerant action. The cool storage means, the cool air fan that blows the cool air generated by the cool storage means toward the human body sleeping in the bed, and the heat generated on the heat generating surface side of the thermoelectric element is discharged in a direction in which the cool air fan does not suck. When not using the heat dissipation fan and the bed, the thermoelectric element and the heat dissipation fan are energized and the cold air fan is de-energized, and when the bed is used, the cold air fan and the thermoelectric element are energized and the heat dissipation fan is applied. Control means for gradually reducing the amount of power supply.

Then, in order to enhance the heat absorption effect of the cold storage means and the heat radiation effect of heat generated by the Peltier effect, the heat absorption provided in contact with the cold storage means and arranged in the flow path of the wind by the cold air fan. It is preferable to include a member and a heat radiating member that is disposed in contact with the heat generating surface side of the thermoelectric element and that is disposed in a flow path of the wind by the heat radiating fan.

Further, it is preferable that the output signal of the human body detecting means provided in the bed is input to the control means provided in the bed cold air device, and the human body detecting means automatically controls the bed cold air device. .

In order to reduce noise caused by rotation of the heat radiation fan, the voltage or current supplied to the heat radiation fan is
It may be reduced linearly or stepwise.

[0013]

According to the bed cool air device of the present invention, when the bed is not used, the operation of the cold air fan is stopped to keep the cool storage means at a sufficiently low temperature, and when the bed is used, the cool air fan is operated to cool the cool air generated by the cool storage means. The noise of the fan that interferes with falling asleep is reduced by sending the heat radiation toward the human body, especially around the head, and gradually reducing the rotation of the heat radiation fan.

In the present invention, since the rotation of the heat radiation fan is gradually reduced while the cool air is being sent out, the cooling efficiency of the Peltier element by air cooling is reduced, but the cold storage means has sufficient cold storage when the bed is not used. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the cold storage means from rising rapidly, and it is possible to keep the cool air for a long time.

Further, the present invention is based on the constitution described in claim 1, but further, in order to enhance the heat absorption effect of the cold storage means and the heat radiation effect of the heat generated by the Peltier effect, A heat absorbing member, for example, a heat absorbing fin is arranged in contact with the cold storage means, the heat absorbing fin is arranged in a flow passage of the cold air fan, and a heat radiating member, for example, a heat radiating fin is in contact with the heat generating surface side of the thermoelectric element. It is preferable that the heat dissipating fins are disposed and the heat dissipating fins are arranged in the air flow path of the heat dissipating fan in order to absorb heat and dissipate heat.

Further, in the present invention, the operation of the cold air fan when the bed is used may be performed by a manual switch, but it can be automatically performed by the human body detecting means described in claim 3. As the detection sensor used in the human body detecting means, a mechanical switch, a piezoelectric switch, a photoelectric switch, or the like with which a contact piece contacts can be used.

Further, in order to gradually stop the operation of the heat radiation fan, the drive voltage or drive current applied to the heat radiation fan may be linearly reduced, or may be stepwise reduced, and particularly linearly. The noise can be naturally reduced without any discomfort.

[0018]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a bed having a bed cool air device according to the present invention. The bed cooling air device 1 in the present embodiment has a basic configuration including a Peltier unit storage case 2 including an element having a Peltier effect, and a control means 3 for controlling energization to various means provided in the storage case 2, The frame of the bed cool air device 1 is provided with an outside air suction port 5 having a filter 4, a blowout port 6 for cool air, and a ventilation hole 7 for radiating air.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the bed cool air device according to the present invention. The Peltier unit housing case 2 in the bed cool air device 1 is provided with a thermoelectric element 8, a cool storage means 9, a heat radiation fin 10, a heat absorption fin 11, a cold air fan 12, and a heat radiation fan 13.

In FIG. 2, the upper side of the thermoelectric element 8 in the figure is a heat radiating (heating) portion of the thermoelectric element 8, and the lower side in the figure is a heat absorbing section. A heat radiation fin 10 is disposed in contact with the heat radiation portion side, and a regenerator 9 is disposed in contact with the heat absorption portion side.

The thermoelectric element 8 is preferably formed by connecting one set of P-type and N-type semiconductors having a high thermoelectric cooling efficiency, or connecting a plurality of sets in series or in parallel. As the cold storage means 9, a general cold storage agent made of ethylene glycol is preferable, and a cold storage means made of ice having a high heat of melting is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the cold storage efficiency. The radiating fin 10 is formed of aluminum or die cast.

A heat absorbing fin 11 for efficiently absorbing heat to the cool storage means 9 is arranged in contact with the cool storage means 9.
The heat-absorbing fins 11 are made of aluminum or die-casting, and a cold air fan 12 is provided to face the heat-absorbing fins 11 at the lower side in the drawing so that the outside air is sucked in through the suction port 5 and the partition chamber 2
The cold air cooled by the cold storage means 9 is sent out from the air outlet 6 as cold air through the 9, cold air fan 12, and the heat absorbing fins 11.

A radiating fan 13 is provided above the radiating fin 10 in the figure.
Are provided so as to face each other, and the outside air is sucked in through the suction port 5 and the heat generated by the thermoelectric element 8 is discharged to the outside of the device through the heat radiation fin 10 and the heat radiation fan 13.

As shown in FIG. 1, the bed cool air device 1 is
It is provided on the top plate 15 on the head side of the bed 14. The cool air generated by the bed cool air device 1 is blown from the cool air suction port 6 toward the head of the person sleeping in the bed. A human body detecting means 17 for detecting that a person is sleeping is provided below the mattress 16 of the bed. The human body detecting means 17 is
Various switches such as mechanical switches, photoelectric switches, and piezoelectric switches can be used.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of the control means in the present invention. The control means 3 includes a power switch 18 for the bed cold air device, a cold air switch 19 for manually operating the cold air fan 12, and a human body detection sensor 20 included in the human body detection means 17.
The control signals are output to the cold air fan 12, the heat radiation fan 13, and the thermoelectric element 8 by inputting each output signal from the.

The control means 3 is composed of a processing unit 3a of a microcomputer system and a driving unit 3b of a transistor or the like. The input signal is controlled by the processing unit 3a, and the driving unit
The operation control of the heat radiation fan 13 and the like is performed by 3b. Control means 3
The signal input to is converted into a digital signal by the input conversion unit in the processing unit 3a, subjected to signal processing by the CPU in the processing unit 3a, and converted into an analog signal by the output conversion unit, and then converted into an analog signal by the CPU. A signal is output to the drive unit 3b based on the signal processing. The processing unit 3a is not limited to the configuration of the microcomputer system, and may be configured by an analog circuit or a digital circuit including a switching circuit.

Next, the operation of the embodiment will be described. The present invention includes a cool storage unit having a high cool storage efficiency and a control unit 3 for reducing noise caused by a fan when falling asleep. The control unit 3 controls driving of the cold air fan 12 and the heat radiation fan 13, and The energization of the thermoelectric element 8 is controlled.

When the power switch 18 is input, the bed cooling air device 1 is activated. When the human body detection sensor 20 detects that the person is not sleeping, the control means 3
The heat radiation fan 13 is driven by and the thermoelectric element 8 is continuously energized. At this time, the cold air fan 12 is not driven, and the cold storage means 9 is sufficiently cooled and cold storage is performed without letting out cool air.

When the human body detecting means 17 is activated and it is detected that the person is sleeping, the control means 3 causes the cool air fan 12
Is driven, the thermoelectric element 8 is continuously energized, and the cold air generated by the cold accumulating means 9 is sent to the head of the human body as cold air. At the same time, the control means 3 gradually reduces the drive voltage or current of the heat radiation fan 13, and finally stops the heat radiation fan 13.

As a result, it is possible to reduce the noise caused by the heat radiation fan 13 when falling asleep. When the radiating fan 13 is stopped, the cooling efficiency of the Peltier element by air cooling is reduced, but since the cold storage means 9 is sufficiently cold, it is possible to prevent the temperature of the cold storage means 9 from rapidly increasing, and to cool air for a long time. It is possible to last.

When a person gets up and leaves the bed, the control means 3 automatically stops the cold air fan 12 and operates the heat radiation fan 13 based on the signal from the human body detection means 17, and the cold storage by the cold storage means 9 starts. To be done.

A circuit diagram for gradually reducing the rotation of the heat radiation fan 13 is shown in FIGS. 4 (A) and 5 (A). 4A shows a method of linearly controlling the drive voltage applied to the heat dissipation fan, and FIG. 5A shows a method of controlling the drive voltage of the heat dissipation fan in a stepwise manner. 4B and 5B show respective voltage characteristics applied to the heat radiation fan.

In FIG. 4A, the drive unit 3b of the control means 3
Is configured by connecting the collector terminal of the transistor 24 and the variable resistance element 23 in series, and supplies the drive unit 3b and the heat dissipation fan 13 with power.
Connect through 25. The output signal of the processing unit 3a of the control means 3 is supplied to the base terminal of the transistor 24 and the variable resistance element.
Connect to each of the 23 control terminals. Variable resistance element
A signal whose voltage amplitude gradually changes is applied to the control terminal of 23 by, for example, an integrating circuit provided in the processing unit 3a. The transistor 24 serves as a drive switch for the heat dissipation fan 13, the variable resistance element 23 is composed of a semiconductor element such as an FET, and the resistance value of the variable resistance element 23 is gradually increased to thereby divide the voltage applied to the heat dissipation fan 13. The generated voltage decreases, the terminal voltage of the heat dissipation fan 13 is linearly reduced as shown in the graph of FIG. 4 (B), and the heat dissipation fan 13 is finally stopped.

In FIG. 5 (A), the drive unit 3b is the transistor 2
One end of a resistor 26 is connected to the emitter terminal of 4, a plurality of resistors are prepared, and the collector terminals of the transistors 24 and the other ends of the resistors 26 are connected in a parallel configuration. The drive unit 3b, the heat radiation fan 13, and the power supply 25 are connected in series, and the control signal is input from the processing unit 3a to the base terminal of each transistor 24.

When the resistance values of the resistors 26 are the same, all the transistors 24 are turned on at the initial stage, and the transistors 24 are sequentially turned off one by one to increase the resistance value of the parallel resistors. As a result, the divided voltage applied to the heat dissipation fan 13 decreases in steps, the terminal voltage of the heat dissipation fan 13 decreases in steps, and finally the heat dissipation fan 13 is stopped as shown in FIG. 5B. It

When the resistance values of the resistors 26 are different from each other, only one of the transistors 24 having a small resistance value is sequentially turned on, and the resistance value is gradually increased so that the heat radiation fan 13 is turned on. The applied terminal voltage can be changed stepwise. Then, the heat radiation fan 13 is stopped in the same manner as described above.

FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing a second embodiment of the bed cooling air device in the present invention. In this embodiment, the bed 14 is inserted from the bottom of the Peltier unit storage case 2.
The radiant air is discharged below the top plate 15 provided on the head side (see FIG. 1).

The inside of the Peltier unit storage case 2 is constructed as follows. A cool storage means 9 and a radiation fin 10 are arranged in contact with the upper and lower sides of the thermoelectric element 8 in the drawing,
A heat absorbing fin 11 is disposed in contact with the upper side of the cool storage means 9,
Further, a cold air fan 12 is provided, and a heat dissipation fan 13 is provided below the heat dissipation fin 10.

The cold air cooled by the cold accumulating means 9 is sent out around the head of the person sleeping in the bed, as in the first embodiment. The radiant air is discharged downward through the ventilation holes 7 provided in the top plate 15. In the second embodiment, since the cold air and the radiant air are blocked by the partition plate 28, the cold air and the radiant air do not mix with each other, and the person sleeping in the bed can always receive only the cold air.

In the first and second embodiments, the rotation of the heat radiation fan is finally stopped. However, even if the fan is continuously operated at a low rotation speed without stopping, the noise can be reduced. .

Further, the noise can be reduced more effectively by reducing the rotation speed of the cooling air fan together with the heat radiation fan.

[0042]

As described above, in the bed cool air apparatus of the present invention, the cold storage means sufficiently stores cold when the bed is not used, and when the bed is used, the cold air fan is operated to send cold air as cold air. At the same time, the rotation of the heat radiation fan is gradually reduced. As a result, the noise of the heat radiation fan can be reduced when falling asleep, and the effect of promoting sleep can be exerted by the synergistic effect of the cool air and noise reduction.

The heat absorbing effect of the cold accumulating means is further enhanced by providing the heat absorbing member, and the heat releasing effect is also enhanced by providing the heat radiating member. As a result, the heat conversion efficiency is improved and the fan can be downsized, which is small in size. It is possible to provide a bed cool air device.

Further, since the bed cold air device in the present invention automatically switches between cold storage and cold air delivery by the human body detecting means provided in the bed, forgetting to turn off the switch and making an error in the operation of the switch are prevented, and the bed is always cooled when sleeping. Can receive the cold wind that has been blown.

Furthermore, by linearly or stepwise reducing the voltage or current applied to the heat dissipation fan, the noise of the heat dissipation fan is naturally reduced and the sleep is promoted by the synergistic effect of the cold air.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a side view of a bed having a bed cool air device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view showing a first embodiment of the bed cool air device in the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of control means in the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a circuit diagram for linearly controlling the drive voltage applied to the heat dissipation fan. FIG. 4B is a graph showing the time variation of the terminal voltage of the heat dissipation fan in FIG.

FIG. 5A is a circuit diagram for controlling the drive voltage applied to the heat dissipation fan in a stepwise manner. FIG. 5B is a graph showing the time variation of the terminal voltage of the heat dissipation fan in FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic vertical sectional view showing a second embodiment of the bed cool air device in the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an operation explanatory diagram of a Peltier device.

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional view showing a conventional example.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Bed Cooling Air Device 2 Peltier Unit Storage Case 3 Control Means 8 Thermoelectric Element 9 Cooling Means 10 Heat Dissipating Fins (Heat Dissipating Member) 11 Heat Absorbing Fins (Heat Absorbing Member) 12 Cold Air Fan 13 Heat Dissipating Fan 14 Bed 15 Top Plate 17 Human Body Detecting Device 28 Partition Plate

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A thermoelectric element having a Peltier effect; (b) a cold storage means disposed in contact with the heat absorbing surface side of the thermoelectric element and serving as a refrigerant; and (c) generated by the cold storage means. A cool air fan that blows cold air toward the human body sleeping on the bed, and (d) a heat dissipation fan that discharges heat generated on the heating surface side of the thermoelectric element in a direction in which the cold air fan does not suck, (e) ) When the bed is not used, the thermoelectric element and the heat radiation fan are energized and the cold air fan is de-energized,
When the bed is in use, a control unit that energizes the cold air fan and the thermoelectric element and gradually reduces the amount of power supplied to the heat radiation fan. 2. A heat absorbing member which is arranged in contact with the cold accumulating means and is arranged in a flow path of the cold air fan, and a heat radiating fan which is arranged in contact with a heat generating surface side of the thermoelectric element. The heat dissipating member disposed in the wind flow path according to claim 1; 3. A human body detecting means for detecting whether or not a person is using the bed is provided in the bed, and an output signal of the human body detecting means is input to the control means and output from the human body detecting means. The bed cool air device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the bed cool air device is controlled according to the detected signal. 4. The power supply amount of the heat radiation fan when the bed is used is linearly reduced.
The bed cool air device according to any one of 3 above. 5. The power supply amount of the heat radiation fan when the bed is used is reduced stepwise.
The bed cool air device according to any one of 3 above.