Portable evaporative cooler and personal heating system

Abstract

This invention is a wearable cooling-heating device that can be worn by a person and can be carried anywhere. The pressurized air flow is generated by a fan system, and the cold or warm air is directed into the garment by at least one outlet channel. The device is capable of directly cooling or heating the person's skin by introducing the high-pressure air flow into the undergarment and can be worn inside the person's clothing by a clip system sewn into the garment or directly on the person's waist (in front or behind) by a belt or backpack. The device uses the evaporation of water on the cooling pads to force a stream of pressurized cold air through the individual's clothing using a fan system, continuing the cooling process even after the body's moisture and skin sweat have evaporated. In the steam or heating mode, pressurized hot air is generated through elements located inside the cooling pads (or as a separate pad), and the fan system forces the pressurized hot air through the individual's clothing. The portable cooling-heating device, according to consumer demand and reducing production costs, can be produced separately into two devices: personal cooling and personal heating, and each device can be used in the required area (cold and hot).

Description

Description of the invention Title of the invention Portable evaporative cooling device and personal heating system Technical background of the relevant invention This invention relates to the field of portable cooling-heating devices, particularly devices that are portable and specifically designed for one person and directly expose the person to a flow of cold or hot air. Technical problem and stating the objectives of the invention Exposure to hot air can cause heavy sweating, weakness and fatigue, headache and dizziness, nausea, vomiting, confusion, heart rate fluctuations, damage to internal organs or organ failure. On the other hand, exposure to cold air can cause numbness, tissue damage, hypothermia, pain, circulatory problems, and burning and aching sensations. Throughout history, people have used various methods to keep themselves cool on hot days and warm on cold days. Early methods of keeping themselves cool included wrapping a wet cloth around the neck, using a hat or umbrella to protect themselves from the sun and wind, and using fire, warm clothing, or sleeping with animals to keep themselves warm. Air conditioning systems are generally designed to cool or heat building spaces and cannot be used for people moving in open spaces. One of the objectives of this invention is to provide an air conditioning device to provide a desired temperature for any person, in any space and location, regardless of clothing type, height, and weight. Another goal of this invention is to provide the cooling and heating needed by an individual individually without the need to use a cooling-heating system for the entire environment, which reduces energy consumption and prevents its waste. Another goal of this invention is to increase the safety of workers and people who are outdoors in cold and hot environments and it is not possible to provide them with the appropriate temperature. A description of the state of the prior art and the history of developments related to the claimed invention. There are numerous personal cooling and heating systems to prevent heat stress and heat stroke, and we will mention a few of these systems below: Cooling based on refrigeration cycles, vortex cooling, thermoelectric cooling, liquid flow cooling suits, phase change material clothing, and fan cooling suits, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. 1- Heating-cooling devices based on the refrigeration cycle: Rankine cycle refrigeration is an efficient method for heating and cooling, but they are very expensive and energy-intensive for personal and portable use. 2-Compressed air cooling devices: Vortex tubes are very popular and used in industry for spot cooling of machinery, processes and electronic equipment. Some manufacturers have used them in cooling suits as well as breathing systems. Although it is a very simple and effective method and has no moving parts, they require a very large volume of compressed air to use. 3. Thermoelectric-based heating and cooling devices: Thermoelectrics have been widely used in heating and cooling applications since their commercial introduction in the 1950s, including compact chillers, water coolers, and biomedical systems. Unfortunately, the current generation of these thermoelectrics is relatively inefficient compared to refrigeration systems. 4. Liquid flow cooling clothing: This type of clothing has been widely used in personal cooling equipment and the cooling source is usually refrigeration or thermal storage systems (ice water), but examples have also been made using thermoelectric materials. Refrigeration and thermal storage systems for portable use have limitations in energy consumption, size and production cost, and thermoelectric-based examples also have very low efficiency and high energy consumption. 5-Clothes with phase change materials: This type of clothing contains packets of eutectic salts or paraffin hydrocarbons that absorb heat and cool by phase change and thermal storage. This type of clothing has found limited use for cooling personnel in certain military environments. 6. Fan-cooled clothing: Air-cooled clothing works primarily by removing heat trapped under the wearer's outer clothing and evaporating sweat. This type of system is effective with heavy or insulated outer clothing, provided the ambient air temperature is not significantly lower or higher than body temperature. The wearer of fan-cooled clothing should drink water continuously to prevent dehydration. A search of domestic and foreign databases did not reveal any similar devices for evaporative cooling and portable personal heating systems. Below are some of the inventions that have been made in this field: 1- In patent US6551347 entitled Personal Temperature Control System, in 1987 by (Elkins et al) a flexible system for personal temperature control was presented which has a flexible heat exchange structure which is used for heating or cooling the human body and has channels for transferring heat transfer fluid. Cold and hot water is pumped through a wheeled chiller / heater box into heat transfer tubes which are placed in the garment. 2- In patent US20060100682 titled Cooling Vest, in 1992 by (Steele et al.), a cooling vest was introduced that has front and back panels to cover the user's torso and cool the person with ice or gel packs placed in the inner panels. 3- In patent US20030150554, entitled Body heating and cooling clothing, introduced in 1994 by (Szczesuil et al.), cooling and heating are provided similarly to the previous invention using liquid-carrying tubes with a pump. 4- In patent US20070190923 entitled Personal Ventilation Device, presented in 1996 by Pirkle, it includes a personal cooling device made of perforated tubes, an electric motor, and a battery, and when sewn into clothing, it causes air flow inside the clothing. 5- In patent US20020153126, a device called a portable multi-purpose air control system for personal use was presented by Clemente in 2002. The device transfers a refrigeration system to a garment with a water circulation system by means of a water circulation pump, and heating is carried out by an electronic element with a water circulation pump. 6- In patent US20020170309, a device called a personal evaporative waist cooler was presented by Strauss in 2003. This device is an evaporative personal cooler that cools the back of the user by being mounted on the waist and uses a fan, a liquid tank, an air outlet, a battery, a belt, and a device for delivering liquid from the tank and sending fine water particles to the air blower (or directly onto the person's skin) to cool the person. 7- In patent WO2005118167, a device called Cooling System for Body Armour was presented by (kapah) in 2008. This device uses airflow to evaporate sweat from the person's body. It uses volume-providing elements such as foam, fibers, three-dimensional mesh, and mechanical separators placed on the body armor, and a fan system provides airflow for cooling. 8- In patent WO2023194990, a portable body cooling device was introduced in 2023 by (LITVAK et al.). This device consists of a set of channels connected to a pressurized air stream and cools the air indirectly through water in the channels. 9- In patent CN107296307, a wearable cooling device was presented in 2017 by (TANG XIAOHUA) that uses fan flow to draw air into a long, flexible, and hollow silicone outlet. The presence of water-absorbent fabrics that supply their moisture from the water tank by capillary flow cools the air in the silicone outlet and delivers the cool wind flow to the person's body. 10- A meta-analysis study on the effects of personal cooling strategies on reducing heat stress for humans, published in the Journal of Building Engineering in 2023, compared the cooling effects of liquid cooling clothing (LCC), air cooling clothing (ACC), phase change material cooling clothing (PCMC), semiconductor cooling (SCD), and hybrid cooling clothing. 11- The article "Nanostructured honeycomb fabrics for passive personal cooling with increased thermal conductivity and energy savings in 2024" published in the journal Industrial Crops and Products describes the production of a fabric using carboxylated cellulose nanocrystals and hydroxylated boron nitride nanotubes, which increased thermal conductivity by 69%. Providing a solution to an existing technical problem along with an accurate, sufficient, and integrated description of the invention This invention is a lightweight, portable cooling-heating device that, when placed on a person's body, transfers cold or warm air under clothing using a fan system. Cooling is created by the evaporation of water droplets on cooling pads, and heating is created by electrical heating elements attached to the pads. The device is made of lightweight and durable materials and consists of the following components: 1- Belt system, consisting of adjustable straps, clips and receivers; 2- Battery system, including a rechargeable battery pack with a conventional power outlet such as a USB socket, etc.; 3- The fan system includes at least one small electric fan with high rotation speed and a finger guard, and is connected to the flow control system; 4-Electrical circuit control system, to control the speed of the fans, the temperature of the element and, if necessary, to control the water output in the liquid flow control system by a pump or solenoid valve; 5- Electric heating elements, this set is placed in the pad housing and is connected to the circuit control system by a cable with an internal socket or connector, and provides the required heat; 6- The liquid storage tank holds the water or liquid needed for the cooling process; 7- In the liquid flow control system, the required water or coolant is activated by pressing a button or lever, a pump or automatic valve, and the water or coolant is delivered to the distribution nozzle and ultimately to the cooling pads. 8- The diffuser nozzle distributes water or coolant evenly over the cooling pads and prevents water particles from entering the fan system directly; 9- The body of the device holds the device components and is fastened around the waist by a belt system; The device is a one-piece system that is worn around the waist like a waist bag, and the air outlet is placed under the person's clothing, and the air outlet can be placed in the front or back. In order to use the device for one-piece clothing (boilersuit), the device is designed to allow air flow into the clothing by making a hole in the clothing and installing (sewing) a clip on which the device is placed. For better support, the device can use at least two backpack straps or a holder sewn to the clothing to secure the device to the one-piece clothing. To provide the energy required by the device, the battery system or a power bank is placed on the belt or body in a detachable manner and is connected to the device (electrical circuit control system) by a cable, and the person can control the speed of the fans and the temperature of the electric heating element system, and even, if necessary, by a type of solenoid valve or pump to control the flow of water on the pads. Cold air is produced through the evaporation of water droplets, which is carried out by the liquid control system and the dispensing nozzle on the pads, and the person pours a certain volume of water or any type of cooling liquid onto the pads through the liquid control system and the dispensing nozzle by pressing a lever or button. In addition to producing cold air while the liquid evaporates on the pads, the device can provide moisture to the body while the person's sweat evaporates, and prevent excessive water from entering the pads and getting the person's clothes wet. Hot air is produced through a system of electric heating elements within the pad system, where heat from the elements heats the pads, and the pads heat the exhaust air due to their high contact surface with the air. The pads used in the device are removable, washable and disinfectable. In order to prevent air flow pressure drop, the pad system is designed in such a way that, while providing a high contact surface with the air flow, it prevents air pressure and pressure on the fan system from decreasing. The pads can be manufactured from various materials depending on the need. For the heating mode of the device, the pads must be made of refractory materials such as woven steel or aluminum filaments, ceramic fibers, metal or ceramic sponges, a type of metal radiator with a special design, for use only for cooling, a wider range of materials such as polyester fibers, etc. are used. Explanation of shapes, maps and diagrams A clear and precise statement of the advantages of the claimed invention over prior inventions. The proposed device is a low-cost, high-efficiency cooling-heating system and can be used by anyone who needs a portable cooling-heating system, regardless of the clothes they wear. The device uses a liquid evaporation system to prevent skin dryness, dehydration, and increase cooling efficiency. The pads are located in a part that is easily separated from the device to prevent water droplets from entering the clothes and increase cooling efficiency, and can be washed and disinfected to prevent the formation of fungus or other undesirable microorganisms in other parts of the device. The proposed device provides personalized cooling and heating with high efficiency using the simplest possible mechanism. Description of at least one implementation method for implementing the invention 1- The presented invention is suitable for all people who work in cold or hot environments and do not have the possibility of using cooling or heating systems as usual. 2- Instead of using cooling or heating systems for an entire complex, we perform cooling and heating individually, preventing a great deal of energy waste. Explicit mention of the industrial application of the invention The device is easily attached to a person's waist and can be used by both ordinary people and those working in harsh weather conditions without any interference with the person's activity.

Claims

Claims What is claimed: Claim 1) A portable evaporative cooling device and personal heating system comprising: (a) at least one belt (backpack or waist pack); (b) at least one fan system; (c) at least one battery system; (d) at least one liquid storage tank; (e) at least one cooling pad in a single or multi-layer form; (f) an electrical control system for adjusting the speed of the fan(s) and the temperature of the heating element; (g) at least one liquid flow control system; (h) a liquid dispensing nozzle; (i) a body of the device; (j) a heating element system (as a separate pad or attached to a cooling pad); the device has a body that is worn on the front or back of the body by a belt (backpack or waist pack) similar to a waist bag or small backpack. The device can be inserted into clothing using a holder sewn into the person's clothing (the device can be detached from the holder) and can be used for regular clothing (the clothing should not be tucked into pants) or boiler suits (one-piece clothing).The device cools the user using a controlled flow of cold air that comes out of wet or damp pads. By circulating cold (moist) air inside the clothing, it cools the person and prevents the loss of body moisture. Claim 2) According to claim number "1", a device includes at least one inlet and outlet for cooling the upper body of a person, which may also have channels for fitting into pants and cooling the lower body (the air outlet in the lower body is thin and made of flexible material to easily enter the pants). The belt system of the device is made of resistant and elastic materials such as natural / synthetic leather, rubber, silicone, cotton fabrics, nylon, polyester, plastic and composite materials, etc., which has the ability to be installed around the waist with the ability to adjust the size. The device can be placed directly on the clothing using an independent strap that can be sewn to the clothing and, if necessary, separated from the strap. The body of the device is also made of lightweight and weather-resistant materials, including polyvinyl chloride (PVC), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyester, nylon, reinforced nylon, aluminum, steel, composite materials, etc.The design of the body may vary, but all models have at least a fan, battery, cooling pad, water tank, air inlet and outlet channels, a place to place the device components and, if necessary, a chassis for sewing to clothing. In some models, there is an access point for manually pouring water onto the cooling pads, which the user can open to pour water directly onto the pads. The device designed for boiler suits (one-piece suits) is able to cool the entire body, including the upper and lower torso, with air outlets in different directions, using a chassis sewn into the clothing. Claim 3) According to claim number "1", the system includes at least one fan with dimensions of at least 4 x 4 cm or more that passes air over the wet or damp pads and enters the clothing through the channel, and the fan system speed is adjustable by an electrical control system. The battery system used can consist of a group of batteries with voltages of 6, 12, 18 and 24 volts, is rechargeable and of a standard and replaceable type. Also, this system can have a fast charging capability and the ability to use an external power source such as a power bank and have at least one standard output, such as a USB port of various types. The battery system can be placed inside the body of the device or on the belt system, in a detachable manner.The electrical control system is a set of DC circuits that provide current and voltage control for the fan and element system, etc., and buttons are installed on the body of the device or power source (battery) that allow the fan speed, element temperature, and if necessary, control the water output in the liquid system, such as solenoid valves and water pumps, foggers, temperature control, etc., to provide the cooling or heating required by the individual. Also, the electrical control system boards are designed to prevent water and moisture from entering them. Claim 4) According to claim number "1", the system includes one or more coolant storage tanks made of various materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, aluminum, stainless steel, fiberglass, polyethylene terephthalate or other suitable materials. The tanks can be made in one piece or in several pieces and have at least one coolant inlet with a lid for entering the tank and an adjustable outlet for exiting the liquid to the coolant flow control system. In addition, the liquid distribution nozzle system may include at least one other small tank that is placed in front of the liquid distribution nozzle to determine the volume of liquid required to wet or wet the cooling pads, and is designed to automatically discharge a specified volume of coolant. The liquid flow control system is placed in the water outlet path from the tank and uses a button, valve or any other type of system that can turn on and off the water flow, preventing water waste when the device is not in use.The type of this control system can be manual (button, lever, hand pump) or automatic, and any system that is capable of turning the water flow on and off can be used. The liquid distribution nozzle can also include systems such as nozzles with fine pores, porous surfaces, or water pressure spray systems such as foggers or other pressure spray nozzles, where the water pressure is provided by a small pump or fogging kit connected to an electrical control system. The liquid distribution nozzle is placed on the top of the pad, and is applied dropwise and under gravity, and for the use of pressure spray systems, the nozzle is placed under the cooling pad. In order to better absorb the pads, a guard is built into the nozzle design that prevents water particles from entering the fan system directly. Claim 5) According to claim number "1" in this device, the pads used have porous surfaces and a high surface area to volume ratio, on which the process of evaporation of the coolant and heat transfer takes place. These pads are made in different types and with different materials such as polymeric materials such as polyester, aluminum, stainless steel, cellulose materials, ceramics, and other suitable materials. Also, the pads are designed and produced in the form of sponge materials, open cells, woven fibers or sheets, blocks similar to honeycomb cellulose pads, blocks similar to cooling radiators and in different geometric shapes. Depending on the cost, the environment of use and the type of water nozzle system, the design of these pads is different and they can be used in different shapes. Also, by placing heating elements in the cooling pads or replacing the cooling pads with heating pads, the device can be transformed into a portable heating system that can provide the heating needed by the individual during the cold seasons of the year.For the heating mode, the pads used should be made of heat-resistant materials such as aluminum, stainless steel or other heat-resistant and non-flammable materials. This device can provide cooling and heating modes separately or simultaneously, depending on the need. The pads used can be separated from the device, washed with water and disinfectants. The heating elements are powered by a cable or connector that can be connected to the electrical control system, and when placed in cooling pads, they are usually of the type with a protective cover against water and moisture that is placed horizontally or vertically in contact with the pads. For heating-only devices, it is possible to directly connect the elements via an internal cable without the need for a connector, and the additional cooling system equipment can be removed. In the production of these devices, a wide range of materials can be used in the construction of the body, pads, heating elements and other parts.Finally, this device has the ability to automatically control the temperature using a thermostat, so that the temperature remains at a relatively constant and adjustable level, and the water output and fan system speed are adjusted based on the user's needs.