Neck cooling tool

Abstract

To provide a neck cooling tool which does not reduce cooling effect of a cooling garment.SOLUTION: Since adjacent storage parts 13, 13 are arranged at intervals in a circumferential direction through a gap 15, a neck cooling part 1 can gently wrap the neck N to an extent that the neck is not made to feel sense of pressure. Thus, top surfaces 14a, 14b, 14b, 14c, 14c of storage parts 13a, 13b, 13b, 13c, 13c are brought into contact with each other by a wide area at portions of a rear side and both right and left sides of the neck. In the attached state, a phase change member 21 sealed in the storage part 13 absorbs heat from the neck N and melts. When a person wearing the neck cooling tool 1 wears a cooling garment 23, air flow coming out from a periphery of a collar side passes through a gap 15 between the adjacent storage parts 13, 13 and escapes upward. Since air escaped from the collar side of the garment body 25 further escapes upward and is detached from the body, a drop of cooling effect of the cooling garment 23 is inhibited.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a neck cooler. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, cooling garments such as that shown in Patent Document 1 have been put to practical use. This cooling garment uses an air blowing means to forcibly create a flow of air that is taken in from the outside between the garment body and the body side, circulates between them, and then escapes to the outside, promoting the evaporation of sweat from the human body with that air, thereby actively cooling the body side, and the air escapes to the outside from the open edges of the garment body, such as the sleeves and collar.

[0003] A neck cooler such as that shown in Patent Document 2 has also been put to practical use. This neck cooler is composed of a tube filled with a phase change material that absorbs heat and changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase. This tube is curved along the neck, and is designed to be used by expanding both ends and wrapping the tube around the neck, with the neck passed through the expanded gap. The phase change material absorbs heat from the neck, melts, and changes to a liquid phase.

[0004] When working in a high-temperature environment, it is not uncommon to wear air-conditioned clothing and a neck cooler. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] JP 2005-54299 A [Patent Document 2] Patent No. 6895671 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] However, since the neck cooling device almost completely closes the periphery of the collar, the air is prevented from escaping from the cooling garment, which may cause the air flow to stagnate and reduce the cooling effect. The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems in the conventional art, and has as its object to provide a neck cooling device which does not reduce the cooling effect of the cooling garment. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention has been made with attention to the above-mentioned problems in the conventional neck cooling device, and comprises a shape-retaining section formed by bending a strip-shaped material having bending elasticity into a C-shape, and a strip-shaped cooling section that is attached and detached to the inner surface of the bent part of the shape-retaining section and is fitted along the shape-retaining section, the cooling section having a plurality of accommodating sections that contain a phase-change material that absorbs heat and changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase, arranged intermittently in the longitudinal direction, and when fitted along the shape-retaining section, the plurality of accommodating sections protrude inward while leaving gaps around the circumferential direction of the shape-retaining section.

[0008] Preferably, the storage section is in the shape of a rectangular block, and the opposing side surfaces of adjacent storage sections in the longitudinal direction are concave and convex, facing each other with a gap therebetween.

[0009] Preferably, the cooling portion is provided with a plurality of through loops, and the shape retaining portion is inserted into the through loops, thereby integrating the cooling portion with the shape retaining portion.

[0010] Preferably, the cooling section is integrated by sealing the edges of both ends of the width direction of the two strip-shaped films in multiple directions intersecting the length direction, and the area surrounded by the seals in the width direction and length direction forms the storage section, with one film side being flat and conforming to the shape-retaining section, and the other film side being intermittently raised and protruding. More preferably, the film has a plurality of through loops formed by sealing both ends of the tape, and the shape-retaining portion is inserted into the through loops, so that the cooling portion is integrated with the shape-retaining portion.

[0011] Preferably, the shape retaining portion is made of a light blocking material. Effect of the Invention

[0012] In the neck cooling device of the present invention, when the cooling garment is worn, the air that comes out from around the collar passes through the gaps and escapes upwards, thereby ensuring air flow on the cooling garment side and preventing a decrease in the cooling effect. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a neck cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the neck cooling device of FIG. [Diagram 3] 2A is a plan view of the cooling unit in FIG. 1, (b) a side view of the cooling unit shown in (a), and (c) a side view of the cooling unit shown in (a) and (b) in a folded state. [Figure 4] The figure shows the neck cooling device of Figure 1 attached to a person wearing cooling clothing. [Diagram 5] 5 is a diagram showing a state in which air escapes through gaps in the neck cooling device around the neck in FIG. 4. FIG. [Figure 6] 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 6 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 5 taken along line B-B. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0014] A neck cooling device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In Figures 1 and 2, the symbol 3 indicates a shape-retaining part. This shape-retaining part 3 is made of plastic with bending elasticity. The shape-retaining part 3 has a thin strip-like outline, is curved in a C shape, one of the plate surfaces is the bent inner surface 3a and the other is the bent outer surface, and there is a gap between both ends 3b, 3c in the length direction. The outer edges of both ends 3b, 3c in the width direction are curved in a semicircular arc shape, bulging outward in a convex manner. The C-shape size is adjusted so that it does not feel tight around the neck even when the cooling unit 5 is attached, as described below. The width of the holding portion 3 is 4 cm at both ends 3b and 3c, and gradually increases from there toward the center in the longitudinal direction, to a width of 5 cm at the center. The shape-retaining portion 3 is colored black, providing high light-blocking properties.

[0015] Reference numeral 5 denotes a cooling section. The main body 7 of this cooling section 5 is formed by two strip-shaped plastic films 9, 11 that are overlapped and sealed to be integrated. The edges at both ends in the width direction are sealed to form edge seal portions 7a. In addition, in the direction substantially perpendicular to the length direction, the films 9 and 11 are sealed at multiple locations at predetermined intervals to form separation seal portions 7b. Therefore, the portions of the films 9 and 11 that are surrounded annularly by the edge seal portion 7a-separation seal portion 7b-edge seal portion 7a-separation seal portion 7b are not sealed.

[0016] The film 9 is flat, but the unsealed portion of the film 11 is raised in a rectangular box shape to form a three-dimensional sealed space. A phase change material 21 is enclosed in this sealed space. The phase change material 21 will be described in detail later. The process of forming a bag by overlapping and sealing the films 9 and 11 and the process of sealing the phase change material 21 in the sealed space formed by the bag formation proceed in parallel, resulting in the state shown in Figure 3. At the time of sealing, the phase change material 21 is in a solid state, and can be sealed in the bag.

[0017] The phase change material 21 is enclosed in a raised sealed space in the main body 7 to form the container 13. Therefore, the container 13 has a rectangular block shape. As shown in Figures 3(a) and (b), nine storage sections 13 are formed and are arranged intermittently in the longitudinal direction, but if the longitudinal direction is taken as the left-right direction, they are arranged symmetrically on both the left and right sides. That is, storage sections 13b, 13b are arranged on the left and right outer sides of central storage section 13a, storage sections 13c, 13c are arranged on the left and right outer sides of those, storage sections 13d, 13d are arranged on the left and right outer sides of each of those, and storage sections 13e, 13e are arranged on the left and right outer sides of each of those.

[0018] Each of the storage sections 13a, 13b, ... is parallel to the edge of the belt-shaped main body 7 on both sides in the width direction of the main body 7. In addition, the upper surface is almost flat and parallel to the film 9. The storage portion 13a located in the center has both left and right surfaces that curve in an arc shape and bulge out like a barrel in the left-right direction. Of the left and right faces of the storage sections 13b, 13b, the side faces facing the storage section 13a are curved and concave to face the convex surface of the storage section 13a, and the side faces on the opposite side are curved and bulged to form a convex surface similar to the convex surface of the storage section 13a.

[0019] The housing portions 13c, 13c and the housing portions 13d, 13d are configured similarly to the housing portions 13b, 13b. The storage sections 13e, 13e are configured in a manner similar to that of the storage sections 13b, 13b. However, the outer edge in the width direction of the main body 7 is similarly curved in a semicircular arc shape corresponding to the outer edge of the shape retaining section 3 and bulges outward in a convex manner, and the surface opposite to the surface facing the storage section 13a bulges outward in a manner similar to the outer edge, more convex than the other storage sections 13b, etc. Therefore, the gap 15 between adjacent storage sections 13, 13 has a concave surface and a convex surface facing each other on the right side, with the middle part in the width direction curved convexly outward to the right, and on the left side, a concave surface and a convex surface facing each other, with the middle part in the width direction curved convexly outward to the left.

[0020] As shown in detail in Fig. 2, bands 17 are attached to both ends in the longitudinal direction of main body 7. Band 17 is made of a thin strip of plastic film, and both ends in the longitudinal direction are attached to main body 7 as part of edge seal portion 7a. Band 17 is overlapped and sealed on both ends in the width direction of flat film 9, and band 17 straddles the film 9 side of main body 7 in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of main body 7. The length of band 17 is set to be slightly longer than the width of main body 7. By fixing the band 17 to the main body 7 in this manner, a threading loop 19 is formed together with the main body 7. A pair of bands 17a, 17b are formed at one end in the longitudinal direction of the main body 7 with a space therebetween, and a similar pair of bands 17a, 17b are also formed at the other end with a space therebetween.

[0021] The films 9 and 11, as well as the film constituting the band 17, are all made of flexible plastic. Therefore, the gap 15 in the main body 7 where the films 9 and 11 are overlapped can be easily folded by hand. Also, the opening of the loop 19 of the band 17 can be easily opened by hand.

[0022] The phase change material 21 enclosed in the housing 13 is a so-called PCM (Phase Change Material) that changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase by absorbing heat. In the present invention, the phase change material 21 is used as a cooling medium for cooling the neck by absorbing heat from the neck as latent heat of fusion. The solidification temperature of the phase change material 21 is adjusted to about 26° C. so that it quickly returns from a molten state to a solidified state, for example, in about 10 minutes, when placed in a cooler box or a cooling bag.

[0023] The phase change material 21 contains, for example, paraffin or aliphatic hydrocarbon (or fatty saturated hydrocarbon). The phase change material 21 contains, for example, tetradecane (C 14 H 30 ), hexadecane (C 16 H 34 ), and octadecane (C 18 H 38 The phase change material 21 contains at least one of tetradecane (C 14 H 30 ), hexadecane (C 16 H 34 ), and octadecane (C 18 H 38 ) may be included.

[0024] The main body 7 of the cooling part 5 is similar in shape to the shape-retaining part 3, but is set to be slightly larger than the shape-retaining part. When main body 7 is folded so that the storage section 13 side is on the bent inner surface, and aligned with the bent inner surface 3a of shape retention section 3, one end 3b of retaining section 3 is inserted into the pair of through loops 19, 19 on one end, and one end 3c of retaining section 3 is inserted into the pair of through loops 19, 19 on the other end, main body 7 is brought into contact with and aligned with the bent inner surface 3a of shape retention section 3, and integrated into a C shape. In this state, storage sections 13, 13, ... are provided to protrude inward. Since the shape-retaining portion 3 has a certain degree of elasticity, it can be bent slightly and adjusted so as to be easily inserted into the threading loop 19. By reversing the above insertion, the left and right ends of the shape-retaining part 3 can be pulled out of the loop 19 and the cooling part 5 can be removed from the holding part 3, so that the cooling part 5 can be easily attached and detached from the holding part 3.

[0025] Next, a method for wearing this neck cooling device 1 will be described. The left and right ends 3b, 3c of the shape-retaining part 3 are grasped and elastically deformed to widen the C-shaped gap of the shape-retaining part 3, and the neck N is passed through the gap as an entrance to wrap the neck cooling device 1 around the neck. Next, by releasing the hands from both ends 3b, 3c, the ends 3b, 3c return to their original shape by their own elasticity, narrowing the gap, and preventing the neck cooling device 1 from coming off the neck N. When the position is adjusted so that the C-shaped gap is on the throat side, the middle part curves along the back of the neck while making contact as if it were hanging from the neck, and the left and right ends 3b, 3c extend in directions approaching each other while following the sides of the neck.

[0026] Therefore, it can be attached as shown in Figures 4 and 5. In this state, as shown in Figures 6 and 7, the adjacent storage parts 13, 13 are arranged at a distance from each other in the circumferential direction via the gap 15, so that the cooling part 5 can be bent into a polygonal shape using the gap 15 as a bone. In particular, since the gap 15 has a concave surface and a convex surface facing each other in the left-right direction, the concave surfaces on the upper sides of the adjacent storage parts 13, 13 fit together as if they were engaged with the convex surface, suppressing deviation from the shape retaining part 3. Furthermore, by retaining the shape along the curved surface of the shape retaining part 3, it is possible to gently wrap the neck N without feeling any pressure. Therefore, the top surfaces 14a, 14b, 14b, 14c, 14c, ... of the housing portions 13a, 13b, 13b, 13c, 13c, ... come into contact with the back of the neck and both the left and right sides over a wide area. In this worn state, the phase change material 21 enclosed in the housing portion 13 absorbs heat from the neck N through the film 11 and melts. Therefore, the cooling effect of the neck cooler 1 is also improved.

[0027] When a person wearing the neck cooling device 1 is wearing a cooling garment 23 as an outer garment, the rotating blades of the cooling garment fan unit 27 attached to the lower part of the back side of the garment main body 25 rotate, creating an air flow, i.e., an air current, between the garment main body 25 and the body. The air current coming out from around the collar passes through the gaps 15 between the adjacent storage parts 13, 13 and escapes upward as shown by the arrows in Figures 4 and 5. The cooling part 5 is bent into a polygonal shape with the gaps 15 as bones, and the gaps 16 are formed between the curved surface of the shape retaining part 3 and the bones adjacent in the circumferential direction, so that even if the air passes through the gaps 16, it escapes upward as shown by the arrows in Figures 4 and 5. In this way, since the gaps 15, 16 are provided in the neck cooling device 1, the air that escapes from the collar side of the garment body 25 escapes further upward and away from the body, preventing a decrease in the cooling effect of the cooling garment 23.

[0028] Furthermore, since the cooling part 5 can be bent into a polygonal shape using the gap 15 as a bone, after being separated from the shape-retaining part 3, it can be folded compactly as shown in FIG. 3(c), and has the advantage of being easy to handle without taking up space when put in a refrigerator or carried around.

[0029] Furthermore, the shape-retaining part 3 is colored black, which has a particularly high light-shielding effect, and has light-shielding properties, and since the cooling part 5 is housed inside, the shape-retaining part 3 acts as a sunshade for the phase-change material 21, preventing the phase-change material 21 from melting due to exposure to sunlight.

[0030] Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and the invention also includes design changes within the scope of the present invention without departing from the gist of the present invention. For example, the number of the containing parts is not limited to 9. Furthermore, as long as the shape retaining part 3 has a color, it is possible to ensure a certain degree of light blocking ability even if it is not black, so that it is possible to increase color variations. [Explanation of symbols]

[0031] 1…Neck cooling device 3…Shape preservation unit 3a...bent inner surface 3b, 3c...both ends 5... Cooling section 7... Main body 7a...Edge seal portion 7b...Separation seal portion 9...Film 11...Film 13a, 13b, 13c, 13d, 13e...housing section 14a, 14b, 14c, 14d, 14e...Top 15, 16...Gap 17a, 17b...Hand 19...Through loop 21...Phase change member 23…Cooling garment 25…Catment body 27…Fan unit N...Neck

Claims

1. A shape retaining portion formed by bending a strip-shaped material having bending elasticity into a C shape; A belt-shaped cooling part is provided which is detachably attached to and aligned along the inner surface side of the bent part of the shape-retaining part, The cooling section has multiple accommodating sections filled with a phase change material that absorbs heat and changes from a solid phase to a liquid phase, which are arranged intermittently along the length, and when the cooling section is aligned with the shape-retaining section, the multiple accommodating sections protrude inward while leaving gaps around the shape-retaining section.This neck cooling device is characterized by the above.

2. The neck cooling device according to claim 1, The neck cooling device is characterized in that the storage section is in the shape of a square block, and the opposing sides of adjacent storage sections in the longitudinal direction are concave and convex, facing each other with a gap between them.

3. The neck cooling device according to claim 1, This neck cooling device is characterized in that the cooling part is provided with a plurality of through-loops, and the shape-retaining part is inserted into the through-loops, thereby integrating the cooling part with the shape-retaining part.

4. The neck cooling device according to claim 1, The cooling section is integrated by sealing the edges of both ends of the width direction of the two strip-shaped films in multiple directions intersecting the length direction, and the area surrounded by the seals in the width direction and length direction forms the storage section. This neck cooling device is characterized in that one film side is flat and conforms to the shape-retaining portion, and the other film side is intermittently raised and protrudes.

5. The neck cooling device according to claim 4, This neck cooling device is characterized in that a film is provided with a plurality of through loops formed by sealing both ends of the tape, and a shape-retaining portion is inserted into the through loops, so that the cooling portion is integrated with the shape-retaining portion.

6. The neck cooling device according to claim 1, This neck cooling device is characterized in that the shape-retaining portion is made of a light-shielding material.

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