Fan device fixture and air-conditioning garment

Abstract

To provide a fan device fixture capable of stably keeping a state where a fan device is fixed.SOLUTION: A fan device fixture 3 for fixing a fan device 4 to a garment cloth 2 comprises a support member 10 for supporting the fan device 4. The support member 10 is fixed to the garment cloth 2 by a suture 40. The support member 10 includes a first support piece 11 and a second support piece 12 arranged so as to be opposed to each other in a state of sandwiching the garment cloth 2 therebetween. The first support piece 11 has an annular projection 21 abutting on the garment cloth 2, and the second support piece 12 has an annular recess 32 to which the annular projection 21 is fitted in a state of sandwiching the garment cloth 2 therebetween.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a fan unit attachment tool for attaching a fan unit to clothing fabric, and to an air-conditioned garment. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, heat stroke caused by working in high temperatures has become a problem, and air-conditioning clothing has become popular to improve the working environment in high temperatures.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an air-conditioned garment in which an opening (fan mounting hole) is provided in the fabric of the garment and a fan device is attached to the fan mounting hole, thereby introducing air from the outside to the inside of the garment.

[0004] Patent document 2 discloses an air-conditioned garment that uses a fan device equipped with a fan unit for forcibly blowing air from outside into the space between the user's body and the clothing fabric, and a Peltier unit that has a heat absorption surface and a heat dissipation surface on both sides, to forcibly blow outside air into the space between the clothing fabric and the user's body while cooling (or heating) it.

[0005] Patent Document 3 discloses a structure in which radial cuts are made in both the garment fabric and the lining at the location where the fan mounting port of the air-conditioned garment is formed, and the radially formed fold-over pieces are folded back to thicken and reinforce the area around the fan mounting port. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2018-111892 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2023-106237 A [Patent Document 3] JP 2015-65998 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In Patent Documents 1 and 2, the fan device is attached by sandwiching the clothing fabric around the periphery of the fan mounting port between two opposing parts. Since the fan device has a certain weight, if the clothing fabric around the periphery of the fan mounting port is made of a soft material similar to normal clothing fabric, it cannot provide sufficient support. As a result, when a load is applied to the periphery of the fan mounting port, deformation such as bending occurs in the clothing fabric in that area, and the clothing fabric slips out through the gap between the two parts that sandwich the periphery of the fan mounting port, which may cause the fan device to fall off the fan mounting port.

[0008] In Patent Document 3, the fan device is attached in the same manner as in Patent Documents 1 and 2. In Patent Document 3, the periphery of the fan mounting opening is thickly reinforced, so that even if a load acts on the peripheral portion of the fan mounting opening, deformation of the clothing fabric in that area can be suppressed, and it is considered that the clothing fabric can be prevented from slipping out from between the two parts that sandwich the peripheral portion of the fan mounting opening. However, the edge of the peripheral portion of the fan mounting opening, which has a two-layer structure of clothing fabric and lining, wears as the fan device is repeatedly attached and detached, and in particular, there is a vulnerability that the edges of each folded piece frays, and there is a problem with durability.

[0009] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and has an object to provide a fan unit mounting tool and air-conditioning clothing that can stably maintain the mounting state of the fan unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] The characteristic configuration of the fan device mounting fixture according to the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows: A fan unit attachment tool for attaching a fan unit to a garment fabric, comprising: a support member for supporting the fan device; The support member is adapted to be fixed to the garment fabric.

[0011] According to the fan device mounting tool of this configuration, the fan device is not directly attached to the clothing fabric, but is attached to the clothing fabric via a support member that supports the fan device. This ensures durability without causing wear or fraying of the clothing fabric even when the fan device is repeatedly attached and detached. Therefore, the mounting state of the fan device can be stably maintained. In addition, since the fan device mounting tool of this configuration is configured to support the fan device on a support member fixed to the clothing fabric, it is possible to mount the fan device on the clothing fabric without providing an opening (fan mounting port) for mounting the fan device, which was required in the conventional method of mounting the fan device by sandwiching the clothing fabric around the fan mounting port between two opposing parts, and therefore has the advantage of reducing the number of mounting steps.

[0012] In the fan device mounting fixture according to the present invention, The support member preferably includes a first support piece and a second support piece arranged to face each other with the garment fabric sandwiched therebetween.

[0013] With the fan unit mounting fixture of this configuration, the first support piece and the second support piece are arranged facing each other with the clothing fabric sandwiched between them, thereby ensuring sufficient strength at the mounting point of the fan unit on the clothing fabric.

[0014] In the fan device mounting fixture according to the present invention, The first support piece has an annular protrusion that is brought into contact with the clothing fabric, The second support piece preferably has an annular recess into which the annular protrusion is fitted with the garment fabric sandwiched therebetween.

[0015] With the fan unit mounting fixture of this configuration, the first support piece and the second support piece can be easily positioned relative to the clothing fabric by a simple operation of fitting the annular convex portion of the first support piece with the annular concave portion of the second support piece while sandwiching the clothing fabric.

[0016] In the fan device mounting fixture according to the present invention, The first support piece further includes a thin annular plate portion having a relatively small thickness and formed so as to protrude around the annular protrusion, The second support piece further includes a thick annular plate portion formed to protrude around the annular recess and having a thickness greater than that of the thin annular plate portion, The thick-walled annular plate portion has a seam guide groove formed therein, the seam guide groove being open toward the outside and having a partially reduced thickness. It is preferable that the first support piece and the second support piece are fixed to the clothing fabric by sewing the thin-walled annular plate portion and the thick-walled annular plate portion to the clothing fabric at the locations where the sewing guide grooves are formed.

[0017] According to the fan device mounting fixture of this configuration, in the first support piece and the second support piece constituting the support member, the thin-walled annular plate portion of the first support piece has a relatively small thickness, but the thick-walled annular plate portion of the second support piece has a thickness greater than that of the thin-walled annular plate portion, so that the strength of the support member can be sufficiently ensured. In addition, a seam guide groove is formed in the thick-walled annular plate portion of the second support piece, the thickness of which is partially reduced and which is open to the outside. In this way, the sum of the thickness of the portion of the thick-walled annular plate portion of the second support piece where the seam guide groove is formed and the thickness of the thin-walled annular plate portion facing the thick-walled annular plate portion of the first support piece can be kept small. Therefore, the sewing needle of an industrial sewing machine, for example, can easily penetrate the portion of the support member where the seam guide groove is formed. Therefore, the first support piece and the second support piece can be easily sewn to the clothing fabric at the portion where the seam guide groove is formed, and the first support piece and the second support piece can be reliably fixed to the clothing fabric by sewing.

[0018] Next, the characteristic configuration of the air-conditioning garment according to the present invention for solving the above problems is as follows: The fan device mounting fixture described above; a fan unit attached to a garment fabric by the fan unit attachment tool; The purpose of this project is to provide the following:

[0019] According to the air-conditioned garment of the present configuration, it is possible to provide an air-conditioned garment in which the attachment state of the fan unit is stably maintained by the fan unit attachment fixture.

[0020] In the air-conditioning garment of the present invention, The fan device is a fan unit supported by the support member on one side of the clothing fabric; a spacer supported by the support member on the other surface side of the clothing fabric; Equipped with The spacer preferably has a main ventilation hole that allows ventilation in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the clothing fabric, and a sub-vent that allows ventilation in a direction along the surface of the clothing fabric.

[0021] With the air-conditioned garment of this configuration, operation of the fan unit supported by a support member on one side of the garment fabric can generate an air flow through the main vent and the auxiliary vent formed in the spacer supported by the support member on the other side of the garment fabric. Moreover, even if the main vent, which allows ventilation in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the garment fabric, is blocked by cloth or the like, the spacer can ensure a space between the cloth or the like and the garment fabric, so that an air flow can be generated through the auxiliary vent, which allows ventilation in a direction along the surface of the garment fabric, and an air flow can be reliably generated in the space ensured by the spacer. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0022] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of the air-conditioning garment of the present embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the first support piece. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the second support piece. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0023] The present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not intended to be limited to the embodiments described below or the configurations shown in the drawings. In Fig. 1(b), the thickness relationship of the clothing fabric 2 to the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12 constituting the support member 10 is exaggerated for ease of understanding, and does not strictly reflect the actual size relationship (scale) of the thickness of the clothing fabric 2.

[0024] In this specification, the term "fan device" collectively refers to a "cooling device" or an "air conditioning device" that includes at least a fan unit with a built-in fan. Here, the "cooling device" includes a device that includes a fan unit with a built-in blower fan, and is configured to introduce air (outside air) from the outside of the clothing fabric to the inside by operating the fan unit, and cool the body with the heat of vaporization of sweat. Also, the "air conditioning device" includes a device that includes a fan unit with a built-in Peltier element, a heat exchange plate, a heat sink, a fan, etc., and is configured to release heat from the heat sink with the fan and conduct heat from the Peltier element to the heat exchange plate, thereby cooling or warming the body. In the following embodiment, an example in which an "air conditioning device" is applied as the "fan device" of the present invention will be described, but it goes without saying that a "cooling device" can also be applied.

[0025] <Overall composition of air-conditioned clothing> Fig. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the main parts of an air-conditioned garment 1 of this embodiment. Fig. 1(a) is a front view, and Fig. 1(b) is a cross-sectional view of the main parts taken along the line AA in Fig. 1(a). The air-conditioned garment 1 shown in Figs. 1(a) and (b) is configured by attaching a fan device 4 via a fan device attachment tool 3 to clothing fabric 2 that constitutes a required portion of a garment body (not shown).

[0026] Here, the fabric used for the garment body (not shown) is usually configured as a woven or knitted fabric, but may also be a film having no woven or knitted structure. The fibers constituting the fabric are not particularly limited, and examples that can be used include polyester fibers such as polyethylene terephthalate and polybutylene terephthalate, polyurethane fibers, polyamide fibers, acetate fibers, cotton fibers, rayon fibers, ethylene vinyl alcohol fibers, and nylon fibers.

[0027] It is preferable to use a breathable fabric as the clothing fabric 2 to which the fan device mounting fixture 3 is fixed. As the breathable fabric, for example, a mesh fabric made of synthetic fibers can be used. Examples of the synthetic fibers that form the mesh fabric include polyester fibers, nylon fibers, and polyurethane fibers.

[0028] <Fan device mounting fixture> The fan unit attachment tool 3 shown in Fig. 1(b) is for attaching a fan unit 4 to a clothing fabric 2, and includes a support member 10 for supporting the fan unit 4. The support member 10 is fixed to the clothing fabric 2 with a sewing thread 40.

[0029] <Supporting member> The support member 10 includes a first support piece 11 and a second support piece 12 made of synthetic resin, which are arranged to face each other with the clothing fabric 2 sandwiched between them. Examples of synthetic resins that make up the support pieces 11 and 12 include, but are not limited to, thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer (TPU), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polystyrene (PS), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene resin (ABS), polycarbonate (PC), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1(b), the support member 10 is configured by fixing a first support piece 11 and a second support piece 12 to the clothing fabric 2 so as to sandwich the clothing fabric 2. Therefore, the strength of the attachment point of the fan device 4 in the clothing fabric 2 can be sufficiently ensured by the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12. Also, the fan device 4 is supported by the support member 10 fixed to the clothing fabric 2. Therefore, in the present invention, the fan device 4 can be attached to the clothing fabric 2 without providing an opening for attaching the fan device (fan attachment port) that was required in the conventional method of attaching the fan device by sandwiching the clothing fabric around the fan attachment port between two opposing parts, which has the advantage of reducing the number of attachment steps.

[0031] <First support piece> FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of the first support piece 11. FIG. 2(a) is a front view of the first support piece 11, and FIG. 2(b) is a cross-sectional view of the arrow BB in FIG. 2(a). As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and (b), the first support piece 11 has an annular convex portion (first annular convex portion) 21 that protrudes so as to abut against the clothing fabric 2, and a thin annular plate portion 22 that is relatively thin and formed to protrude around the base of the annular convex portion 21. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the annular convex portion 21 is formed in a circular ring shape when viewed from the front, and is formed to protrude upward in FIG. 2(b) relative to the thin annular plate portion 22. As shown in FIGS. 2(a) and (b), a plurality of inward projections 23 (three in this example) are provided at an equal angular pitch (120° pitch in this example) in the circumferential direction on the inner peripheral edge at the base of the annular convex portion 21. The thin annular plate portion 22 is formed in an annular shape as shown in FIG. 2(a), and the thickness indicated by the symbol T1 in FIG. 2(b) is set to about 0.5 mm.

[0032] <Second support piece> Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the second support piece 12. Fig. 3(a) is a front view of the second support piece 12, and Fig. 3(b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC in Fig. 3(a). As shown in Figs. 3(a) and (b), the second support piece 12 has an annular convex portion (second annular convex portion) 31 formed to protrude upward in Fig. 3(b), an annular recessed portion 32 formed integrally with the annular convex portion 31 and open downward in Fig. 3(b), and a thick annular plate portion 33 formed to protrude around the base of the annular recessed portion 32.

[0033] In the second support piece 12, the annular protrusion 31 is formed in a circular ring shape when viewed from the front, as shown in Fig. 3(a). As shown in Figs. 3(a) and (b), a plurality of inward protrusions 34 (three in this example) are provided on the inner peripheral edge of the annular protrusion 31 at equal angular pitches (120° pitches in this example) in the circumferential direction and protrude inward, and as shown in Fig. 3(a), a notch 35 through which an outward protrusion 63 provided on a spacer 60 described later can pass is formed between the inward protrusions 34 adjacent in the circumferential direction.

[0034] In the second support piece 12, the annular recess 32 is capable of fitting with the annular protrusion 21 of the first support piece 11 with the clothing fabric 2 sandwiched between the annular protrusion 21 and the first support piece 11. In this way, the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12 can be easily positioned relative to the clothing fabric 2 by a simple operation of fitting the annular protrusion 21 (see FIG. 2(b)) of the first support piece 11 with the annular recess 32 (see FIG. 3(b)) of the second support piece 12 with the clothing fabric 2 sandwiched between them.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3(a), in the second support piece 12, the thick annular plate portion 33 is formed in an annular shape, and is thicker than the thin annular plate portion 22 in the first support piece 11, and the thickness indicated by the symbol T2 in FIG. 3(b) is set to about 2 mm. In the non-contact plate surface (the upper plate surface in FIG. 3(b)) of the thick annular plate portion 33 that is not in contact with the clothing fabric 2 and is exposed to the outside, two annular seam guide grooves 36 that are open to the outside are formed. The two seam guide grooves 36 extend over the entire circumferential area of ​​the thick annular plate portion 33, and are arranged so as to be aligned in the radial direction of the thick annular plate portion 33. In the thick annular plate portion 33, the thickness of the portion where each seam guide groove 36 is formed, i.e., the thickness indicated by the symbol T3 in FIG. 3(b) is set to about 0.5 mm.

[0036] As described above, the thickness T1 (see FIG. 2(b)) of the thin annular plate portion 22 in the first support piece 11 is set to about 0.5 mm. On the other hand, the thickness T3 (see FIG. 3(b)) of the thick annular plate portion 33 in the second support piece 12 at the portion where the seam guide groove 36 is formed is set to about 0.5 mm. Thus, in the support member 10, the total thickness (T1+T3) of the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12 at the portion where the seam guide groove 36 is formed is set to about 1 mm, which is a thickness that can be sewn with a general industrial sewing machine (excluding the thickness of the clothing fabric 2), and the thickness is made the smallest in the entire support member 10. Therefore, at the portion where the seam guide groove 36 is formed in the support member 10, the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12 can be easily sewn to the clothing fabric 2 with the sewing thread 40, and the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12 can be reliably fixed to the clothing fabric 2 by the sewing thread 40. In addition, the means for fixing the first support piece 11 and the second support piece 12 to the clothing fabric 2 is not limited to sewing using sewing thread 40, and it is also possible to use a hook-and-loop fastener consisting of a male engaging piece and a female engaging piece, or what is called an American hook consisting of a male hook and a female hook, etc.

[0037] <Fan device> As shown in Figure 1(b), the fan device 4 includes a fan unit 50 supported by a first support piece 11 of the support member 10 on one side of the clothing fabric 2 (the bottom side in the figure), and a spacer 60 supported by a second support piece 12 of the support member 10 on the other side of the clothing fabric 2 (the top side in the figure).

[0038] <Fan unit> The fan unit 50 is configured by disposing a Peltier element, a heat exchange plate, a heat sink, a fan, etc. (all of which are omitted from the drawing) inside a fan casing 51. The fan casing 51 is formed with a plurality of (three in this example) outward protrusions 52 engageable with a plurality of inward protrusions 23 provided on the first support piece 11 at a predetermined angular pitch (120° pitch in this example) in the circumferential direction, and also has cutout portions 53 between adjacent outward protrusions 52 in the circumferential direction, through which the inward protrusions 23 provided on the first support piece 11 can pass.

[0039] <Spacer> The spacer 60 has a main ventilation hole 61 which allows ventilation in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the clothing fabric 2, and multiple sub-vents 62 which allow ventilation in a direction along the surface of the clothing fabric 2. The spacer 60 has multiple (three in this example) outward protrusions 63 which can engage with the multiple inward protrusions 34 provided on the second support piece 12, formed at a predetermined angular pitch (120° pitch in this example) in the circumferential direction.

[0040] In the air-conditioned garment 1 configured as described above, the operation of mounting the fan device 4 on the support member 10 is performed by sequentially carrying out the fan unit mounting step and the spacer mounting step described below. Note that, although an example is described here in which the fan unit mounting step is performed followed by the spacer mounting step, the steps may be performed in the reverse order to this example, and the order in which the fan unit mounting step and the spacer mounting step are performed is not particularly limited.

[0041] <Fan unit installation process> The fan unit 50 is moved toward the first support piece 11 so as to align the relative positions of the multiple inward projections 23 (see FIG. 2(a)) provided on the first support piece 11 and the multiple cutouts 53 (see FIG. 1(b)) provided on the fan casing 51, and the multiple inward projections 23 are passed through the multiple cutouts 53, so that the multiple outward projections 52 provided on the fan casing 51 are positioned on the inner periphery of the annular convex portion 21 of the first support piece 11. Next, the fan unit 50 is rotated relative to the first support piece 11 in the circumferential direction of the first support piece 11 to engage the multiple inward projections 23 provided on the first support piece 11 with the multiple outward projections 52 provided on the fan casing 51. As a result, the fan unit 50 is locked to the first support piece 11, and the state in which the fan unit 50 is attached to the support member 10 is maintained.

[0042] <Spacer installation process> The spacer 60 is moved toward the second support piece 12 so as to align the relative positions of the plurality of notches 35 (see FIG. 3(a)) provided in the annular convex portion 31 of the second support piece 12 with the plurality of outward protrusions 63 (see FIG. 1(b)) provided in the spacer 60, and the plurality of outward protrusions 63 are positioned on the inner periphery of the annular convex portion 31 of the second support piece 12 so as to pass through the plurality of notches 35. Next, the spacer 60 is rotated relative to the second support piece 12 in the circumferential direction of the second support piece 12 to engage the plurality of inward protrusions 34 (see FIG. 3(a)) provided in the second support piece 12 with the plurality of outward protrusions 63 provided in the spacer 60. As a result, the spacer 60 is locked to the second support piece 12, and the state in which the spacer 60 is attached to the support member 10 is maintained.

[0043] 1(b), the fan unit 4 is not attached directly to the clothing fabric 2, but rather via a support member 10. This ensures durability without causing wear or fraying in the clothing fabric 2 even when the fan unit 4 is repeatedly attached and detached. Therefore, it is possible to provide an air-conditioned garment 1 in which the attachment state of the fan unit 4 is stably maintained by the fan unit attachment tool 3.

[0044] In the air-conditioned garment 1, operation of the fan unit 50 can cause air to flow through the main ventilation opening 61 and the secondary ventilation opening 62 formed in the spacer 60. Moreover, even if the main ventilation opening, which allows ventilation in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the garment fabric 2, is blocked by cloth or the like, the spacer 60 can secure a space between the cloth or the like and the garment fabric 2, so that air can be caused to flow through the secondary ventilation opening 62, which allows ventilation in a direction along the surface of the garment fabric 2, and air can be reliably generated in the space secured by the spacer 60.

[0045] The above describes the fan unit mounting bracket and air-conditioned clothing of the present invention based on one embodiment, but the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiment, and the configuration can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the spirit of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0046] The fan unit mounting fixture of the present invention can be suitably used for attaching a fan unit, such as a cooling device or air conditioning device, which has at least a fan unit, to the clothing fabric of an air-conditioned garment. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1 air conditioned clothing 2 Clothing fabric 3 Fan unit mounting fixture 4 Fan Unit 10 Support member 11 First support piece 12 Second support piece 21 Annular protrusion 22 Thin-walled annular plate 32 Annular recess 33 Thick annular plate 36 Suture guide groove 40 Sutures 50 Fan Units 60 Spacer 61 Main Vent 62 Secondary Vent

Claims

1. A fan unit attachment tool for attaching a fan unit to a garment fabric, comprising: a support member for supporting the fan device; The support member is a fan unit attachment that is fixed to the garment fabric.

2. The fan unit attachment tool according to claim 1 , wherein the support member includes a first support piece and a second support piece that are arranged to face each other with the clothing fabric sandwiched therebetween.

3. The first support piece has an annular protrusion that is brought into contact with the clothing fabric, The fan unit attachment tool according to claim 2 , wherein the second support piece has an annular recess into which the annular protrusion is fitted with the clothing fabric sandwiched therebetween.

4. The first support piece further includes a thin annular plate portion having a relatively small thickness and formed so as to protrude around the annular protrusion, The second support piece further includes a thick annular plate portion formed to protrude around the annular recess and having a thickness greater than that of the thin annular plate portion, The thick-walled annular plate portion has a seam guide groove formed therein, the seam guide groove being open toward the outside and having a partially reduced thickness. The fan unit mounting fixture described in claim 3, wherein the first support piece and the second support piece are fixed to the clothing fabric by sewing the thin-walled annular plate portion and the thick-walled annular plate portion to the clothing fabric at the locations where the stitching guide grooves are formed.

5. A fan device mounting fixture according to any one of claims 1 to 4; a fan unit attached to a garment fabric by the fan unit attachment tool; Air-conditioned clothing equipped with

6. The fan device is a fan unit supported by the support member on one side of the clothing fabric; a spacer supported by the support member on the other surface side of the clothing fabric; Equipped with 6. The air-conditioning garment according to claim 5, wherein the spacer has a main vent that allows ventilation in a direction perpendicular to a surface of the garment fabric, and a sub-vent that allows ventilation in a direction along the surface of the garment fabric.

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