Cooling device for clothing

Abstract

To provide a cooling device for clothing that has a cooling section using a Peltier element capable of efficiently dissipating the heat generated by the Peltier element.SOLUTION: The cooling device for clothing configured to cool the inside of clothing using a Peltier cooling section provided with a Peltier element includes a fan cooling section configured to dissipate heat from the Peltier element using at least a fan, and the cooling device has a fan guard section at the intake or exhaust holes of the fan to prevent fingers from entering. By configuring the fan guard section made of a thermally conductive metal, the fan guard section can be used as a heat sink for dissipating heat from the Peltier element, thereby efficiently dissipating the heat generated by the Peltier element.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 6

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a cooling device for clothing, and more particularly to a cooling device for clothing configured to cool the interior of the clothing. [Background technology]

[0002] Recently, there has been a demand for cooling devices for clothing that are configured to cool the interior of the clothing.

[0003] One such device is the fan device, fan-equipped clothing, and fan unit attachment tool disclosed in Patent Document 1. This is known as Air-Conditioned Clothing (registered trademark), and features a fan unit attached to each of two flat fan attachment holes located on the left and right sides of the waistband slightly toward the back of the clothing body, approximately midway between the arms and the clothing body. The fan unit draws in a large amount of outside air, which is circulated approximately parallel to the surface of the body or underwear, evaporating sweat from the body and cooling the body.

[0004] The fan body has a cylindrical portion that is inserted into an attachment hole provided in the garment body, and a flange portion that protrudes from one axial end of the cylindrical portion in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the cylindrical portion, and a fan attachment means that is attached to the fan body from the outside of the cylindrical portion, with the edge of the attachment hole in the garment body being sandwiched between the cylindrical portion and the flange portion.The fan attachment means is attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion so as to cover the entire circumference, and includes a ring member composed of a divided body divided into two circumferentially, and a fixing member that fixes the circumferential ends of the two divided bodies to each other, and is configured to fix the fan body to the garment body by fixing the two divided bodies attached to the outer periphery of the cylindrical portion inserted into the attachment hole with the fixing member.

[0005] Another such device is a heat exchange unit and clothing equipped with the same, disclosed in Patent Document 2. This is clothing that uses Peltier elements to comfortably cool or heat the wearer's body, and the heat exchange unit includes a partition plate attached to the fabric of the clothing and separating the interior and exterior of the clothing, a Peltier element attached to the partition plate, a first heat conduction member provided on the interior side of the clothing of the partition plate and conducting heat from one surface of the Peltier element, a first fan that diffuses air that has exchanged heat at the first heat conduction member into the interior of the clothing, a second heat conduction member provided on the exterior side of the clothing of the partition plate and conducting heat from the other surface of the Peltier element, and a second fan that expels air that has exchanged heat at the second heat conduction member to the exterior of the clothing.

[0006] Another such device is the air conditioning unit and clothing equipped with it disclosed in Patent Document 3. This uses Peltier elements to comfortably cool or heat the wearer's body, and the heat exchange plate comes into direct or indirect contact with the area from between the shoulder blades to the waist, allowing for efficient cooling or heating of that area.

[0007] This air conditioning unit and the clothing equipped with it are capable of efficiently cooling or heating the user's body by utilizing a Peltier element, and the air conditioning unit for cooling or heating the user's body comprises a Peltier element, a metal plate joined to one side of the Peltier element, a metal heat exchange plate that is larger in area than the metal plate and is placed on the body side while joined to the metal plate, a heat sink placed on the other side of the Peltier element, a fan placed opposite the heat sink and that releases heat from the heat sink to the outside, and a fan cover attached to cover the heat sink and fan.

[0008] In particular, when an air conditioning unit is attached to clothing for cooling purposes in the summer, the skin temperature is approximately 33°C, while the metal heat exchange plate is often lower than the skin temperature. Therefore, when wearing the clothing, the user can feel a certain level of coolness when the body comes into contact with the heat exchange plate. However, the coolness felt when wearing the clothing is temporary; if the Peltier element is not activated, the heat exchange plate will gradually rise to the same temperature as the skin temperature. On the other hand, if the Peltier element is activated immediately after wearing the clothing, the Peltier element begins to cool the heat exchange plate before the heat exchange plate begins to rise. This prevents the heat exchange plate from rising. In other words, when used for cooling purposes in the summer, the Peltier element simply absorbs heat from the heat exchange plate to prevent the heat exchange plate from rising. Therefore, the above-mentioned air conditioning unit has the advantage of providing a cool feeling to the user from the time of wearing the clothing without increasing the power consumption of the Peltier element, and furthermore, maintaining that cool feeling for a long period of time.

[0009] Another such device is the Refrigerated Suit (registered trademark) disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1. This device has a fan attached to a fan mounting hole on the back of the vest, and obtains a cooling effect through the heat of vaporization by taking in outside air, and a flat plate that is cooled using Peltier element technology and is separate from the fan is placed in close contact with the user's back, continuously cooling the back at a temperature 15 degrees below ambient temperature.

[0010] One such device is the Peltier-type rapid cooling fan disclosed in Non-Patent Document 2. This device was developed by the applicant of the present invention and is configured so that the fan of the fan cooling unit takes in outside air through the intake holes of the housing and releases it to the body through the exhaust holes of the housing. The Peltier cooling unit has a cooling plate on the body-facing side and a heat sink on the intake side, sandwiching a Peltier element between them. The outside air taken in by the fan dissipates heat from the heat sink, and the cooling plate is cooled by the Peltier element. The cooling plate is also configured to bulge out from the housing toward the body.

[0011] Therefore, by combining the fan device and the fan device wear, when the user is not moving, the force of the outside air that has been taken in and released onto the body causes the fan device to move to compensate for the deflection of the fan device wear, causing the cooling plate to move away from the body and become cool, thereby indirectly cooling the body; when the user moves, the deflection decreases and the fan device moves towards the body against the force of the outside air being released onto the body, causing the cooling plate to come into direct contact with the body and cool it; and when the user is not moving, the cooling plate moves away from the body and becomes cool, so the cooling sensation can be maintained even with continuous use. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0012] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2023-21758 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2020-97799 [Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-63478 [Non-patent literature]

[0013] [Non-Patent Document 1] "Refrigerated Clothing 2" [Retrieved March 3, 2024], Internet: https: / / www.thanko.jp / view / item / 000000004137 [Non-patent document 2] Peltier-type rapid cooling fan "Cross-fan X" [Retrieved March 3, 2024], Internet: https: / / www.makuake.com / project / cross-fan / Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] However, the technology described in Patent Document 1 has the disadvantage that, although it can cool the body by evaporating sweat from the body by circulating a large amount of outside air taken in by the fan device, it cannot cool the body any further.

[0015] Furthermore, the technology described in Patent Document 2 can diffuse the heat-exchanged air inside the garment using a fan, but cannot take in outside air. Therefore, even if sweat evaporates from the body, the humid air cannot be released to the outside, which means that the cooling effect of sweat evaporation cannot be expected, which is an inconvenience.

[0016] Furthermore, in the technology described in Patent Document 3, when an air conditioning unit is attached to clothing for cooling purposes in the summer, the fan is configured to release heat from the heat sink to the outside, but is not configured to take in outside air, so when cooling the user's body, there is the inconvenience that the fan cannot evaporate the sweat from the body and cool the user's body with the latent heat of evaporation.

[0017] Furthermore, the technology described in Non-Patent Document 1 involves placing a flat plate in close contact with the user's back to continuously cool the back, as described in Non-Patent Document 1. However, when the Peltier element is first activated, even though there is a large temperature difference between the plate and the outside air temperature, the body is a large heat-generating body, and if the Peltier element is used continuously while being placed in close contact with the back, the temperature difference between the heat exchange plate and the body becomes smaller, even when cooled by the Peltier element, and the initial cooling sensation is gradually lost, which is an inconvenience.

[0018] Furthermore, in the technology described in Non-Patent Document 2, the size of the heat sink is small, and there is a limit to the heat dissipation of the heat generated by the Peltier element, and there is also a limit to the cooling of the cooling plate, which is an inconvenience.

[0019] An object of the present invention is to provide a cooling device for clothing having a cooling section using a Peltier element that can efficiently dissipate heat generated by the Peltier element. [Means for solving the problem]

[0020] In order to solve the above problems, the present invention employs the following configuration.

[0021] The present invention relates to a cooling device having a Peltier cooling section equipped with a Peltier element and a fan cooling section equipped with a fan. The cooling device for clothing is configured to cool the inside of the clothing using a Peltier cooling unit equipped with a Peltier element, and the cooling device has a fan cooling unit configured to dissipate heat from the Peltier element using at least a fan, and the cooling device has a fan guard unit that protects the fan's intake or exhaust holes to prevent fingers from getting stuck, and is configured to be used as a heat sink for dissipating heat from the Peltier element by making the fan guard unit out of a metal with good thermal conductivity.

[0022] The Peltier cooling unit has a cooling plate that is cooled by a Peltier element, and the cooling device is configured to cool the user's body by bringing the cooling plate into contact with the user's body or by generating cool air inside the clothing using the cooling plate.

[0023] The cooling device is configured to be attachable to a user's clothing, and is configured to draw air into the clothing using the fan cooling unit to evaporate sweat from the user's body, thereby achieving a cooling effect through the heat of vaporization, and to cool the user's body using the Peltier cooling unit.The cooling device has a housing unit with an attachment unit for attaching the fan unit to the clothing, and the housing unit holds the fan cooling unit and the Peltier cooling unit.The housing unit has an intake hole and an exhaust hole, and is configured so that the fan of the fan cooling unit draws air in through the intake hole and releases the air into the clothing through the exhaust hole.

[0024] The exhaust hole has an exhaust hole guard that prevents fingers and other objects from getting inside the fan device, and the exhaust hole guard has the configuration of a fan guard part, and the exhaust hole guard has a Peltier cooling part holding part that holds the Peltier cooling part, and the heat-generating side of the Peltier element of the Peltier cooling part is fixed to the Peltier cooling part holding part, so that the Peltier cooling part is configured to dissipate heat via the Peltier cooling part holding part.

[0025] The exhaust hole guard is configured to bulge out toward the exhaust side of the fan device, the Peltier cooling unit holding portion is located at approximately the top of the exhaust guard, at approximately the axis of the fan cooling unit, and a cooling plate connected to the heat absorption side of the Peltier cooling unit is provided on the exhaust side of the Peltier cooling unit.

[0026] The exhaust side of the fan cooling unit is provided with a small diameter fan that rotates together with the fan and has a smaller diameter than the fan, and is configured to send air to the intake side of the Peltier cooling unit holding unit using the small diameter fan.

[0027] The Peltier cooling unit is also characterized by having heat dissipation fins on the intake side of the Peltier cooling unit holder.

[0028] The cooling plate is also characterized in that it is provided at a position recessed one step from approximately the top of the exhaust guard.

[0029] The fan device is also connected by a connection cable and has a controller that supplies power to the fan device, and the controller has a control unit that switches the driving capacity of the battery, fan cooling unit, and Peltier cooling unit, and is configured to be PWM driven under the control of the control unit.

[0030] The intake hole is also constructed in a roughly mesh-like shape and has an intake hole guard to prevent fingers or other objects from getting inside the fan device, and the intake hole guard has an operation indicator at approximately the center that displays the operating status of the fan device.

[0031] The mounting portion for attaching the fan unit to clothing is composed of a main body mounting portion formed on the intake side of the housing portion and a mounting ring, and the main body mounting portion has a main body cylindrical portion having a male thread portion on its outer surface located on the outer periphery of the intake hole guard, and a main body flange portion formed on the exhaust side of the main body cylindrical portion, and the mounting ring has a ring cylindrical portion having a female thread portion on its inner surface, and a ring flange portion formed on the exhaust side of the ring cylindrical portion.The fan unit is configured to be attached to clothing by inserting the main body cylindrical portion from the back side of the clothing into a mounting hole provided in the clothing and screwing the ring cylindrical portion of the mounting ring into the main body cylindrical portion exposed on the surface of the clothing, thereby clamping the mounting hole between the main body flange portion and the ring flange portion. [Effects of the Invention]

[0032] According to the present invention, since it has the above-mentioned characteristics, the following becomes possible.

[0033] A cooling device for clothing configured to cool the inside of clothing using a Peltier cooling unit equipped with a Peltier element, the cooling device having a fan cooling unit configured to dissipate heat from the Peltier element using at least a fan, the cooling device having a fan guard unit that prevents fingers from getting into the fan's intake or exhaust holes, and by making the fan guard unit out of a metal with good thermal conductivity, the fan guard unit is configured to be used as a heat sink for dissipating heat from the Peltier element, making it possible to efficiently dissipate heat from the Peltier element.

[0034] The Peltier cooling section has a cooling plate cooled by a Peltier element, and the cooling device is configured to cool the user's body by bringing the cooling plate into contact with the user's body or by generating cool air inside the clothing using the cooling plate, thereby making it possible to efficiently cool the inside of the clothing.

[0035] The cooling device is configured to be attachable to a user's clothing, and the cooling device has a configuration in which the fan cooling unit draws air into the clothing, evaporating sweat from the user's body and achieving a cooling effect through the latent heat of vaporization, and the Peltier cooling unit cools the user's body.The cooling device has a housing unit with an attachment unit for attaching the fan unit to the clothing, and the housing unit holds the fan cooling unit and Peltier cooling unit.The housing unit has an intake hole and an exhaust hole, and the fan of the fan cooling unit draws air in through the intake hole and releases the air into the clothing through the exhaust hole, making it possible to cool the user's body through the latent heat of vaporization.

[0036] In addition, the exhaust hole has an exhaust hole guard that prevents fingers and other objects from getting inside the fan device, and the exhaust hole guard has the configuration of a fan guard portion, and the exhaust hole guard has a Peltier cooling portion holding portion that holds the Peltier cooling portion, and the heat-generating side of the Peltier element of the Peltier cooling portion is fixed to the Peltier cooling portion holding portion so that the Peltier cooling portion dissipates heat via the Peltier cooling portion holding portion.As a result, heat from the Peltier element is dissipated by the exhaust hole guard inside the clothing, and the Peltier cooling portion is held by the exhaust hole guard, making it possible to dissipate heat efficiently.

[0037] In addition, the exhaust guard is configured to bulge out towards the exhaust side of the fan device, and the Peltier cooling unit holding part is located at approximately the top of the exhaust guard, at approximately the axis of the fan cooling unit, and a cooling plate connected to the heat absorption side of the Peltier cooling unit is provided on the exhaust side of the Peltier cooling unit, so that the cooling plate can be positioned close to the body, making it possible to cool the body effectively.

[0038] In addition, the exhaust side of the fan cooling unit has a small diameter fan that rotates together with the fan and has a smaller diameter than the fan, and the small diameter fan is configured to send air to the intake side of the Peltier cooling unit holding unit, making it possible to send air to the intake side of the Peltier cooling unit holding unit and cool it.

[0039] Furthermore, since the Peltier cooling unit holder has heat dissipation fins on the intake side, the Peltier cooling unit holder can be cooled efficiently by the heat dissipation fins.

[0040] Furthermore, since the cooling plate is provided at a position recessed from approximately the top of the exhaust guard, the cooling plate can be more easily brought into contact with and separated from the user's body.

[0041] In addition, the fan device is connected by a connection cable and has a controller that supplies power to the fan device, and the controller has a control unit that switches the driving capacity of the battery, fan cooling unit, and Peltier cooling unit, and the fan cooling unit and Peltier cooling unit are configured to be PWM driven under the control of the control unit, making it possible to drive the fan cooling unit and Peltier cooling unit efficiently and with low power consumption.

[0042] In addition, the intake hole is configured in a roughly mesh-like shape and has an intake hole guard to prevent fingers and other objects from getting inside the fan device, and the intake hole guard has an operation indicator in the approximate center that displays the operating status of the fan device, so that the operating status of the fan device can be seen from the outside.

[0043] The mounting portion for mounting the fan device has a main body mounting portion and a mounting ring formed on the intake side of the housing portion, and the main body mounting portion has a main body cylindrical portion having a male thread portion on its outer surface located on the outer periphery of the intake hole guard, and a main body flange portion formed on the exhaust side of the main body cylindrical portion, and the mounting ring has a ring cylindrical portion having a female thread portion on its inner surface, and a ring flange portion formed on the exhaust side of the ring cylindrical portion.The main body cylindrical portion is inserted into the mounting hole provided in the air-cooled clothing from the back side of the air-cooled clothing, and the ring cylindrical portion of the mounting ring is screwed into the main body cylindrical portion exposed on the surface of the air-cooled clothing, thereby clamping the mounting hole between the main body flange portion and the ring flange portion, thereby making it easy to mount the fan device to the air-cooled clothing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0044] [Figure 1] 1A and 1B are schematic diagrams illustrating an example of use of the fan device of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a perspective view showing a combination of the fan device of the present invention and wear 100. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fan device according to the present invention; [Figure 4] 1 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fan device according to the present invention; [Figure 5] 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a fan device according to the present invention; [Figure 6] 1 is a cross-sectional view showing a configuration of a fan device according to the present invention. [Figure 7] 1A to 1C are six-sided views illustrating the configuration of a fan device according to the present invention in a design manner. [Figure 8] 1A to 1C are six-sided views showing the main parts of a fan device according to the present invention in a design diagram form. [Figure 9] 1A to 1C are six-sided views showing the main parts of a fan device according to the present invention in a design diagram form. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0045] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In the following explanation, when a user's body is cooled by a fan device attached to the fan device wear, the direction of the user's body will be referred to as the exhaust side or body side, and the opposite direction will be referred to as the intake side.

[0046] Here, the fan device 1 (cooling device) of the present invention is attached so as to cover an attachment hole (attachment hole) provided in the wear 100 (clothing), and is configured so that the fan device draws in and takes in outside air into the fan device wear, evaporating sweat from the user's body to cool the body, and also cooling the body with a Peltier cooling unit 8 (Peltier cooling unit) equipped with a Peltier element 82 (Peltier element). The fan device 1 of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0047] An embodiment of a fan device 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a schematic view from the back of a user (user) U wearing a garment 100 equipped with a fan device 1, and FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the combination of the fan device 1 of the present invention and the garment 100.

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the wear 100 is roughly in the shape of a long-sleeved work uniform that covers the upper body of the user U, and the lower end of the wear 100 is configured to fit snugly around the waist of the user U using rubber or the like. The wear 100 is made of a fabric with low breathability. Near the lower end of the wear 100, near the left and right sides of the waist slightly toward the back of the user U, attachment holes (not shown) are provided, and fan units 1, 1 are attached to cover these attachment holes. The outside air drawn in by the fan units 1, 1 inflates the wear 100, allowing the outside air to circulate inside the wear 100, evaporating sweat from the user U's body and cooling the body, and is then expelled from the neck and cuffs.

[0049] 2, a connection cable (connection cable) from a controller (controller) C with a built-in power supply (battery) is connected to the fan devices 1, 1, and power etc. is supplied to the fan devices 1, 1 via the connection cable. The controller C has a control unit (controller) (not shown) that controls the fan devices 1, 1 and drives the fan devices 1, 1 with PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) so as to adjust the cooling capacity of the fan devices 1, 1. Here, each of the fan devices 1, 1 may be equipped with a power source such as a battery so that they can operate independently without the controller C, or the control unit and power supply unit may be separated and configured separately.

[0050] Next, the configuration of the fan device 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 shows the external appearance of the fan device 1, where (A) is a perspective view seen from the exhaust side and (B) is a perspective view seen from the intake side, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the state before the fan device 1 is attached to the wear 100.

[0051] As shown in Figures 3(A)(B) and 4, fan device 1 has an attachment ring 2 (attachment portion) (attachment ring) and fan device main body 3, and attachment ring 2 is configured to be detachable from the intake side of fan device main body 3. Fan device main body 2 has a main body tubular portion 4 (housing portion) configured in a substantially cylindrical shape, and a main body control portion 5 that bulges out laterally from main body tubular portion 4. The intake side and exhaust side of main body tubular portion 4 respectively have an intake guard portion 6 (attachment portion) (main body attachment portion) and an exhaust guard portion 7 (fan guard portion) (exhaust hole guard) configured in a substantially mesh-like shape to prevent fingers and the like from getting inside fan device 1.

[0052] As shown in Figure 3(A), the exhaust guard section 7 has an exhaust hole 72 (exhaust hole) covered with a roughly mesh-like exhaust guard 71 that bulges out toward the exhaust side, and the exhaust side surface of the cooling plate 81 (cooling plate) of the Peltier cooling section 8 is fixed to the top so that it is one step recessed from the top. The main body control unit 5 has a generally flat box shape and includes a connection plug 51 for connecting a connection cable from the controller C and a drive printed circuit board (not shown).

[0053] FIG. 4 shows the state in which the mounting ring 2 has been removed from FIG. 3(B). 3(B) and 4, the intake guard portion 6 has an intake hole 62 (intake hole) covered with a substantially mesh-like intake guard 61 (intake guard) on the intake side, and an intake cylindrical portion 63 (main body cylindrical portion) and an intake flange portion 64 (main body flange portion) are formed on the exhaust side of the outer periphery of the intake guard 61. In addition, the outer periphery of the intake cylindrical portion 63 has a male thread portion 65 (male thread portion). And, an operation indicator 66 (operation indicator) that indicates the operating state of the fan device 1 is provided in the center of the intake guard 61.

[0054] 4, the mounting ring 2 has a thin cylindrical shape and includes a ring cylindrical portion 22 (ring cylindrical portion) with a female thread portion 21 (female thread portion) on its inner peripheral surface, and a ring flange portion 23 (ring flange portion) is provided on the exhaust side of the ring cylindrical portion 21. In addition, the outer periphery of the ring cylindrical portion 21 has a plurality of protrusions that protrude in the outer periphery direction, and a ring grip portion 24 is formed on which fingers can be hooked to rotate the mounting ring 2.

[0055] As shown in Figure 4, the intake cylindrical portion 63 protrudes toward the intake side, so when the intake cylindrical portion 63 is fitted into the mounting hole of the garment 100 from the back side of the garment 100, the intake cylindrical portion 63 appears on the front side of the garment 100. When the mounting ring 2 is screwed onto the intake cylindrical portion 63, the garment 100 is sandwiched between the intake flange portion 64 and the ring flange portion 23. That is, with the fan device main body 3 temporarily fixed to the garment 100, the mounting is completed by rotating and screwing the mounting ring 2, which makes it easy to mount the fan device 1 to the garment 100.

[0056] Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the fan device main body 4, and Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the fan device 1 attached to the wear 100, taken along the line AA in Fig. 3(A). That is, Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the fan device 1 taken along a plane including the axis of the fan device 1, as viewed from a certain direction of the main body control unit 5, and is only a schematic view for the purpose of explanation. 5 and 6, the fan device 1 has a Peltier cooling unit 8 having a Peltier element 82 on the exhaust side, and a fan cooling unit 9 inside. For the sake of explanation, in Fig. 6, the fan cooling unit 9 is not shown in cross section, but a side view of only the main essential parts is shown, and the configuration of the mounting part of the fan cooling unit 9 is also omitted.

[0057] The internal configuration of the fan device 1 and the fan device main body 3 will be described in detail below with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, an intake guard part 6 is attached to the intake side of the cylindrical main body part 4 so as to be integrated with it. In addition, four cylindrical main body part attachment parts 41, 41, 41, 41 are provided protruding from the exhaust side of the cylindrical main body part 4 so as to allow an exhaust guard part 7 to be attached.

[0058] The exhaust guard 7 is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity such as aluminum die-cast, and has a square recessed Peltier storage section 73 (Peltier cooling section holding section) formed at the top on the exhaust side, configured to store the Peltier cooling section 8. In addition, four exhaust guard mounting sections 74, 74, 74, 74 are provided in the center of the exhaust guard 71, each with a through hole opened in a direction parallel to the axis.

[0059] The fan cooling unit 9 has a motorized fan unit 91 and a fan fixing unit 92. The fan fixing unit 92 has four fan mounting units 93, each with a through-hole opened in a direction parallel to the axis. The motorized fan unit 91 has a large-diameter fan 94 (fan) on the intake side of the fan fixing unit 92 and a small-diameter fan 95 (small-diameter fan) on the exhaust side.

[0060] The Peltier cooling unit 8 has a cooling plate 81, a Peltier element 82, a Peltier heat insulating frame 83, and a Peltier holding frame 84. A square, flat, one-step recessed Peltier element storage recess 75 is provided in the center of the Peltier storage unit 73 of the exhaust guard unit 7. The Peltier element 82 has a thin, approximately square box shape with a predetermined thickness, and the heat dissipation portion of the Peltier element 82 is configured to be completely stored in the Peltier element storage recess 75.

[0061] The Peltier element 82 housed in the Peltier element housing recess 75 is surrounded by a square frame-shaped Peltier heat insulating frame 83 made of resin, and a cooling plate 81 is placed on the heat absorbing part of the Peltier element 82. Then, a Peltier holding frame 84 made of resin is fitted around the cooling plate 81 and the Peltier heat insulating frame 83.

[0062] At the four corners of the Peltier holder frame 84, holder frame mounting parts 85, 85, 85, 85 that protrude toward the intake side are provided, and each has a hole (not shown) that extends from the intake side to the exhaust side in a direction parallel to the axis. Four tapping screws (not shown) are inserted in order through holes in the fan mounting parts 93, 93, 93, 93 and the exhaust guard mounting parts 74, 74, 74, 74, and then screwed into the holes in the holder frame mounting parts 85, 85, 85, 85 to join them together.

[0063] In this way, the fan cooling unit 9 and the Peltier cooling unit 8 are fixed to the exhaust guard unit 7. The fan cooling unit 9 is held in the hollow portion inside the fan device main body 3, and the Peltier element 82 is pressed against the Peltier element accommodating recess 75 of the exhaust guard unit 7 via the cooling plate 81, and is brought into close contact with it.

[0064] The heat absorption side of the Peltier element 82 and the cooling plate 81, and the heat dissipation side and the Peltier element storage recess 75 are tightly attached to each other, and heat conductive grease such as silicone grease is applied, so that the cooling plate 81 is efficiently cooled and heat is dissipated from the exhaust guard part 7. In other words, the Peltier cooling part 8 is configured to use the exhaust guard part 7, which is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, as a heat sink for heat dissipation. In addition, the heat absorption side of the Peltier element 82 and the cooling plate 81 are separated from the Peltier storage part 73 by a Peltier insulation frame 83 and a Peltier holding frame 84, so that the Peltier element 82 is insulated from the exhaust guard part 7.

[0065] Here, the large amount of outside air taken in by the large-diameter fan 94 efficiently cools the exhaust guard portion 7. However, the inventors discovered that the airflow from the large-diameter fan 94 does not reach the central portion of the exhaust side of the large-diameter fan 94 easily, so the air does not move and becomes like an air pocket, which prevents the central portion of the Peltier element 82 from being sufficiently cooled. In this state, the central portion on the heat-dissipating side of the Peltier element 82 does not dissipate heat sufficiently, so it generates a lot of heat, and as a result, the cooling plate 81 cannot be sufficiently cooled. In this embodiment, this problem is solved by adding a new configuration, which will be explained below.

[0066] 5 and 6, the fan cooling unit 9 has a small diameter fan 95 that rotates coaxially with the large diameter fan 94 and is provided on the exhaust side of the center of the large diameter fan 94. The wind generated by the small diameter fan 95 eliminates air pockets and other such phenomena. Furthermore, heat dissipation fins 76 (heat dissipation fins) consisting of many protrusions are provided on the intake side surface of the Peltier storage unit 73, enabling efficient cooling.

[0067] By configuring and cooling in this way, the heat generated at the center of the Peltier element 82 was greatly reduced, and the temperature on the heat dissipation side of the Peltier element 82 was lowered, which made it possible to significantly reduce the cooling temperature on the heat absorption side. As a result, the temperature of the cooling plate 81 was successfully reduced to approximately -30 degrees compared to the ambient temperature.

[0068] The Peltier cooling unit 8, fan cooling unit 9, and operation display unit 66 are wired to the main body control unit 5 and are driven by power supplied to them. The main body control unit 5 is connected to the controller C via a USB Type-C cable and is controlled by the control unit of the controller C. The Peltier cooling unit 8 and fan cooling unit 9 are driven by a PWM drive circuit on a drive printed circuit board (not shown) built into the main body control unit 5, and are each configured to be able to switch output between nine levels. This makes it possible to fine-tune the drive state to suit the environment in which the fan device 1 is used, and the PWM drive also enables power-saving drive.

[0069] Additionally, the operation indicator 66 provided in the center of the intake guard 6 is configured here to light up a mark such as an appropriate logo when the fan device 1 is operating, thereby indicating that the fan device 1 is operating. However, it goes without saying that the operation indicator 66 may be configured to display not only a mark but also detailed operating states such as the output states of the Peltier cooling unit 8 and the fan cooling unit 9. In this way, the operating state of the fan device 1 can be checked externally without removing the controller C from the wearable device 100.

[0070] Figures 7 to 9 are design drawings of the fan device 1, with Figure 7 showing the state when the mounting ring 2 is attached to the fan device main body 3, and Figures 8 and 9 showing the fan device main body 3 and the mounting ring 2 when the mounting ring 2 has been removed, respectively. That is, Figures 7 to 9 are six-sided views that represent the design of the main body control unit 5 positioned downward as viewed from the exhaust side, with (A) representing a front view, (B) a rear view, (C) a top view, (D) a bottom view, (E) a left side view, and (F) a right side view. Here, in FIG. 7(B) and FIG. 8(B), the mark of the operation indicator 66 provided in the center is a design drawing, and therefore is not shown in the drawings.

[0071] Now, the type of cooling sensation that the user U experiences when wearing the wearable garment 100 equipped with the fan device 1 of this embodiment will be described below. The first effect is the cooling effect due to the latent heat of vaporization, the second is the cooling effect due to the cold air, and the third is the cooling effect due to contact. Each of these effects will be explained in order below.

[0072] First, the cooling effect due to the latent heat of vaporization is a conventional effect in which the flow of air pushed out from the fan device 1 evaporates sweat from the body of the user U, cooling the body by the latent heat of vaporization. The fan device 1 of this embodiment has a more powerful configuration than conventional devices, but in any case, there is a limit to the cooling effect due to the latent heat of vaporization.

[0073] Next, let's look at the cooling effect of the cool air. This seems contradictory at first glance. In the fan device 1 of this embodiment, the air taken in by the fan device 1 dissipates heat from the Peltier element 82, cooling the cooling plate 81. In this way, the air is warmed by the heat dissipation and cooled by the cooling, so on average, it does not become cool air and no cooling effect is produced.

[0074] In developing the fan device 1, the inventor had various people try it out. Just like fan-equipped clothing with ice packs, after about 30 minutes of wearing it, the device gradually cools down, and the whole body feels cool. The air inside also feels cool around the neck, where it is blown out. This is a clear difference compared to cooling caused by evaporative cooling alone. This is what everyone said.

[0075] The inventors believe that this is due to the following: The cooling plate 81 is powerfully cooled, turning the air in contact with the cooling plate 81 into cool air. The cooling plate 81 is located in the center of the exhaust hole 72, and the exhaust guard 71 bulges out toward the body, so the cooling plate 81 is located close to the body. The fan device 1 is an axial fan, and the air in the center of the ejected air flow is mainly cooled by the cooling plate 81 to become cool air. The ejected air flow hits the body, and the cool air in the center forms a layer of air close to the body, circulating along the body between the garment 100 and the body of the user U.

[0076] As a result, the cold air cooled by the cooling plate 81 becomes the center of the layered air flowing along the body, and spreads along the body. After a short time, the layer of cold air covers the entire body of the user U and is expelled from the collar, cuffs, etc. In this way, the user U is supposed to receive the cooling effect of the cold air. In any case, the fan device 1 of this embodiment certainly allows the user to obtain the cooling effect of cool air.

[0077] Finally, the cooling effect due to contact will be described. Here, although it is called "contact," the cooling plate 81 does not always contact the body of the user U, so this will be described in detail. When the fan unit 1 is turned on, the force of the fan unit 1 emitting air toward the body causes the wearable wear 100 to bend, causing the fan unit 1 to move upwards from the body. This causes the cooling plate 81 to move away from the body, which is a large heat source, and is sufficiently cooled by the Peltier element 82, producing a cooling effect with cool air. At this point, the air is cooled and condensation forms on the cooling plate 81.

[0078] When the user U moves their body by raising their arms or twisting their torso, the bending is pulled by the movement of the body and decreases, causing the fan device 1 to move toward the body against the force of the outside air being released toward the body. As a result, the sufficiently cooled cooling plate 81 comes into contact with the body, providing the user U with a great feeling of coolness. Note that the user U wears the wear 100 over underwear or the like, and when the user U moves, condensation on the cooling plate 81 adheres to the underwear or the like worn by the user U and evaporates with the air that is drawn in, providing the user U with an even greater feeling of coolness.

[0079] When the user U stops moving, the fan device 1 again rises up and separates from the body, and the cooling plate 81 is quickly cooled by the inherent cooling power of the Peltier element 82. When the user U moves again, the sufficiently cooled cooling plate 81 comes into contact with the body, providing a cool, refreshing sensation. Therefore, the cool, refreshing sensation can be maintained even with continued use.

[0080] As shown in FIG. 6, the cooling plate 81 is provided at a position recessed from the top of the exhaust guard portion 7, so that the cooling plate 81 can be easily separated from the body of the user U. As described above, when the user U wears the wear 100 equipped with the fan device 1, the user U can obtain the cooling effect of the heat of vaporization, the cooling effect of the cool air, and the cooling effect of contact.

[0081] In this embodiment, the shape of the wearable garment 100 is that of a long-sleeved work uniform that covers the upper body of the user U, but it is not limited to this. It is of course possible for the wearable garment to be short-sleeved or sleeveless. It is also possible for the wearable garment to be in the shape of any of the various fan-equipped garments currently available on the market.

[0082] The present invention can also be expressed as a higher concept as follows. A cooling device having a Peltier cooling section with a Peltier element and a fan cooling section with a fan, wherein the fan cooling section is configured to dissipate heat from the Peltier element using the fan, and the cooling device has a fan guard section that protects the fan's intake or exhaust holes to prevent fingers from getting stuck, and the fan guard section is made of a metal with good thermal conductivity so that it can be used as a heat sink for dissipating heat from the Peltier element.

[0083] And we can continue like this: The cooling device is a cooling device that cools the body of a user, characterized in that the Peltier cooling unit has a cooling plate that is cooled by a Peltier element, and the cooling device is configured to cool the body of the user by bringing the cooling plate into contact with the body of the user or by generating cold air using the cooling plate.

[0084] In other words, the present invention can be applied to various cooling devices used around the world, such as wine coolers that use Peltier elements. The fan guard is where the wind passes through and has a large surface area. If this is made of metal and acts as a heat sink to dissipate heat from the Peltier element, it will be effective and also reduce the number of parts.

[0085] The fan device of the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above and shown in the drawings, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the user U performs work has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can be conveniently used when engaging in leisure activities such as cycling and fishing, sports, etc. [Explanation of symbols]

[0086] U user C Controller 1 Fan unit 2 Mounting rings 21 Female thread 22 Ring cylindrical part 23 Ring flange 24 Ring Clue Section 3 Fan unit body 4. Main body cylindrical part 41 Main body cylindrical part mounting part 5 Main unit control section 6 Intake guard 61 Intake guard 62 Intake hole 63 Intake cylinder part 64 Intake flange 65 Male thread 66 Operation indicator 7 Exhaust guard 71 Exhaust guard 72 Exhaust hole 73 Peltier storage unit 74 Exhaust guard mounting part 75 Peltier element storage recess 76 Heat dissipation fin 8 Peltier cooling unit 81 Cooling plate 82 Peltier element 83 Peltier insulation frame 84 Peltier holding frame 9 Fan cooling section 91 Motorized fan section 92 Fan fixing part 93 Exhaust guard mounting part 94 Large diameter fan 95 small diameter fan 100 wear

Claims

1. A cooling device for clothing configured to cool the inside of clothing by a Peltier cooling unit including a Peltier element, the cooling device has a fan cooling unit configured to dissipate heat from the Peltier element using at least a fan, the cooling device has a fan guard portion that prevents fingers from getting into an intake hole or an exhaust hole of the fan, By making the fan guard portion out of a metal with good thermal conductivity, the fan guard portion can be used as a heat sink for dissipating heat from the Peltier element. A cooling device for clothing.

2. the Peltier cooling unit has a cooling plate cooled by the Peltier element, The cooling device is configured to cool the user's body by bringing the cooling plate into contact with the user's body or by generating cool air inside the clothing using the cooling plate.

2. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 1.

3. The cooling device is configured to be attachable to clothing of the user, the cooling device has a configuration in which the fan cooling unit draws air into the clothing to evaporate sweat from the user's body, thereby obtaining a cooling effect by the heat of vaporization, and the Peltier cooling unit cools the user's body, the cooling device has a housing portion having a mounting portion for mounting the fan device to the clothing; the fan cooling unit and the Peltier cooling unit are held by the housing unit, the housing portion has the intake hole and the exhaust hole, The fan of the fan cooling unit is configured to take in air through the intake hole and release the air into the clothing through the exhaust hole.

3. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 2.

4. The exhaust hole has an exhaust hole guard to prevent fingers or the like from getting inside the fan device, The exhaust hole guard has the configuration of the fan guard portion, the exhaust hole guard has a Peltier cooling portion holding portion that holds the Peltier cooling portion, The heat-generating side of the Peltier element of the Peltier cooling unit is fixed to the Peltier cooling unit holder, and the Peltier cooling unit is configured to dissipate heat via the Peltier cooling unit holder.

4. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 3.

5. the exhaust hole guard is configured to bulge out toward the exhaust side of the fan device, the Peltier cooling unit holding portion is provided at approximately the top of the exhaust guard and at a position approximately at the axis of the fan cooling unit, The cooling plate is connected to the heat absorption side of the Peltier cooling unit on the exhaust side of the Peltier cooling unit.

5. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 4.

6. a small-diameter fan that rotates together with the fan and has a smaller diameter than the fan is provided on the exhaust side of the fan cooling unit; The small diameter fan is configured to send air to the intake side of the Peltier cooling unit holder.

6. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 5.

7. The Peltier cooling unit holding unit has heat dissipation fins on the intake side.

7. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 6.

8. The cooling plate is provided at a position recessed one step from approximately the top of the exhaust guard.

6. The cooling device for clothing according to claim 5.

9. the fan device has a controller connected to the fan device by a connection cable and supplying power to the fan device; the controller has a control unit that switches the driving capabilities of the battery, the fan cooling unit, and the Peltier cooling unit; The fan cooling unit and the Peltier cooling unit are configured to be PWM driven under the control of the control unit.

9. The cooling device according to claim 1, wherein the cooling device is a cooling device for cooling a semiconductor device.

10. The air intake hole is formed in a net shape and has an air intake hole guard to prevent fingers or the like from getting inside the fan device, The intake hole guard has an operation indicator at the center thereof that indicates the operating state of the fan device.

9. The cooling device for clothes according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

11. the attachment portion for attaching the fan device to the clothing is composed of a main body attachment portion and an attachment ring formed on the intake side of the housing portion, the main body mounting portion has a main body cylindrical portion having a male thread portion on its outer peripheral surface located on the outer periphery of the intake hole guard, and a main body flange portion formed on the exhaust side of the main body cylindrical portion, The mounting ring has a cylindrical ring portion having a female thread portion on its inner circumferential surface, and a ring flange portion formed on the exhaust side of the cylindrical ring portion, The fan unit is configured to be attached to the clothing by inserting the cylindrical main body portion into an attachment hole provided in the clothing from the back side of the clothing, and screwing the cylindrical ring portion of the attachment ring into the cylindrical main body portion exposed on the surface of the clothing, thereby sandwiching the attachment hole between the main body flange portion and the ring flange portion.

9. The cooling device for clothes according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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