Blower devices and clothing with blower function

Abstract

The present invention provides a blower that can efficiently cool the body, and clothing with a blower function that incorporates the blower into the garment. [Solution] A blower device 1 comprising a fan 2 and a case 3 housing the fan 2, wherein the case 3 has an opening 31 and a wall portion 32 facing the opening 31, and is configured to perform intake and exhaust through the opening 31.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a blower device including a fan and a case for housing the fan, and a garment with a blowing function in which the blower device is attached to the garment.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a blower device to be attached to clothes or the like worn in a high-temperature environment has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] The blower device described in Patent Document 1 includes a motor, a fan rotationally driven by the motor, and a housing that houses the motor and the fan. The housing has an intake port and an exhaust port, and is formed such that the intake port and the exhaust port face each other. This blower device is attached to an attachment hole of the clothes in a state where the intake port is disposed outside the clothes and the exhaust port is disposed inside the clothes. When the fan is rotated by driving the motor, air outside the clothes is sucked in through the intake port, and air is sent into the clothes through the exhaust port, so that the wearer can obtain a cooling effect.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004] [[ID=…]]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] This type of air blower works by blowing air onto the user's skin, causing sweat to evaporate and providing a cooling effect through the heat of vaporization. Therefore, to obtain a significant cooling effect, it is desirable to attach the air blower to clothing that comes into direct contact with the skin, such as innerwear. However, in actual work environments, users wear work clothes or other garments over their innerwear for safety reasons. In such cases, if work clothes or other garments are worn over clothing equipped with the air blower described in Patent Document 1, the air intake will be blocked by the outer garment, making it difficult for air to be blown into the clothing from the exhaust port. To prevent this, it is necessary to attach the air blower to the work clothes and wear them over innerwear, but in this case, it is anticipated that the cooling effect will be difficult to obtain because the airflow cannot be directed directly onto the user's skin.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a blower that can efficiently cool the body, and clothing with a blower function that has the blower attached to the clothing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The characteristic configuration of the blower device according to the present invention, which solves the above problems, is: A blower comprising a fan and a case for housing the fan, The case has an opening and a wall facing the opening, The device is configured to perform intake and exhaust through the aforementioned opening.

[0008] With this blower configuration, the case housing the fan has an opening and a wall opposite the opening, and is configured to draw in and exhaust air through the opening. Therefore, even if clothing is worn over the clothing to which the blower is attached, the opening is not blocked, and the intake and exhaust of air are not obstructed. Consequently, the airflow directly hits the user's skin, allowing for efficient cooling of the body.

[0009] In the blower according to the present invention, It is preferable that the fan is positioned to blow air toward the wall.

[0010] In this configuration of the blower, the fan is positioned to blow airflow toward the wall, drawing in outside air from near the center of the opening. As the drawn-in air hits the wall, airflow is blown out from near the outer edge of the opening. Therefore, it is possible to provide a blower with a simple structure that can directly direct airflow onto the user's skin and efficiently cool the body.

[0011] In the blower according to the present invention, The fan has a disc portion that serves as the center of rotation, and a plurality of blade portions provided on the outer circumference of the disc portion. The case has a fan guard in the opening, Preferably, the fan guard is formed such that at least a portion of the disc portion is exposed when viewed from the axial direction of the fan.

[0012] With this blower configuration, the fan guard is formed such that at least a portion of the disc is exposed when viewed from the axial direction of the fan, so the intake is not obstructed by the fan guard. Therefore, air drawn in from near the center of the opening can be blown out from near the outer edge of the opening, and as a result, the airflow directly hits the user's skin, allowing for efficient cooling of the body.

[0013] In the blower according to the present invention, It is preferable that the distance between the wing portion and the wall portion is 5 mm or less.

[0014] With this blower configuration, the distance between the blades and the wall is 5 mm or less, so the air is compressed between the blades and the wall, and the velocity of the airflow blown out from the opening can be maintained at a high level.

[0015] In the blower according to the present invention, In the case, it is preferable that the distance from the opening to the wall portion is 20 mm or less.

[0016] According to the blower device of this configuration, since the distance from the opening to the wall portion of the case is 20 mm or less, it becomes a thin blower device and has an excellent wearing feeling. Further, with such a thin blower device, even when worn in layers, the silhouette of the blower device is difficult to be seen from the outer clothing, and it does not interfere with the design of the outer clothing.

[0017] In the blower device according to the present invention, It is preferable that the difference between the rotation radius of the blade portion and the inner radius of the case is 1 to 5 mm.

[0018] According to the blower device of this configuration, since the difference between the rotation radius of the blade portion and the inner radius of the case is 1 to 5 mm, while avoiding the buffering between the blade portion and the case, air is compressed between the blade portion and the case, and the speed of the airflow blown out from the opening can be maintained high.

[0019] In the blower device according to the present invention, It is preferable to further include a spacer for ensuring intake and exhaust through the opening.

[0020] According to the blower device of this configuration, since it further includes a spacer, it is possible to prevent the opening from closely adhering to the user's body, and intake and exhaust through the opening can be surely performed.

[0021] In the blower device according to the present invention, It is preferable to further include an attachment portion for attaching the case to an article.

[0022] According to the blower device of this configuration, since it further includes an attachment portion, the case can be easily attached to an article.

[0023] Next, the characteristic configuration of the clothing with a blowing function according to the present invention for solving the above problems is Clothing with a blowing function in which any of the above blower devices is attached to the clothing, The opening of the blower is positioned so that it faces the user's skin.

[0024] In the garment with a ventilation function as described above, the case housing the fan of the ventilation device attached to the garment has an opening and a wall opposite the opening, and is configured to draw in and exhaust air through the opening. Therefore, even if another garment is worn over the garment with the ventilation function, the opening is not blocked, and the intake and exhaust of air are not obstructed. Consequently, the airflow directly hits the user's skin, allowing for efficient cooling of the body.

[0025] In the garment with a ventilation function according to the present invention, The garment in question is preferably an undergarment.

[0026] With this type of garment equipped with a ventilation function, since the garment is an inner garment, the airflow directly hits the skin, causing sweat to evaporate and efficiently cooling the body through evaporative cooling. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0027] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the usage state of a garment with a ventilation function, in which a ventilation device according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the garment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows a blower according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is an overall perspective view and (b) is an exploded perspective view. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a front view of the blower device of this embodiment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the usage state of a garment with a ventilation function, in which the ventilation device of this embodiment is attached to the garment. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is an overall perspective view of the blower with spacers. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0028] 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 and configurations described below or shown in the drawings. In the drawings, the shape, size, thickness, etc. of each part have been exaggerated or simplified as appropriate for the sake of clarity, and the size and thickness of each part shown in the drawings do not strictly reflect the actual size relationships (scale).

[0029] [Clothing with a built-in fan] Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the usage state of a garment 100 with a ventilation function, in which a blower device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention is attached to the garment I. In Figure 1, arrows indicate airflow. The garment 100 with a ventilation function is worn by the user to direct airflow onto the user's skin H, thereby obtaining a cooling effect. The garment 100 with a ventilation function in this embodiment is a garment I to which the blower device 1 according to the present invention, which will be described in detail later, is attached. The garment I is something that the user wears, and examples include innerwear such as tank tops, camisoles, and T-shirts that come into direct contact with the skin H. The garment 100 with a ventilation function of the present invention can be worn over other garments O such as shirts or work clothes, and is therefore particularly suitable for use as innerwear in high-temperature environments. Furthermore, by wearing another garment O such as a shirt or work clothes over the garment 100 with a ventilation function of the present invention, the silhouette of the blower device 1 becomes less visible from the outer garment O, and the noise of the blower device 1 becomes less audible, making it easy to use on a daily basis. The position and number of air blowers 1 attached to the garment I can be set as appropriate. For example, by attaching two air blowers 1 to the back of the user's garment, they can be attached to the garment I without hindering the user's movement.

[0030] [Blower] The blower device 1, for example as shown in Figure 1, is attached to the clothing I worn by the user to generate airflow, which is directed directly onto the user's skin H, and also circulates the air in the space S between the clothing I and the user's skin H. When the airflow hits the user's skin H, the sweat on the body evaporates, and the user can obtain a cooling effect from the heat of vaporization.

[0031] Figure 2 shows a blower device 1 according to one embodiment of the present invention, where (a) is an overall perspective view and (b) is an exploded perspective view. The blower device 1 comprises a fan 2 and a case 3. Furthermore, the blower device 1 optionally includes a mounting part 4. The various components of the blower device 1 will be described in detail below.

[0032] <Fan> Fan 2 is located inside case 3. Fan 2 has a disc portion 21 that serves as the center of rotation, and a plurality of blade portions 22 provided on the outer circumference of the disc portion 21. The disc portion 21 is attached to the rotating shaft 24 of a motor 23 fixed to the wall portion 32 of case 3, which will be described later. Power is supplied from a power supply unit (not shown) to operate the motor 23, and the fan 2 rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the rotating shaft 24, generating airflow. Examples of fan 2 include axial flow fans, sirocco fans, turbo fans, and mixed flow fans. Of these, an axial flow fan is preferred in terms of performance and cost.

[0033] <Case> Case 3 has an internal space and is formed by combining a case body 30 and a lid 35. As shown in Figure 2(b), the case body 30 has a shape formed by overlapping two annular members of different diameters in the direction of the central axis and integrating them, and the lid 35 is provided at the opening on one end in the direction of the central axis (the side with the larger diameter of the cylinder). Since Case 3 is worn on the body, it is preferable that it be made of a lightweight material. Examples of materials that make up Case 3 include, but are not limited to, polyethylene, polypropylene, polyethylene terephthalate, and acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene copolymer (ABS) resin.

[0034] Case 3 has an opening 31 and a wall portion 32 facing the opening 31. The opening 31 is the opening on the other end (the side with the smaller diameter of the cylinder) in the case body 30 in the direction of the central axis. The wall portion 32 is located inside the case body 30. The wall portion 32 is disc-shaped, and it is preferable that the diameter of the wall portion 32 matches the diameter of the opening 31.

[0035] Figure 3 is a front view of the blower 1 of this embodiment. As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the case 3 has a fan guard 33 in the opening 31. As shown in Figure 3, the fan guard 33 is formed such that at least a part of the disc portion 21 is exposed when viewed from the axial direction of the fan 2. In this embodiment, the fan guard 33 has a plurality of rod portions 33a, and the rod portions 33a are arranged in parallel.

[0036] Figure 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the state of use of a garment 100 with a ventilation function, in which the ventilation device 1 of this embodiment is attached to the garment I. In Figure 4, the fan guard 33 is omitted. Also in Figure 4, arrows indicate airflow, with black arrows indicating intake and white arrows indicating exhaust. Case 3 preferably has a distance d from the opening 31 to the wall portion 32 of 20 mm or less. Case 3, with a distance d of 20 mm or less from the opening 31 to the wall portion 32, has a thin ventilation device 1, resulting in a comfortable fit. Furthermore, with such a thin ventilation device 1, even when layered, the silhouette of the ventilation device 1 is not easily visible from the outer garment O, and does not interfere with the design of the outer garment O.

[0037] Furthermore, since the blower 1 is configured to draw in and exhaust air through the opening 31, even if another garment O is worn over the garment I to which the blower 1 is attached, the opening 31 is not blocked, and the intake and exhaust of air are not obstructed. Therefore, the airflow directly hits the user's skin H, and the body can be cooled efficiently.

[0038] As shown in Figure 4, it is preferable that the fan 2 is positioned to blow airflow toward the wall 32. By positioning the fan 2 to blow airflow toward the wall 32, outside air is drawn in from near the center of the opening 31, and as the drawn-in air hits the wall 32, airflow is blown out from near the outer periphery of the opening 31. Therefore, a blower device 1 can be provided that can directly apply airflow to the user's skin H with a simple structure and efficiently cool the body.

[0039] The distance l between the wing portion 22 and the wall portion 32 is preferably 5 mm or less, and more preferably 3 mm or less. By having a distance l of 5 mm or less between the wing portion 22 and the wall portion 32, the air is compressed between the wing portion 22 and the wall portion 32, and the velocity of the airflow blown out from the opening 31 can be maintained at a high level.

[0040] The difference (ba) between the rotation radius a of the blade 22 and the inner radius b of the case 3 is preferably 1 to 5 mm, and more preferably 1 to 3 mm. By having a difference (ba) of 1 to 5 mm between the rotation radius a of the blade 22 and the inner radius b of the case 3, air can be compressed between the blade 22 and the case 3 while avoiding buffering between the blade 22 and the case 3, and the velocity of the airflow blown out from the opening 31 can be maintained at a high level.

[0041] As shown in Figure 4, the case 3 has a space 36 between the wall 32 and the lid 35. The space 36 may be configured to house a power supply unit such as a mobile battery or circuit board. By configuring it in this way, wiring for supplying power to the motor 23 can be eliminated or simplified, providing a user-friendly blower 1.

[0042] <Mounting part> The mounting portion 4 is used to attach the blower device 1 (case 3) to an item. Examples of items include clothing. In this embodiment, the mounting portion 4 is a one-touch type using a magnet and has an item-side mounting portion 41 and a case-side mounting portion 42. One of the item-side mounting portion 41 and the case-side mounting portion 42 is a magnet, and the other is made of a metal plate (a material to which a magnet can adhere). In this embodiment, the item-side mounting portion 41 is annular in shape and houses a magnet inside. The case-side mounting portion 42 is an annular metal plate. The case-side mounting portion 42 is exposed on the surface of the case 3, but it may also be placed inside the case body 30. For example, the blower device 1 can be attached to an item (clothing) by attaching the item-side mounting portion 41 to a mounting hole provided in any location on the clothing I in advance, and then attaching the case 3 to the case-side mounting portion 42, and then attaching the case-side mounting portion 42 to the item-side mounting portion 41. The means for attaching the blower 1 to the garment I is not particularly limited, but for example, as shown in Figure 4, the garment-side attachment portion 41a can be attached to the inside (skin side) of the garment I, and the garment I can be attached by sandwiching it between the garment-side attachment portion 41a and the article-side attachment portion 41. In this way, by providing the attachment portion 4, the blower 1 can be easily attached to an article (garment). In this embodiment, the article-side attachment portion 41 and the case-side attachment portion 42 are formed in annular shape, but their shape is not particularly limited. Furthermore, the method of attaching the case 3 may be configured such that the article-side attachment portion 41 and the case-side attachment portion 42 engage with each other, without using magnets.

[0043] <Spacer> In conventional ventilation devices where the intake and exhaust ports are formed to face each other, it is thought that by providing spacers at both the intake and exhaust ports, it is possible to prevent the intake port from being blocked by outer clothing, such as work clothes, even when wearing work clothes or other outer clothing over clothing to which the conventional ventilation device is attached. However, the presence of spacers at both the intake and exhaust ports increases the thickness of the ventilation device, causing it to protrude and resulting in an unsightly appearance. Furthermore, if the user moves, the spacer on the intake port side may interfere with the outer clothing, and this interference is transmitted to the spacer on the exhaust port side, causing discomfort to the user and compromising working comfort. In contrast, the ventilation device 1 of the present invention is configured to perform intake and exhaust through the opening 31, so by providing a spacer only at the opening 31, the thickness of the ventilation device 1 can be reduced, and the spacer can be configured so as not to interfere with outer clothing.

[0044] Figure 5 is an overall perspective view of the blower 1 equipped with a spacer 5. The blower 1 may be equipped with a spacer 5 to ensure intake and exhaust of air through the opening 31. In this embodiment, the spacer 5 is formed in a cylindrical shape, as shown in Figure 5. The spacer 5 preferably has a thickness of at least 5 mm, and more preferably 10 mm or more. By providing the spacer 5, the opening 31 is prevented from coming into close contact with the user's body, and intake and exhaust of air through the opening 31 can be ensured. In addition, the spacer 5 has an opening 51 on its side and can generate airflow in a direction perpendicular to the axial direction of the fan 2, so the body can be cooled more efficiently.

[0045] The spacer 5 is not limited to being provided by joining it to the opening 31; for example, it may be made of a mesh-like fabric. If a mesh-like fabric is used as the spacer 5, it will have a pleasant feel against the skin and improve the wearing comfort.

[0046] [Another Embodiment 1] In the above embodiment, the case 3 had a space 36 between the wall portion 32 and the lid 35 to accommodate a power supply unit such as a mobile battery and a circuit board. However, the arrangement of the power supply unit is not limited to this, and the power supply unit may be provided outside the case 3. In this case, for example, the mobile battery housed in the pocket of clothing I and the motor 23 of the fan 2 are connected by a cable. By providing the power supply unit outside the case 3, the case 3 can be made thinner, resulting in a more comfortable fit.

[0047] [Another Embodiment 2] The item to which the blower device 1 is attached is not limited to clothing I; by attaching the blower device 1 to an item that comes into contact with a part of the user's body, the user can experience a cooling sensation. For example, the blower device 1 according to the present invention can be configured as a bag with a blower function attached to a bag. Examples of bags include backpacks and other bags in which a part of the bag comes into close contact with the user's body. When attaching a conventional blower device, which has an intake port and an exhaust port formed to face each other, to a bag, there were restrictions on the placement of the blower device in order to secure intake space. However, since the blower device 1 of the present invention is configured to perform intake and exhaust through the opening 31, it can be freely placed. Therefore, for example, by attaching the blower device 1 to the back support of a backpack, when the user wears the backpack, the stuffiness of the back support can be eliminated, and the user can experience a cooling sensation.

[0048] [Another Embodiment 3] As another example, the blower device 1 according to the present invention can be installed on a seat to form a seat with a blower function. For example, by installing the blower device 1 on a seat that is installed in a car, when a user sits on the seat, stuffiness on the seat surface and back can be eliminated, and the user can feel cool.

[0049] [Another Embodiment 4] As another example, the blower device 1 according to the present invention can be attached to bedding to create bedding with a blower function. Examples of bedding include mattress pads and mattresses. For example, by attaching the blower device 1 to the upper layer of a mattress pad or mattress, stuffiness during sleep can be eliminated, and the user can experience a cooling sensation.

[0050] The blower and garment with blower function of the present invention have been described above based on embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the configuration described in the above embodiments, and its configuration can be modified as appropriate without departing from the spirit of the invention. [Industrial applicability]

[0051] The blower and the garment with a blower function of the present invention can be used in applications where a cooling effect is obtained as needed when worn in a high-temperature environment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0052] 1. Blower 2 Fans 3 cases 4. Mounting part 5 Spacers 21 Disc section 22 feather section 31 Opening 32 Wall d Distance from the opening to the wall l Distance between the wing section and the wall section a. Radius of rotation of the wing section b. Inner radius of case 100 garments with ventilation function

Claims

1. A blower comprising a fan and a case for housing the fan, The case has an opening and a wall facing the opening, A blower configured to perform intake and exhaust through the aforementioned opening.

2. The fan is arranged to blow air toward the wall portion, according to claim 1.

3. The fan has a disc portion that serves as the center of rotation, and a plurality of blade portions provided on the outer circumference of the disc portion. The case has a fan guard in the opening, The fan guard is formed such that at least a portion of the disc portion is exposed when viewed from the axial direction of the fan, according to claim 1.

4. The blower according to claim 3, wherein the distance between the blade portion and the wall portion is 5 mm or less.

5. The blower according to claim 1, wherein the case is such that the distance from the opening to the wall portion is 20 mm or less.

6. The blower according to claim 3, wherein the difference between the rotation radius of the blade and the inner radius of the case is 1 to 5 mm.

7. The blower according to claim 1, further comprising a spacer that ensures intake and exhaust through the opening.

8. The blower according to claim 1, further comprising a mounting portion for attaching the case to an article.

9. A garment with a ventilation function, wherein a ventilation device according to any one of claims 1 to 8 is attached to the garment, A garment with a ventilation function, wherein the opening of the ventilation device is positioned on the side facing the user's skin.

10. The garment is an inner garment, as described in claim 9, with a ventilation function.

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