Air-conditioned clothing garment and air-conditioned clothing

Abstract

The present invention provides a garment and air-conditioned clothing that can effectively eliminate not only body stuffiness but also stuffiness on the wearer's head when wearing a helmet. [Solution] The garment comprises a garment portion 10 that covers at least the upper half of the user's body and is equipped with a ventilation means mounting portion for attaching a ventilation means 20 that introduces air into the interior. Above the mounting position of the ventilation means, on the upper back of the garment portion, there is a slack portion 14 formed by giving slack to the fabric of the garment portion. The slack portion is formed by arranging a plurality of slack-forming strings 141 in a vertical direction, with the vicinity of both ends of each slack-forming string connected to the garment portion on the inside of the garment portion, and by making the length between the connection points of the slack-forming strings to the garment portion shorter than the length along the garment portion between the connection points. Air introduced from below the slack portion by the ventilation means is discharged from above the slack portion at the back of the user's collar.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a clothing body of an air-conditioned garment and an air-conditioned garment.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, air-conditioned garments that evaporate sweat discharged from the body by causing a large amount of outside air to flow substantially parallel to the surface of the body or underwear have been put into practical use. A detailed description of the principle and structure of air-conditioned garments is described in detail in, for example, Patent Document 1. Also, many of the people wearing air-conditioned garments also wear helmets. In this case, wearing an air-conditioned garment eliminates the stuffiness of the body, but the stuffiness of the head when wearing a helmet cannot be eliminated.

[0003] In addition, in recent years, a device for adding a blower function to an existing work helmet that meets safety standards has been put into practical use. Such a device is configured to attach a blower to the outer edge of the helmet and send the outside air taken in by the blower into the helmet through an introduction pipe.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, the device used to add a ventilation function to the work helmet described above has the following major performance problems. Firstly, since the device is directly attached to the helmet, it is not possible to use a fan that is too large in terms of weight. As a result, it is not possible to send a large amount of air into the helmet, and the stuffiness of the head cannot be adequately relieved. Secondly, since the intake pipe is installed in the gap between the helmet and the head, the cross-sectional area of ​​the intake pipe cannot be made very large. As a result, in order to adequately ventilate the inside of the helmet, it is necessary to increase the wind speed and send a large amount of air into the helmet. However, power consumption is proportional to the square of the wind speed, so increasing the wind speed will quickly consume the battery.

[0006] The present invention was made based on the above circumstances, and aims to provide a garment body and garment for air-conditioned clothing that can sufficiently eliminate not only body stuffiness but also stuffiness on the user's head when wearing a helmet. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a garment body and an air-conditioned garment, comprising a garment portion that covers at least the upper body of the user's body and is equipped with a ventilation means mounting portion for attaching a ventilation means to introduce air into the interior, wherein a slack portion is provided on the upper back of the garment portion above the mounting position of the ventilation means, and the slack portion is formed by giving slack to the fabric of the garment portion, wherein a plurality of slack-forming strings are arranged in the vertical direction, and the vicinity of both ends of each slack-forming string is connected to the garment portion on the inside of the garment portion, and the length between the connection parts of the slack-forming strings with the garment portion is made shorter than the length along the garment portion between the connection parts, and air introduced from below the slack portion by the ventilation means is discharged from above the slack portion at the back of the user's collar.

[0008] In the air-conditioned garment according to the present invention, air is circulated inside the garment using a blowing means, causing the circulating air to evaporate sweat from the body, and the heat of vaporization during this process cools the wearer's body. Furthermore, when wearing a helmet, the inside of the helmet can be ventilated, effectively eliminating stuffiness on the wearer's head. [Effects of the Invention]

[0009] According to the air-conditioned garment body and air-conditioned garment of the present invention, the inside of the helmet can be ventilated, so stuffiness on the user's head can be sufficiently eliminated. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0010] [Figure 1] Figure 1(a) is a schematic rear view of a helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, which is a first embodiment of the present invention; Figure 1(b) is a schematic side view of the same helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment; and Figure 1(c) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the same helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment in the direction of arrow AA. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the airflow in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the air outlet in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a schematic side view showing what it looks like when a user is wearing a typical work helmet. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a schematic front view showing a modified example of the mounting means in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the first embodiment. [Figure 6] Figure 6(a) is a schematic rear view of a helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, which is a second embodiment of the present invention; Figure 6(b) is a schematic side view of the same helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment; and Figure 6(c) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the same helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment in the direction of the arrow BB. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0011] The following describes embodiments for carrying out the present invention with reference to the drawings.

[0012] [First Embodiment] First, a first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. Figure 1(a) is a schematic rear view of a helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment which is the first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1(b) is a schematic side view of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, and Figure 1(c) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment in the direction of arrow AA. Figure 2 is a diagram illustrating the airflow in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, and Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the air outlet in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment.

[0013] The helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the first embodiment can be used both when wearing a helmet and when not wearing a helmet. As shown in Figures 1, 2, and 3, this helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1 comprises a garment portion 10, two air blowing means 20, 20, an air exhaust portion 30, a power supply means (not shown), a power cable (not shown), a jetting portion 60, a guide sheet 70, and an attachment means 80 for attaching the guide sheet 70 to a helmet 110. Figure 1 shows how the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1 is used when wearing a helmet 110, and Figures 2 and 3 show how the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1 is used when not wearing a helmet.

[0014] The garment portion 10 is made of a sheet-like material with little or no breathability and is shaped to cover the upper body and arms. An elastic material, such as rubber, is attached to the hem 11 of the garment portion 10. This causes the hem 11 of the garment portion 10 to be tightened and to fit snugly against the body or underwear. A zipper (not shown) is also provided on the front of the garment portion 10 as a means of opening and closing. This zipper is used to open and close the front of the garment portion 10 when wearing it.

[0015] The air blowing means 20 draws in air from the outside to form an air passage between the garment portion 10 and the body or underwear, and forcibly creates an airflow within that air passage. The two air blowing means 20, 20 are attached to the lower part of the garment portion 10, on the left and right sides. Here, the air blowing means 20 uses a fan with a propeller.

[0016] Furthermore, an inner pocket (not shown) for storing a power supply is provided on the inside of the garment portion 10. The power supply is for supplying power to the two blower units 20, 20. As the power supply, for example, a power supply device with a built-in battery is used. The power supply and the two blower units 20, 20 are electrically connected by a power cable.

[0017] The air discharge section 30 is for discharging air circulating in the space (air passage) between the garment 10 and the body or underwear to the outside. Specifically, the cuff and neck area of ​​the garment 10 serve as the air discharge section 30.

[0018] The air-conditioned clothing 1 compatible with a helmet according to the first embodiment can be used not only when wearing a helmet but also when not wearing a helmet. When not wearing a helmet, after the user wears the clothing part 10 and closes the fastener, and then operates the two blowing means 20, 20, as shown in FIG. 2, external air is taken into the clothing part 10 from the two blowing means 20, 20. Then, the taken-in air flows upward substantially parallel to the body in the air flow path and is discharged from the neck circumference part and the cuff part which are the air discharge parts 30. While such air flows in the air flow path, it vaporizes the sweat emitted from the body, and the temperature of the body surface can be lowered by the heat of vaporization when the sweat vaporizes. Therefore, in order to enable the air-conditioned clothing 1 compatible with a helmet to function efficiently in its cooling function, it is necessary to reduce the resistance received by the air flowing in the air flow path from the air discharge part 30 and to make a large amount of air flow substantially parallel to the body. As one means for that, as shown in FIG. 3, the clothing part 10 is provided with a set of adjustment strings 13 for widening or narrowing the distance between the rear part of the user's neck and the rear part 12 of the collar of the clothing part 10. The end parts of each adjustment string 13 are attached to the inner surface of the rear part 12 of the collar of the clothing part 10. By tying the set of adjustment strings 13 and appropriately adjusting their length, the size of the opening formed between the rear part of the neck and the rear part 12 of the collar can be made appropriate. A large amount of air that has flowed in the air flow path can be jetted upward from this large opening. The opening formed between the rear part of the neck and the rear part 12 of the collar is one of the air discharge parts 30 but is also the jetting part 60 in the present invention.

[0019] When performing general work while wearing the air-conditioned clothing 1 compatible with a helmet, the length of the adjustment string 13 is adjusted to set the area of the jetting part 60 to about 10 cm 2 2. Also, the rotational speeds of the two blowing means 20, 20 are adjusted so as to take in about 20 liters / second of air from the outside into the clothing part 10. At this time, out of the about 20 liters / second of air taken in from the two blowing means 20, 20, about 12 liters / second of air is discharged from the cuff part and the front part of the neck, and the remaining about 8 liters / second of air is discharged from the jetting part 60.

[0020] Most of the people wearing the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing 1 are also helmet wearers. Therefore, if the air ejected from the ejection part 60 of the clothing part 10 can be effectively taken into the helmet, the person wearing the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing 1 can be released from the problem of helmet stuffiness. Furthermore, since the ejected air flows along the back of the neck, the back of the neck and the back of the head can also be cooled. The helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing 1 of the first embodiment is provided with a guide sheet 70 and mounting means 80, so that the air ejected upward from the ejection part 60 of the clothing part 10 can be taken into the helmet along the back of the neck. That is, this helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing 1 has a function of ventilating the inside of the helmet.

[0021] In addition, the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing 1 is designed such that the air taken into the clothing part 10 bulges the clothing part 10, and an air flow path is formed between the clothing part 10 and the body or underwear due to the bulging of the clothing part 10. Therefore, particularly at the back of the clothing part 10, air also circulates in a part that is quite far from the body, and this air does not contribute much to evaporating the sweat from the body. Therefore, the air ejected from the ejection part 60 is not much deteriorated in terms of temperature and humidity and is still in a sufficiently effective state for evaporating the sweat from the body.

[0022] The guide sheet 70 is for guiding the air ejected from the ejection part 60 along the back of the user's neck and the back of the head and leading it to the helmet 110. One end of this guide sheet 70 is connected to the back of the collar 12 of the clothing part 10. That is, the clothing part 10 and the guide sheet 70 are integrated. In fact, as shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the guide sheet 70 is such that the part covering the upper part of the head is removed from the hood provided on a raincoat or the like.

[0023] On the other hand, an attachment means 80 is attached to the tip of the guide sheet 70. This attachment means 80 is for attaching the guide sheet 70 to the helmet 110. Here, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, an elastic loop-shaped belt is used as the attachment means 80. Figure 4 is a schematic side view showing how the user looks when wearing a typical work helmet 110. As shown in Figure 4, a typical work helmet 110 has a brim 111. The loop-shaped belt, which is the attachment means 80, is fitted into the side circumference 112 along the brim 111 of the helmet 110, as shown in Figure 1(b).

[0024] Incidentally, as shown in Figure 4, the outer surface of the helmet 110 is usually marked with information 113 such as the name of the person wearing the helmet 110, the company name, and the nature of the work, and this information 113 is important for safe work practices. In the first embodiment, the width of the belt, which is the attachment means 80, is made as small as possible so that the belt does not cover the information 113 as much as possible. Specifically, the size of the belt, which is the attachment means 80, is designed so that when the attachment means 80 is attached to the helmet 110, the proportion that the attachment means 80 covers on the outer surface of the helmet 110 is at most 20% of the entire outer surface of the helmet 110.

[0025] As described above, the ejection part 60 is an opening formed between the back of the user's neck and the back of the collar 12 of the garment part 10, and the air that has been flowing through the air passage is ejected to the side of the guide sheet 70 through this ejection part 60. In the first embodiment, since the garment part 10 and the guide sheet 70 are integrated, the position of the ejection part 60 cannot be clearly identified, but by definition, the part of the garment part 10 corresponding to the back of the user's neck can be considered as the ejection part 60.

[0026] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 1, a slack portion 14 is provided in the upper back of the garment portion 10, extending from the air blowing means 20 to the air outlet 60, by creating slack in the fabric of the garment portion 10. Here, as shown in Figure 1(a), the area where the slack portion 14 is provided is a long vertically extending area in the upper back of the garment portion 10, that is, from the center of the back of the garment portion 10 to the center of the guide sheet 70. Specifically, both ends of the slack portion 14 are sewn to the garment portion 10 by five slack-forming cords 141. As a result, when outside air is drawn into the garment portion 10 by the air blowing means 20, the slack portion 14 expands outwards due to the drawn-in air.

[0027] Next, we will explain how to use the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1 when wearing the helmet 110. The user first puts on the garment 10, and then puts on the helmet 110. After that, the user lifts the guide sheet 70 of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1 so that it covers the back of the neck and the back of the head, and fits the loop-shaped belt, which is the attachment means 80, onto the side circumference 112 of the helmet 110. In this way, the user can easily attach the guide sheet 70 to the helmet 110.

[0028] When the air blowers 20, 20 are activated, outside air is drawn from the air blowers 20, 20 into the air passage of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1 and flows toward the cuff (air discharge section 30) and the ejection section 60. In the first embodiment, a slack section 14 is provided in the upper back of the garment section 10, in the portion from the air blower 20 to the ejection section 60. When the air blowers 20, 20 are activated, the slack section 14 expands, allowing a large amount of air to be collected in this slack section 14. That is, as shown in Figure 1(c), the slack section 14 becomes an air guide with a larger cross-section than the other air circulation sections. Therefore, the large amount of collected air can be guided from the slack section 14, which acts as an air guide, to the ejection section 60. Furthermore, since the guide sheet 70 is connected to the rear collar portion 12 of the garment portion 10, the large volume of air ejected from the ejection port 60 can be efficiently guided along the guide sheet 70 to the helmet 110 and introduced into the helmet 110 through the air inlet 114 (see Figure 4) formed between the inner edge of the helmet 110 and the user's head. By introducing air into the helmet 110 in this manner, the inside of the helmet 110 can be ventilated.

[0029] In the first embodiment, by providing a slack portion 14 on the upper back of the garment portion 10, a sufficiently large area can be secured for the air outlet portion 60 when the air blowing means 20, 20 are activated, so it is not necessarily required to provide an adjustment cord 13 in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1.

[0030] In the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the first embodiment, air is circulated through an air passage using a blower, causing the circulating air to evaporate sweat from the body, and the heat of vaporization during this process cools the user's body. Furthermore, by providing a guide sheet connected to the back of the collar of the garment, when wearing a helmet, the air blown out from the nozzle can be guided to the helmet along the back of the user's neck and head inside the guide sheet. As a result, the air circulating inside the guide sheet evaporates sweat from the back of the user's neck and head, cooling these areas, and the air guided to the helmet is efficiently introduced into the helmet, ventilating the inside of the helmet and effectively eliminating stuffiness on the user's head.

[0031] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, a slack section is provided in the upper back of the garment portion, extending from the air blower to the nozzle. When the air blower is activated and air is circulated through the air passage, the slack section expands, allowing a large amount of air to be collected in the slack section. This collected large amount of air can then be guided from the slack section to the nozzle, increasing the amount of air introduced into the helmet.

[0032] Furthermore, in the first embodiment, when the mounting means is attached to the helmet, the proportion of the mounting means that covers the outer surface of the helmet is at most 20% of the entire outer surface of the helmet. This avoids a situation where the mounting means completely covers any information such as the name or company name of the person wearing the helmet, which is written on the outer surface of the helmet, making it impossible for others to recognize the displayed information.

[0033] In the first embodiment, a case in which an elastic loop-shaped belt is used as the attachment means was described. However, generally, the attachment means is not limited to the above configuration, and any configuration is acceptable as long as it can be attached to the side circumference of the helmet and tighten the side circumference. Figure 5 is a schematic front view showing a modified example of the attachment means in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the first embodiment. As shown in Figure 5, the attachment means 800 of this modified example has a belt 810 arranged substantially parallel to the tip of the guide sheet 70 at the tip of the guide sheet 70, and two face fasteners 820, 820 provided at both ends of the belt 81. The belt 810 is made of transparent soft polyvinyl chloride. The soft polyvinyl chloride belt 810 conforms well to the surface of the helmet and adheres tightly, so the attachment means 800 can be securely attached to the helmet. Moreover, since the belt 810 is transparent, even if the belt 810 overlaps with the display information when the attachment means 800 is attached to the helmet, others can still recognize the display information. In this respect, it is generally desirable that the attachment means in the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the present invention be transparent.

[0034] Furthermore, as an attachment method, a guide sheet may be used that has an elastic cord provided at the tip of the guide sheet and two hooks (mutual attachment means) attached to the end of the cord. In this case, the guide sheet can be attached to the helmet by wrapping the cord around the side of the helmet and attaching the two hooks to each other. Moreover, as an attachment method, an elastic loop-shaped cord provided at the tip of the guide sheet may be used.

[0035] Furthermore, in the modified mounting method shown in Figure 5, the length of the mounting belt may be shortened. In this case, a hook-and-loop fastener is provided in advance on the side of the helmet at a position opposite to the hook-and-loop fasteners provided at both ends of the belt, and the guide sheet can be attached to the helmet by attaching the hook-and-loop fastener provided at the end of the belt to the hook-and-loop fastener provided on the helmet. Thus, the length of the mounting method does not necessarily have to be long enough to go around the entire circumference of the side of the helmet.

[0036] [Second Embodiment] Next, a helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, will be described. Figure 6(a) is a schematic rear view of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, which is a second embodiment of the present invention, Figure 6(b) is a schematic side view of the same helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment, and Figure 6(c) is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of the same helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment in the direction of the schematic arrow BB. In the second embodiment, components that have the same function as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and their detailed description is omitted.

[0037] The second embodiment of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1a, as shown in Figure 6, comprises a garment portion 10, two air blowing means 20, 20, an air exhaust portion 30, a power supply means (not shown), a power cable (not shown), a jet nozzle 60, a guide sheet 70, and an attachment means 80a for attaching the guide sheet 70 to the helmet 110. Here, a slack portion 14a is provided in the upper back portion of the garment portion 10, extending from the air blowing means 20 to the jet nozzle 60, with the fabric being slackened.

[0038] The first difference between this second embodiment of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1a and that of the first embodiment is that the attachment means 80a uses a substantially hemispherical covering portion that is connected to the tip of the guide sheet 70 and covers substantially the entire helmet when worn. Therefore, the attachment means 80a and the guide sheet 70 together constitute a hood.

[0039] Here, as shown in Figure 6(b), a hood adjustment cord 91 is provided at the edge of the hood to adjust the degree of opening of the hood. After the user puts the hood over the helmet 110, they tighten the hood adjustment cord 91. By properly tightening the hood adjustment cord 91, the hood can be firmly attached to the helmet 110, and the gap between the helmet 110 and the hood can be narrowed. As a result, the amount of air expelled from between the helmet 110 and the hood can be reduced, so that the air expelled from the ejection port 60 can be efficiently introduced into the helmet 110. Note that the hood adjustment cord 91 is optional.

[0040] Furthermore, the second difference between the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1a of the second embodiment and that of the first embodiment is that the loose portion 14a is formed by sewing a roughly rectangular loose-forming fabric 142, which has a vertical length approximately the same as the vertical length of the loose portion 14a, to the garment portion 10. Here, a coarse mesh material is used as the material for the loose-forming fabric 142. By forming the loose portion 14a using a roughly rectangular loose-forming fabric 142 in this way, the loose portion 14a takes on a continuously bulging shape, thus improving the appearance of the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment 1a.

[0041] The helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the second embodiment provides the same functions and effects as the helmet-compatible air-conditioned garment of the first embodiment described above.

[0042] [Other embodiments] Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications are possible within the scope of its essence.

[0043] For example, in the embodiments described above, a case was described in which two ventilation means were provided in the clothing portion. However, in order to increase the amount of air introduced into the helmet, three or more ventilation means may be provided in the clothing portion. Alternatively, only one ventilation means may be provided.

[0044] Furthermore, although the above embodiments described cases in which the garment portion is formed to cover the upper body, for example, the garment portion may be formed to cover both the upper and lower body. In general, the garment portion may be of any shape as long as it covers at least the upper body of the body.

[0045] In addition, while the above embodiments mainly described the use of helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing when wearing a helmet, it is naturally possible to use the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing of the present invention even when not wearing a helmet. In this case, the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing of the present invention should be used with the guide sheet and mounting means hanging down from the back of the collar. [Industrial applicability]

[0046] As described above, the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing according to the present invention allows for the cooling of the neck and back of the head by evaporating sweat from the user's neck and back of the head through the air circulating inside the guide sheet when wearing a helmet. At the same time, it efficiently introduces the air guided into the helmet, ventilating the inside of the helmet and effectively eliminating stuffiness on the user's head. Therefore, the helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing of the present invention is particularly suitable for use when working while wearing a helmet at a work site or similar location. [Explanation of symbols]

[0047] 1,1a Helmet-compatible air-conditioned clothing 10 Clothes Department 11 Hem 12. Back of the collar 13 Adjustment cord 14,14a Slack area 141 Slack-forming cord 142 Slack-forming fabric 20. Blower means 30 Air discharge section 60 Spout part 70 Information Sheet 80, 80a, 800 Mounting method 810 belt 820 Flap fastener 91 Hood adjustment drawstring 110 Helmet 111 Tsuba 112 Side circumference 113 Notation Information 114 Air Inlet

Claims

1. The garment comprises a portion that covers at least the upper body of the user and is equipped with a section for attaching a ventilation means to introduce air into the interior, Above the mounting position of the aforementioned blowing means, on the upper back of the garment, a slack portion is provided in the fabric of the garment, which is formed to allow for some slack. The garment body of an air-conditioned garment is characterized in that the slack portion is formed by providing a plurality of slack-forming cords arranged vertically, with the vicinity of both ends of each slack-forming cord connected to the garment portion inside the garment portion, and by making the length between the connection points of the slack-forming cords to the garment portion shorter than the length along the garment portion between the connection points, and by the air blowing means, air introduced from the lower side of the slack portion is discharged from the upper side of the slack portion at the back of the wearer's collar.

2. An air-conditioned garment in which the air-blowing means is attached to the garment body of the air-conditioned garment according to claim 1.

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