Heating and cooling clothing

Abstract

The present invention provides a heated and cooled garment that allows the position of one or more Peltier element heated and cooled units located on the back of the garment to be changed while the garment is being worn. [Solution] A manual lifting mechanism 50 is provided to manually lift the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 upward, together with the component part 3A of the back body part 3 surrounding the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 provided on the back body part 3. The manual lifting mechanism 50 consists of a manual operating part 52 fixed to the right front body part 5, a winding mechanism 53 having an internal mechanism that rotates by the manual operating part 52, and a wire member 54. The wire member 54 is formed to form a closed loop via the winding mechanism 53. Two mounting ring members R4 and R5 are located within the closed loop.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heating and cooling garment provided with a Peltier element.

Background Art

[0002] In FIG. 2 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2022-63478 (Patent Document 1), in the case of cooling, a heat exchange plate cooled by a Peltier element, a Peltier element that cools the heat exchange plate, a heat sink attached to the heat generating surface of the Peltier element, a fan that discharges air heated by the heat sink, a fan cover that covers the heat sink and the fan, and an air conditioning unit provided with a body mounting plate are arranged such that the fan is located outside the garment. A heating and cooling garment is disclosed. Further, in FIG. 15 of this publication, a garment heating and cooling technique is disclosed in which an air conditioning unit is arranged inside the garment while being carried on the wearer's back using a belt-type fastener that supports the air conditioning unit at three locations.

[0003] Further, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2021-46632 (Patent Document 2) discloses a heating and cooling garment in which a unit in which a set of a Peltier element and a blower is dispersed and arranged on a large mesh-shaped support is attached to the back of the garment.

[0004] Furthermore, in FIG. 1 of Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2024-119547 (Patent Document 3), a heating and cooling garment is disclosed that adjusts the position of a Peltier element heating and cooling unit with respect to the back of a user wearing a garment body by a unit position adjustment mechanism. The unit position adjustment mechanism of this heating and cooling garment includes a pair of length adjustment belt members that are adjustable in length and enter the inside of the garment body from a pair of slits provided on both shoulders of the garment body, and a length adjustment belt member that is arranged inside the garment body and connects the Peltier element heating and cooling unit and the lower region inside the garment body and is adjustable in length.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

[0006] In the unit position adjustment mechanism for the Peltier element heating and cooling unit shown in Patent Document 3, a pair of length-adjustable belt members enter the inside of the garment body through a pair of slits provided on both shoulders of the garment body, and a length-adjustable connecting belt member connects the Peltier element heating and cooling unit to the lower region inside the garment body. The position of the Peltier element heating and cooling unit is determined by adjusting the lengths of the three belt members while the heating and cooling garment is removed, and then the garment is put on. Therefore, with the unit position adjustment mechanism shown in Patent Document 3, it was not possible to adjust the position of the Peltier element heating and cooling unit while the heating and cooling garment was being worn.

[0007] The object of the present invention is to provide a heated and cooled garment in which the position of one or more Peltier element heated and cooled units provided on the back of the garment can be changed while the garment is being worn. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The present invention provides a garment body having a back body portion, a right front body portion, and a left front body portion, and a plurality of Peltier element heating and cooling units attached to the back body portion, each unit comprising a Peltier element disposed inside the garment body and a fan that discharges air that has come into contact with the Peltier element. The plurality of Peltier element heating and cooling units are attached to the back body portion of the garment body so that their working surfaces face the wearer side of the garment body and the fan directly discharges the air to the outside of the garment body. The present invention further provides a manual lifting mechanism for manually lifting one or more Peltier element heating and cooling units upward, together with the components of the back body portion surrounding one or more of the plurality of Peltier element heating and cooling units. The manual lifting mechanism includes a winding mechanism having a manual operating part fixed to the front body portion, and a wire member provided between the winding mechanism and the components of the back body portion, which is wound around the winding mechanism so as to pull up one or more Peltier element heating and cooling units together with the components of the back body portion when the manual operating part is operated in the winding direction.

[0009] According to the present invention, while wearing the heating and cooling garment, the user can adjust the position of one or more Peltier element heating and cooling units by operating the manual operation part of the manual lifting mechanism in the winding direction, together with the components of the back of the garment.

[0010] Furthermore, commercially available parts described later can be used as the manual lifting mechanism. According to the present invention, before the position adjustment of the Peltier element heating and cooling unit, the wire member extending from the winding mechanism is extended to its longest state, and when the wire member is wound by the winding mechanism during position adjustment, the length of the wire member extending from the winding mechanism becomes shorter. Since the Peltier element heating and cooling unit is attached to the back of the garment, as the length of the wire member extending from the winding mechanism becomes shorter, the back of the garment is also pulled up together with the Peltier element heating and cooling unit, but this does not pose any practical problems.

[0011] Preferably, the front and back panels of the garment each have a structure that includes a wire passage between the outer fabric and the lining through which the wire member passes. Providing a wire passage prevents the user's arm from getting caught on the wire member when putting on the heating / cooling garment, allowing for smooth attachment of the garment. The winding mechanism has a structure that allows the wire member to be pulled out by external force once the winding is released by the manual operation unit and the constraint on the wound wire member is released. This external force can be easily applied to the wire member by the user pulling down on the lower part of the back panel.

[0012] Preferably, at least one mounting ring member is fixed to the component portion of the back of the garment, each having a fitting hole for fitting at least one Peltier element heating and cooling unit. When mounting ring members are used, the wire member should be arranged in the wire arrangement passage so as to form a closed loop via a winding mechanism, and at least one mounting ring member should be positioned within the closed loop. In this way, the wire member moves along the outer portion of the mounting ring member, and by winding up the wire member, it becomes possible to pull at least one mounting ring member upward.

[0013] Multiple Peltier element heating and cooling units mounted on the back of the garment may include a main Peltier element heating and cooling unit mounted above the center of the back of the garment, and at least one sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit mounted below the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit. In this case, the manual lifting mechanism should be positioned to manually lift the at least one sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit upward together with the components of the back of the garment.

[0014] Specifically, at least one sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit can consist of two sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units positioned below the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit, spaced apart in the width direction. In this case, two mounting ring members, each having a fitting hole for accommodating the two sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units, are fixed to the rear body portion. If the wire member is positioned within the wire arrangement passage to form a closed loop via a winding mechanism, the two mounting ring members can be positioned within the closed loop to smoothly lift the two sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units upwards.

[0015] Furthermore, if the front body portion comprises a right front body portion and a left front body portion, a pair of additional sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units may be provided on each of the right and left front body portions. In this case, the front body portion and the back body portion are not directly joined except for the parts that constitute the shoulder portion, and it is preferable that one or more spacing adjustment members are provided between the lower part of the front body portion and the lower part of the back body portion to adjust the distance between them. Adopting such a configuration makes it possible to press the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units provided on the front body portion against the wearer. In addition, by adjusting one or more spacing adjustment members, the advantage of being able to smoothly tuck the back body portion upwards is obtained. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0016] [Figure 1] This is a front view of the heated and cooled garment with the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit and the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units removed. [Figure 2] This is a rear view of the heated / cooled garment with the main Peltier element heating / cooling unit and multiple sub-Peltier element heating / cooling units removed. [Figure 3] This is a rear view of a heated / cooled garment, which is turned inside out, and is equipped with a main Peltier element heating / cooling unit and multiple sub-Peltier element heating / cooling units. [Figure 4] Figure 3 is a front view of the reversible heating and cooling garment. [Figure 5] (A) to (C) are the front view, side view, and rear view of the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit, and (D) is the front view of the engagement member. [Figure 6] (A) and (B) are diagrams used to explain the method of attaching the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit to the clothing body. [Figure 7] (A) to (C) are the front view, side view, and rear view of the sub Peltier element heating and cooling unit, and (D) is the front view of the engagement member. [Figure 8] It is a perspective view of the wire tightening device.

Embodiments for Carrying out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, the details of the heating and cooling clothing 1 of the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the case where the heating and cooling clothing 1 is used for cooling will be described as an example. FIG. 1 is a front view of the heating and cooling clothing 1 in a state where the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 and the pair of sub Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 described later are removed. FIG. 2 is a rear view of the heating and cooling clothing 1 in a state where the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 and the pair of sub Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 and the pair of sub Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 described later are removed. Further, FIG. 3 is a rear view of the heating and cooling clothing 1 in a state where the heating and cooling clothing 1 with the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 and the pair of sub Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 and the pair of sub Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 described later attached is turned inside out. FIG. 4 is a front view of the heating and cooling clothing 1 turned inside out in FIG. 3.

[0018] In these figures, the air-conditioning clothing 1 of the present embodiment has the form of a vest. The air-conditioning clothing 1 includes a clothing body 9 having a back portion 3, a right front portion 5, and a left front portion 7. A main Peltier element air-conditioning unit 11 is mounted on the back portion 3 of the clothing body 9, and a pair of sub Peltier element air-conditioning units 13 and 15 are mounted in the lower regions of the right front portion 5 and the left front portion 7. Further, a pair of sub Peltier element air-conditioning units 17 and 18 are mounted in the lower region below the main Peltier element air-conditioning unit 11 on the back portion 3 of the clothing body 9. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, mounting ring members R1, R4, and R5 for fitting the main Peltier element air-conditioning unit 11 and the pair of sub Peltier element air-conditioning units 17 and 18 are fixed to the back portion 3 of the clothing body 9. Also, mounting ring members R2 and R3 for fitting the pair of sub Peltier element air-conditioning units 13 and 15 are fixed to the right front portion 5 and the left front portion 7. The mounting ring members R1 to R5 are constituted by resin molded products that are split in two.

[0019] [Arrangement Configuration of Peltier Element Air-Conditioning Unit] The main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11, mounted in the upper central part of the back body portion 3, is composed of a Peltier element 11A arranged inside the garment body 9, as shown in Figures 5(A) to (D), and a fan 11B that exhausts the air that has come into contact with the Peltier element 11A. The element body of the Peltier element 11A shown in Figure 5 (not shown) is located on the back side of the working surface 11C [Figure 5(A)] that is cooled or heated. As shown in Figure 5(B), when the working surface 11C is used as a cooling surface, the fan 11B is a centrifugal fan that draws in air from a plurality of ventilation holes 11Ba provided on the outer circumference, blows it onto the element body (not shown), and then exhausts it from a plurality of exhaust holes 11D shown in Figure 5(C). The main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 also includes an engaging member 11I [Figure 5(D)] comprising a through portion 11E that penetrates a mounting through hole H1 [Figures 1 and 2] provided in the rear body portion 3, an engaged portion 11F consisting of a female screw portion formed on the through portion 11E, an annular flange portion 11G extending radially from the end of the through portion 11E on the fan 11B side, and an engaging portion 11H consisting of a male screw portion that is inserted into the mounting through hole H1 and protrudes from the rear body portion 3 and engages with the engaged portion 11F formed on the through portion 11E. As shown in Figure 6(A), the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 is fixed to the garment body 9 by inserting the through-hole 11E into the mounting through-hole H1 [Figures 1 and 3] provided in the back body portion 3, and by engaging (rotating) the engaging member 11I with the through-hole 11E, as shown in Figure 6(B), with a portion of the back body portion 3 surrounding the mounting through-hole H1 sandwiched between the annular flange portion 11G and the engaging member 11I.

[0020] As shown in Figures 1 and 3, a pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 are attached to the lower regions of the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7 via mounting ring members R2 and R3, and another pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 are attached to the lower region of the area where the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 is located on the back body portion 3 via mounting ring members R4 and R5. Since the pairs of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13, 15, 17 and 18 have the same structure, their structure will be explained using the sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit 13 as an example, as shown in Figures 7(A) to (D). The sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit 13 is composed of a Peltier element 13A placed inside the garment body 9 and a fan 13B that discharges the air that has come into contact with the Peltier element 13A. The element body of the Peltier element 13A shown in Figure 7(A), which is not shown, is located on the back side of the working surface 13C that is cooled or heated. When the working surface 13C is used as the cooling surface, the fan 13B is a centrifugal fan that draws in air from a plurality of ventilation holes 13Ba provided on the outer circumference, blows it onto the element body (not shown), and then discharges it from a plurality of exhaust holes 13D shown in Figure 7(C). The auxiliary Peltier element heating and cooling unit 13 also includes an engaging member 13I [Figure 6(D)] which comprises a through portion 13E that penetrates a mounting through hole H2 (H3) [Figure 1] provided in the right front body portion 5, an engaged portion 13F consisting of a female screw portion formed on the through portion 13E, an annular flange portion 13G extending radially from the end of the through portion 13E on the fan 13B side, and an engaging portion 13H consisting of a male screw portion that is inserted into the mounting through hole H3 and protrudes from the right front body portion 5 and engages with the engaged portion 13F formed on the through portion 13E. The auxiliary Peltier element heating and cooling unit 13 is fixed to the right front body portion 5 of the garment body 9 with the engaging portion 13H engaged with the engaged portion 13F, and a portion of the right front body portion 5 surrounding the mounting through hole H2 sandwiched between the annular flange portion 13G and the engaging member 13I. The auxiliary Peltier element heating and cooling unit 15 is also fixed to the left front body portion 7 in the same manner.

[0021] As shown in Figure 4, in this embodiment, a pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 are mounted on the lower regions of the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7 so as to be positioned symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane PP that divides the back body portion 3 in two, passing through the center of the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 4, a spacing dimension adjustment member 19 (pressing structure) is provided between the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7 along a virtual line PL that passes through the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15, to adjust the distance between the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7. The pressing structure is a mechanism that presses the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 toward the wearer so that the working surfaces (13C) of the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 provided on the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7 come into contact with the wearer.

[0022] As shown in Figure 1, the spacing adjustment member 19 of this embodiment has a pair of belts 19A and 19B, one end of which is connected to the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7, respectively, and a buckle member having a male member provided on one of the belts 19A and 19B and a female member provided on the other belt 19B of the pair of belts that is detachably fitted with the male member. Such a buckle member is called a side-release type buckle member, which releases engagement with the female member by pressing the two elastic pieces of the male member. After fastening the buckle member, pulling the belt 19A shortens the distance between the right front body portion 5 and the left front body portion 7, and also presses the working surfaces (13C) of the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 against the front of the wearer's torso. By using a pressing structure consisting of such spacing adjustment members 19, even when a worker is working with their back bent, the working surfaces of the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 can be kept in constant contact with the front of the wearer's torso. This ensures that heat absorption or heating is carried out from both the front and back of the wearer's torso, thus reducing the likelihood of the wearer feeling uncomfortable due to temperature differences between the front and back of their torso.

[0023] In this embodiment, two additional spacing adjustment members (front belts) 21 and 23 are provided on the spacing adjustment member 19, positioned slightly away from the imaginary line PL. The two spacing adjustment members 21 and 23 have the same configuration as the spacing adjustment member 19, so their description is omitted. The two spacing adjustment members 21 and 23 also indirectly assist in the effect of keeping the working surfaces of the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 in constant contact with the front of the wearer's torso, but the spacing adjustment member 19 directly contributes to the generation of this effect. When the garment body 9 is worn with the spacing adjustment members 19, 21 and 23 widening the gap between the right front body 5 and the left front body 7, narrowing the gap between the right front body 5 and the left front body 7 using the spacing adjustment members 19, 21 and 23 allows the working surfaces (13C) of the pair of Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 to be easily and reliably pressed against the front of the wearer's torso. As a result, regardless of the posture the wearer is in while working, heat absorption or heating can be reliably performed from the front and back of the wearer's torso.

[0024] Furthermore, in this embodiment, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, adjustment belt structures 25 and 27 are provided between the back body portion 3 and the right front body portion 5, and between the back body portion 3 and the left front body portion 7, respectively, as spacing adjustment members to adjust the distance between them. By adopting this configuration, it becomes possible to press the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units provided on the front body portion against the wearer. In addition, by adjusting one or more spacing adjustment members, the advantage of being able to smoothly lift the back body portion upwards is obtained.

[0025] In this embodiment, the performance of the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 is less than half the performance of the fan 11B of the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11. This prevents a large difference in the total amount of heat absorbed, heated, or exhausted on the front and back sides of the wearer, thus suppressing the wearer from feeling a temperature difference.

[0026] [Power supply configuration for Peltier element heating and cooling unit] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, in this embodiment, a battery housing 29 (Figures 1 and 4) is provided on the left front panel 7 to house the battery B that supplies power to the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 and a pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15, and 17 and 18. In this embodiment, a battery B consisting of various types of lithium secondary batteries is used. A switch-equipped controller 33 is connected to one end of this battery B via a power supply line 31, as shown in Figure 4.

[0027] As shown in Figure 1, battery B is housed in the battery compartment 29 by opening the chuck 30 that closes the upper end opening of the battery compartment 29. As shown in Figure 4, a distribution connector 34 is provided at the end of the controller with switch 33, and power supply lines 35a to 35e extend from the distribution connector 34 toward each Peltier element heating and cooling unit. The controller with switch 33 is a controller equipped with a memory unit that stores not only on / off commands for the power supply but also power supply modes for supplying power to the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11 and a pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 13 and 15 and 17 and 18. The controller with switch 33 outputs on / off of the power supply and changes in the power supply mode by operating two switches. For example, the power supply is turned on by pressing and holding one switch, and the power supply is turned off by pressing and holding the other switch. After the power is turned on, the power supply modes in the controller with switch 33 are configured so that a power supply mode such as "strong" or "weak" can be selected by changing the number of times one switch is pressed within a short period of time.

[0028] As shown in Figure 1, the left front panel 7 is provided with an exposed through-hole H6 above the mounting through-hole H3, which exposes the operating section of the switch-equipped controller 33.

[0029] Furthermore, as shown in Figures 3 and 4, clamping members 45a to 45j for holding and securing the power supply wire are arranged at predetermined intervals on the back surfaces of the back panel 3, the right front panel 5, and the left front panel 7. These clamping members 45a to 45j are made of hook-and-loop fasteners. By providing these clamping members 45a to 45j, the power supply wire can be securely positioned within the garment body.

[0030] [Configuration of the manual lifting mechanism] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the heating and cooling garment 1 of this embodiment is further equipped with a manual lifting mechanism 50 for manually lifting the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18, which are provided on the back body portion 3, together with the component portion 3A surrounding the back body portion 3. The appearance of the wire tightening device 51, which is the main part of the manual lifting mechanism 50, is shown in Figure 8. In this embodiment, the wire tightening device 51, which is the main part of the manual lifting mechanism 50, is a wire tightening device sold by Spion Company Limited of Korea. The appearance of this wire tightening device 51 is as shown in Figure 8, and its internal structure is described in detail in Japanese Patent No. 7153284, so a description is omitted. In this embodiment, the wire fastening device 51 is fixed by using the flange portion 55 of the wire fastening device 51 shown in Figure 8 to fit the manual operation part 52 into a fitting hole (not shown) located above the right front body portion 5, causing the manual operation part 52 to protrude from the surface side of the right front body portion 5. The flange portion 55 is located between the outer fabric and the lining of the right front body portion 5. The wire member 54 is arranged in a wire arrangement passage 56 formed between the outer fabric and the lining of the right front body portion 5 and the back body portion 3. To form the wire arrangement passage 56, the outer fabric and lining of the right front body portion 5 and the back body portion 3 are provided with a plurality of partial connecting parts 57 that partially connect the two, spaced along the wire arrangement passage 56. As in this embodiment, by providing a wire arrangement passage 56 between the outer fabric and the lining of the garment body, the user's arm will not get caught on the wire member 54 when putting on the heating and cooling garment, allowing for smooth putting on of the heating and cooling garment.

[0031] The manual lifting mechanism 50 consists of a wire tightening device 51 and a wire member 54. The wire tightening device 51 consists of a manual operation unit 52 fixed to the right front body portion 5 and a winding mechanism 53 having an internal mechanism that rotates by the manual operation unit 52. The main part of the wire member 54 is located in a wire arrangement passage 56 formed between the outer fabric and the lining of the garment body. The wire arrangement passage 56 is formed so that the wire member 54 forms a closed loop via the winding mechanism 53. In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 2, two mounting ring members R4 and R5 are located within the closed loop. As a result, when the wire member 54 placed in the wire arrangement passage 56 is wound, the wire member 54 comes into contact with the two mounting ring members R4 and R5, and together with the component portion 3A of the back body portion 3, it pulls the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 upward. As a result, according to this embodiment, the position of the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 can be achieved by operating the manual operation unit 52. Since the pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 are attached to the back body portion 3, as the length of the wire member 54 extending from the winding mechanism 53 decreases, the component portion 3A of the back body portion 3 is also pulled up together with the sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18, but this does not pose any practical problems.

[0032] Pressing the manual operation unit 52 releases the restraint on the wire member 54 by the internal rotation mechanism within the winding mechanism 53. Once the restraint on the wire member 54 wound by the winding mechanism 53 is released by the operation of the manual operation unit 52, the wire member 54 can be pulled out by external force. This external force can be easily applied to the wire member by the user pulling down on the lower part of the back panel 3.

[0033] (others) In the above embodiment, a pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 are mounted in the lower region of the back body portion 3 so as to be positioned symmetrically with respect to a virtual plane PP that divides the back body portion 3 in two through the center of the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 11. However, the number and mounting positions of the sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units 17 and 18 are not limited to those of this embodiment, and may be positioned higher or lower than the positions of this embodiment, as long as the effects of the invention can be obtained.

[0034] The above embodiment describes the cooling operation; however, when used for heating, the direction of current flow to the Peltier element can be changed to stop the fan, or the fan can be driven as needed to adjust the temperature. [Industrial applicability]

[0035] According to the present invention, while wearing the heated and cooled garment, the user can adjust the position of one or more Peltier element heated and cooled units by operating the manual operation part of the manual lifting mechanism in the winding direction, together with the components of the back of the garment. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1. Heating and cooling clothing 3. Back panel 5 Right front panel 7. Left front panel 9 Clothes body 11. Main Peltier element heating and cooling unit 13, 15, 17, 18 Sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit 19. Spacing dimension adjustment member (press-on structure) 21,23 Spacing dimension adjustment member 29 Battery compartment 31 Power line 33 Controller with Switch 50 Manual lifting mechanism 51 Wire tightening device 52 Manual operation section 53 Winding mechanism 54 Wire members 55 Flange section 56 Wire arrangement passage B battery

Claims

1. A garment body having a front body and a back body, The garment comprises a Peltier element arranged inside the garment body and a fan that discharges the air that has come into contact with the Peltier element, and includes a plurality of Peltier element heating and cooling units attached to the back of the garment. The plurality of Peltier element heating and cooling units are attached to the back of the garment body such that their working surfaces face the wearer side of the garment body and the fans directly discharge the air to the outside of the garment body. The system further includes a manual lifting mechanism for manually lifting one or more of the Peltier element heating and cooling units upward, together with the components of the rear body surrounding one or more of the Peltier element heating and cooling units. The manual lifting mechanism comprises a winding mechanism having a manual operating part fixed to the front body portion, and a wire member provided between the winding mechanism and the component portion of the back body portion, which is wound around the winding mechanism so as to pull up one or more Peltier element heating and cooling units together with the component portion when the manual operating part is operated in the winding direction.

2. The front and back body sections each have a structure that includes a wire arrangement passage for passing the wire member between the outer fabric and the lining. The heating and cooling garment according to claim 1, wherein the winding mechanism has a structure that, when the winding is released by the manual operation unit, the restraint on the wound wire member is released, and the wire member can be pulled out by an external force.

3. One or more mounting ring members, each having a fitting hole for fitting one or more Peltier element heating and cooling units, are fixed to the aforementioned component portion of the rear body. The wire member is arranged in the wire arrangement passage so as to form a closed loop via the winding mechanism, The heating and cooling garment according to claim 1, wherein the one or more mounting ring members are located within the closed loop.

4. The plurality of Peltier element heating and cooling units attached to the back of the garment comprise a main Peltier element heating and cooling unit mounted above the center of the back of the garment, and one sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit mounted below the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit. The heating and cooling garment according to claim 1, wherein the manual lifting mechanism is arranged to manually lift the one sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit upward together with the component part of the back body.

5. The aforementioned single sub-Peltier element heating and cooling unit consists of two sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units arranged below the main Peltier element heating and cooling unit with a gap in the width direction between them. Two mounting ring members, each having a fitting hole for fitting the two sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units, are fixed to the aforementioned component portion of the rear body. The wire member is arranged in the wire arrangement passage so as to form a closed loop via the winding mechanism, The heating and cooling garment according to claim 4, wherein the two mounting ring members are located within the closed loop.

6. The aforementioned front panel comprises a right front panel and a left front panel. The heating and cooling garment according to claim 4, wherein each of the right front body portion and the left front body portion is further provided with a pair of sub-Peltier element heating and cooling units.

7. The front and back body sections are not directly joined together except for the parts that make up the shoulder area. The heating and cooling garment according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein one or more spacing adjustment members are provided between the lower portion of the front body and the lower portion of the back body to adjust the spacing between them.

Images