Jacket-type body cooling device

Abstract

To provide a jacket type body cooling device which allows a sufficient amount of air to flow inside, enhances cooling effect and can improve durability and intensity.SOLUTION: A jacket type body cooling device 1 includes: a pair of mats 2F and 2B which are formed in flat bag shapes by an upper fabric 2a and a lower fabric 2b, which are arranged on a chest and belly side and a back side of a user and in which a right end and a left end are mutually connected in a worn state and air flow passages 8 are respectively formed inside by spacers 7; a pair of fans 9 which are attached to the upper fabric 2a on outer face sides of the respective mats 2F and 2B and allow outside air to flow to the air flow passages 8; and a battery (power supply) 12 for supplying power to the respective fans 9. The spacer 7 is constituted as a multistage structure obtained by stacking a plurality of spacer pieces 7A in a thickness direction of the mats 2F and 2B.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a jacket-type body cooling device for cooling a user's body by removing heat of vaporization (latent heat of vaporization) caused by the evaporation of sweat from the body. [Background technology]

[0002] For those who wear bulletproof vests, backpacks, costumes, etc., the loss of heat from the body is hindered, causing sweating and extreme discomfort, especially during the hot summer months.

[0003] Therefore, Patent Documents 1 and 2 propose a body cooling device that evaporates sweat from the body and cools the body by the heat of vaporization. This body cooling device includes a mat made of upper and lower cloths forming a flat bag shape, a fan attached to the upper cloth on the outside of the mat (the side opposite the body), and a power source that supplies power to the fan.

[0004] The mat provided in the body cooling device has a spacer housed therein, and this spacer separates the upper and lower cloths by a predetermined distance, forming an air flow passage between them.

[0005] Incidentally, among conventional body cooling devices, there is a jacket-type device in which mats are placed on the chest and abdominal sides and the back sides of the user when worn, and the upper left and right ends of both mats are connected to each other. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Patent No. 5397828 [Patent Document 2] Utility Model Registration No. 3207262 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In the body cooling device, as described above, a spacer is housed inside the mat, and this spacer forms an air flow passage between the upper cloth and the lower cloth, but conventionally, the spacer has a single-layer structure, so that the mat itself is thin and the gap between the upper cloth and the lower cloth of the mat is narrow, which reduces the flow area of ​​the air flow passage formed in the mat, resulting in a problem that sufficient cooling effect cannot be obtained.

[0008] In addition, external forces applied to the mat are received by a spacer contained inside the mat, but if the spacer is thin, the spacer cannot fully receive the external forces, which creates the problem of reduced durability and strength of the mat and fan.

[0009] Furthermore, in a jacket-type body cooling device in which the upper left and right ends of the front and rear mats, which are placed on the chest and abdominal sides and back sides of the user respectively, are connected to each other when worn, a configuration is not adopted in which cold air is exhausted from the upper ends of each mat, so there is a problem that the cold air does not reach the area around the user's neck, and the user is not given a sufficient feeling of coolness.

[0010] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above problems, and its object is to provide a jacket-type body cooling device that can increase the cooling effect by flowing a sufficient amount of air inside, while also improving durability and strength. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a jacket-type body cooling device (1) comprising a pair of mats (2F, 2B) each having a flat bag shape made of an upper cloth (2a) and a lower cloth (2b), which are arranged on the chest and abdominal sides and back sides of a user, respectively, when worn, with the left and right upper ends connected to each other, and each having an air flow passage (8) formed therein by a spacer (7), a pair of fans (9) attached to the upper cloth (2a) on the outer surface side of each of the mats (2F, 2B) for directing outside air into the air flow passage (8), and a power source (12) for supplying power to each of the fans (9), characterized in that the spacer (7) is configured as a multi-stage structure by stacking a plurality of spacer pieces (7A) in the thickness direction of the mats (2F, 2B).

[0012] According to the present invention, since the spacer is constructed as a multi-layer structure and is thick, the flow passage area of ​​the air flow passage formed between the upper and lower fabrics of each mat is increased, the flow rate of air flowing through this air flow passage is increased, and the evaporation of sweat emitted by the user is promoted. Therefore, more heat of vaporization accompanying the evaporation of sweat is taken away from the user's body, and the user's body is cooled effectively.

[0013] Furthermore, since the external force applied to each mat is effectively received by the thicker spacers, damage to the mats and fans due to the external force can be effectively prevented, and the durability of these can be increased.

[0014] Here, the lower cloth (2b) of each of the mats (2F, 2B) may be made of a mesh cloth having high air permeability and moisture permeability, and the upper end of the mesh cloth may be extended to the widthwise center of the upper end surface of each of the mats (2F, 2B). Alternatively, an air outlet portion (2b1) for letting air in the air flow passage (8) out to the outside may be provided in the widthwise center of the upper end surface of each of the mats (2F, 2B).

[0015] According to the above configuration, a portion of the cool air flowing upward through the air flow passages of each mat is discharged from the upper end surface of the lower cloth mat toward the user's neck, effectively cooling the user's neck and allowing the user to feel an even greater sense of freshness.

[0016] In addition, the air intake (10a) of the fan (9) may be covered with a removable mesh cap (14).

[0017] According to the above configuration, the cap prevents foreign objects from being sucked into the fan's air intake, thereby preventing damage to the fan due to the inclusion of foreign objects, and the fan steadily introduces air into the air flow passage, thereby steadily cooling the user's body using the jacket-type body cooling device. Effect of the Invention

[0018] According to the present invention, a sufficient amount of air can be circulated inside the jacket type body cooling device, thereby enhancing the cooling effect, and improving the durability and strength of the jacket type body cooling device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0019] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view of a jacket-type body cooling device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the jacket-type body cooling device is worn by a user. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a front view of the mat of the jacket type body cooling device. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the mat of the jacket type body cooling device. [Diagram 5] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along line AA in FIG. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of part B in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a mat of the jacket-type body cooling device. [Figure 8] FIG. 4 is a front view of a spacer piece that constitutes the spacer. [Figure 9] FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0020] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a jacket-type body cooling device according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state in which the jacket-type body cooling device is worn by a user.

[0022] As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the jacket-type body cooling device 1 of the present invention is configured by connecting the left and right upper ends of front and rear mats 2F, 2B, which are placed on the chest and abdominal sides and back sides of the user, respectively, with bands 3L, 3R when in use.

[0023] The front and rear mats 2F, 2B are rectangular and flat in a front view, and the left and right bands 3L, 3R connecting the left and right upper end portions of the mats 2F, 2B can be adjusted in length to suit the user's physique. Specifically, as shown in Fig. 1, the left and right bands 3L, 3R are composed of short band pieces 3L1, 3R1 sewn to the left and right upper end portions of the front mat 2F, and long band pieces 3L2, 3R2 passed through and fixed to rectangular ring-shaped metal fittings 4 connected to the left and right upper end portions of the rear mat 2B. The lengths of the left and right bands 3L, 3R can be adjusted as described above by connecting the left and right band pieces 3L1, 3L2 to each other and the right band pieces 3R1, 3R2 to each other with hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown) provided at the ends of the band pieces.

[0024] 2, when the jacket-type body cooling device 1 is worn by a user, the lower ends of the front and rear mats 2F, 2B are connected to each other around the user's waist by a belt 5. That is, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, a short belt piece 5F is sewn horizontally along the width direction to the lower surface of the front mat 2F, and oval ring-shaped metal fittings 6 are attached to both left and right ends of this belt piece 5F.

[0025] As shown in FIG. 1, belt pieces 5B are sewn horizontally along the width direction to the left and right lower parts of the surface of the rear mat 2B, and the ends of these belt pieces 5B extending to the left and right from the mat 2B are passed through left and right metal fittings 6 attached to the front belt piece 5F, and the hook-and-loop fasteners (not shown) on the ends are joined to another hook-and-loop fastener (not shown) on the belt piece 5F sewn to the lower part of the surface of the front mat 2F. As shown in FIG. 2, the front and rear mats 2F, 2B can be fastened together around the user's waist by the belt 5.

[0026] The jacket-type body cooling device 1 according to the present invention is worn on the user's body by placing the front mat 2F on the chest and abdomen side of the user and the rear mat 2B on the back side of the user, and the user passes the head between the left and right bands 3L, 3R from below and places the left and right bands 3L, 3R on the user's shoulders. Then, as described above, the left and right ends of the belt piece 5B extending from the left and right sides of the rear mat 2B of the belt 5 are passed through the left and right metal fittings 6 attached to the lower part of the front mat 2F, and the ends are joined to the belt piece 5F sewn to the lower part of the surface of the front mat 2F by hook-and-loop fasteners, so that the jacket-type body cooling device 1 is worn on the user as shown in Fig. 2.

[0027] Here, the details of the configuration of the front mat 2F will be described below with reference to Figures 3 to 6. Note that the basic configuration of the rear mat 2B is the same as that of the front mat 2F, so illustrations and descriptions thereof will be omitted.

[0028] FIG. 3 is a front view of the mat of the jacket-type body cooling device of the present invention, FIG. 4 is a back view of the same mat, FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view along line AA in FIG. 3, FIG. 6 is an enlarged detailed view of part B in FIG. 5, and FIG. 7 is a schematic oblique view of the mat of the jacket-type body cooling device.

[0029] The mat 2F is configured in a flat, bag-like shape that is roughly rectangular when viewed from the front, by sewing together the periphery of an upper cloth 2a, which is located on the side opposite the user's chest and abdomen, and a lower cloth 2b, which is located on the side of the user's chest and abdomen when the mat 2F is worn. As shown in FIG. 1, strip-shaped side cloth 2c of a predetermined width is sewn to each of the left and right sides of the mat 2F, thereby ensuring a predetermined thickness of the mat 2F.

[0030] Here, the upper cloth 2a and the side cloth 2c of the mat 2F are made of materials that are difficult for air to pass through, such as cloth woven from plastic fibers such as polyester cloth and nylon cloth, and high-density cloth obtained by weaving threads at a high density. As shown in Fig. 4, the lower cloth 2b is made of mesh cloth with high air and moisture permeability, and this mesh cloth (lower cloth) 2b extends to the center in the width direction of the upper end surface of the mat 2F (the part between the left and right bands 3L and 3R) as shown in Fig. 5. As a result, an outlet port 2b1, which is an air outlet, is formed in the center in the width direction of the upper end surface of the mat 2F.

[0031] As shown in FIG. 5, a spacer 7 is stored inside the mat 2F, and this spacer 7 maintains the distance between the upper cloth 2a and the lower cloth 2b at a predetermined value, and an air flow passage 8 is formed between the upper cloth 2a and the lower cloth 2b.

[0032] 3, a fan 9 is attached to the center of the width of the upper cloth 2a, slightly above the center in the vertical direction. This fan 9 has a built-in electric motor (electric motor integrated type) housed in a portion of a cylindrical case 10 facing the air flow passage 8, and a rechargeable battery 12, which serves as a power source, is electrically connected to the electric motor (not shown) via a power cord 11. A switch 13 is connected to the power cord 11.

[0033] When switch 13 is turned on and power is supplied to fan 9 from battery 12, fan 9 rotates, and the rotation of fan 9 draws air (outside air) into air flow passage 8 through circular intake port 10a of case 10. Note that intake port 10a may be covered with fine mesh cap 14 shown in FIG. 1, which is detachably attached to intake port 10a as needed.

[0034] Incidentally, the spacer 7 is configured as a four-layer structure by stacking four spacer pieces 7A in the thickness direction of the mat 2F (the left-right direction in FIG. 6) as shown in FIG. 6. Here, the configuration of each spacer piece 7A will be described below with reference to FIG. 7 and FIG. 8.

[0035] Fig. 8 is a front view of the spacer piece, and Fig. 9 is a partial perspective view of the spacer piece, in which the spacer piece 7A has a number of protrusions 7a each having a rectangular frame-shaped portion 7a1 and flexible connecting portions 7a2 connecting adjacent frame-shaped portions 7a1. The protrusions 7a each have the frame-shaped portion 7a1, four pillar portions 7a3 each having one end connected to the frame-shaped portion 7a1 and standing up from the frame-shaped portion 7a1, and a rectangular connecting upright portion 7a4 connecting the other ends of the four pillar portions 7a3.

[0036] The spacer piece 7A configured as above is integrally molded by injection molding of resin such as polyethylene, polypropylene, etc. Note that the above-described configuration of the spacer piece 7A is only one example, and various other configurations can be adopted, and a specific configuration thereof can be the configuration described in Japanese Patent No. 4067034.

[0037] In this embodiment, as described above (see FIG. 6), the spacer 7 is configured as a four-layer structure by stacking the spacer pieces 7A shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9 in four stages in the thickness direction of the mat 2F, and this spacer 7 widens the gap between the upper cloth 2a and the lower cloth 2b of the mat 2F, and also widens the flow path width (flow path area) of the air flow path 8 formed in the mat 2F. Note that, in this embodiment, four spacer pieces 7A are stacked in four stages to form a four-layer structure, but the number of stages in which the spacer pieces 7A are stacked is arbitrary.

[0038] The jacket-type body cooling device 1 configured as above is worn by the user as shown in FIG. 2 as described above. Below, the cooling action of the front mat 2F placed on the chest and abdominal side of the user will be explained.

[0039] When a user wearing the jacket-type body cooling device 1 turns on the switch 13, as described above, power is supplied to the fan (electric motor) 9 from the battery 12 via the power cord 11, and the fan 9 is driven to rotate at a predetermined speed. When the fan 9 is driven to rotate in this manner, air (outside air) is sucked into the mat 2F from the intake port 10a opening in the upper cloth 2a, and this air (outside air) flows upward through the air flow passage 8 formed in the mat 2F.

[0040] On the other hand, sweat generated from the chest and abdomen of the user evaporates, is taken into the air flow passage 8 through the moisture-permeable lower cloth 2b, and is discharged to the outside of the mat 2F together with the air (outside air) flowing upward through the air flow passage 8. When the sweat evaporates, the heat of vaporization (latent heat of vaporization) is taken from the user's body, thereby cooling the user's body (chest and abdomen). Here, in this embodiment, the spacer 7 is configured as a four-layer structure and is thick, so that the flow area of ​​the air flow passage 8 formed between the upper cloth 2a and the lower cloth 2b of the mat 2F is large, and the flow rate of the air (outside air) flowing through this air flow passage 8 increases, accelerating the evaporation of sweat generated by the user. Therefore, more heat of vaporization accompanying the evaporation of sweat is taken from the user's body, and the user's body is effectively cooled.

[0041] In this embodiment, the lower cloth 2b made of mesh fabric is extended to the center of the width of the upper end surface of the mat 2F (the portion between the left and right bands 3L and 3R), so that the cold air is blown out from this portion toward the user's neck. Therefore, the user's neck is also cooled by the cold air, providing the user with an even more refreshing feeling.

[0042] Furthermore, since the external force applied to the mat 2F is effectively received by the thicker spacer 7, even if a strong external force acts on the mat 2F or the fan 9, the mat 2F or the fan 9 can be prevented from being damaged, and the durability of the mat 2F or the fan 9 can be improved.

[0043] Furthermore, if necessary, by covering the intake port 10a of the fan 9 with a removable mesh cap 14, the intake of foreign matter into the intake port 10a is prevented by the cap 14, thereby preventing damage to the fan 9 due to the inclusion of foreign matter, and stably introducing air into the air flow passage 8 by the fan 9, thereby stably cooling the user's body by the jacket-type body cooling device 1.

[0044] The jacket-type body cooling device 1 configured as above has a layered structure in which the spacer pieces 7A are stacked in multiple stages, thereby ensuring an appropriate thickness and strength for the spacer 7. Therefore, it is suitable for use as a bulletproof vest (plate carrier) used in survival games. In this case, by attaching the mesh-like cap 14 to the intake port 10a of the fan 9, it is possible to prevent bullets for survival games from entering the inside of the fan 9, thereby avoiding the occurrence of problems such as failure of the fan 9.

[0045] As described above, the jacket type body cooling device 1 has a laminated structure in which the spacer pieces 7A are stacked in multiple stages, ensuring sufficient air flow in the air flow passage 8, and can sufficiently cool the user's body, and the air outlet 2b1 is formed in the center of the width direction of the upper end surface of the mat 2F, so that cool air can be sent to the user's neck area to give the user an appropriate feeling of coolness. Therefore, when wearing a costume of a doll or animal, the jacket type body cooling device 1 can be worn under the costume. This makes it possible to effectively cool the body of the user wearing the costume and give the user a feeling of coolness.

[0046] Although the above has been described with respect to the cooling effect of the front mat 2F, which is placed on the chest and abdominal side of the user, the rear mat 2B, which is placed on the back side of the user, has a similar cooling effect, and the heat of vaporization (latent heat of vaporization) generated when sweat radiated from the user's back evaporates is taken away from the user's body, thereby cooling the back side of the user in the same manner. In addition, the rear mat 2B can also provide the same effects as described above.

[0047] As is clear from the above explanation, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain the effects of increasing the cooling effect by flowing a sufficient amount of air inside the jacket type body cooling device 1, and also improving the durability and strength of the jacket type body cooling device 1.

[0048] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications are possible within the scope of the claims and the technical ideas described in the specification and drawings. [Explanation of symbols]

[0049] 1. Jacket-type body cooling device 2F, 2B Mat 2a Upper cloth 2b Lower cloth 7 Spacer 7A Spacer piece 8 Air flow passage 9 Fan 10 Cases 10a Inlet 12 Battery (power source) 14 Cap

Claims

1. a pair of mats each having a flat bag shape formed by an upper cloth and a lower cloth, the mats being arranged on the chest and abdominal sides and the back sides of a user when worn, the upper left and right ends of the mats being connected to each other, and each having an air flow passage formed therein by a spacer; a pair of fans attached to the upper cloth on the outer surface side of each of the mats to draw outside air into the air flow passage; a power supply for supplying power to each of the fans; In a jacket-type body cooling device comprising: The spacer is configured to have a multi-stage structure by stacking a plurality of spacer pieces in the thickness direction of the mat, A jacket-type body cooling device characterized in that the lower cloth of each of the mats is made of a mesh cloth having high air permeability and moisture permeability, and the upper end of the mesh cloth extends to the center of the width of the upper end surface of each of the mats.

2. A jacket-type body cooling device as described in Claim 1, characterized in that an air outlet portion is provided in the center of the width of the upper end surface of each mat, for allowing air in the air flow passage to flow to the outside.

3. A jacket-type body cooling device as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the air intake of the fan is covered with a removable mesh cap.

Images