Battery device for air-conditioned clothing

Abstract

To provide a battery device for air conditioning clothes that does not ignite combustible materials by heating a current limiting element in the event of a fault.SOLUTION: A plurality of current limiting elements 9a wired in series are mounted side by side on a planar main surface portion 9d of one heat sink material 9c made of a metal with high thermal conductivity via respective heat transfer plates 9e. When one of the current limiting elements 9a becomes damaged due to aged deterioration, and when the other normal current limiting element 9a generates twice as much heat as normal, the current limiting element is attached to a heat sink material 9c shared with the current limiting element 9a that has stopped generating heat due to a short circuit, such that a heat dissipation area of the heat sink material 9c, which is about twice as large as that of an individual heat sink material, allows about twice heat dissipation.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a battery device for air-conditioning clothes that is detachable from clothes with an air-conditioning device worn in an explosive atmosphere.

Background Art

[0002] As shown in Patent Document 1, there is known an air-conditioning garment that is worn by a worker during work in a high-temperature environment and sucks outside air into the garment by an attached fan. There is also a need to wear this air-conditioning garment in an atmosphere where vapor of a combustible substance composed of a combustible gas or a combustible liquid such as a petroleum refining, petrochemical, or chemical synthesis plant is present in the air.

[0003] However, a normal air-conditioning garment as shown in Patent Document 1 is not explosion-proof so as to withstand use in an explosive atmosphere, and there is no countermeasure against ignition of a combustible substance in an explosive atmosphere due to a short circuit of a cable connected to the fan or the like.

[0004] Further, Patent Document 2 discloses a current limiting circuit using a current limiting element composed of a MOSFET that prevents accidents such as ignition when an overcurrent occurs due to a failure or the like in a low-power device.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Patent Document 2

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] If the battery device of a conventional air-conditioned garment is equipped with the aforementioned current limiting circuit for fire prevention, when used in a high-temperature environment, the current limiting element, which generates heat, may not be cooled effectively, and the current limiting element itself may become hot.

[0007] In particular, if the output side of the current limiting circuit or the connected cable or fan short-circuits for any reason, not only will the fan not operate, but the cable and fan will also cease to function as an electrical load. As a result, the power that should be consumed by these loads will be consumed by the current limiting element, and the current limiting element itself may reach extremely high temperatures.

[0008] If air-conditioned clothing is used in an explosive atmosphere with high temperatures, and a short circuit or other malfunction occurs on the output side as described above, the current limiting element itself will generate more heat than usual and become extremely hot, which could cause flammable materials to ignite.

[0009] The object of the present invention is to solve the above-mentioned problems and to provide a battery device for air-conditioned clothing that, when used in an explosive atmosphere, does not ignite flammable materials due to the heat generated by the current limiting element in the event of a malfunction. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] To achieve the above objective, the battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to the present invention supplies power to the fan unit connected via a connecting cable. and worn in an explosive atmosphere A battery device for air-conditioned clothing, comprising a battery section, a control board section consisting of an IC board and a current limiting section within a housing, and a control unit connected to the battery section. It is made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, and a single heat sink material is arranged therein. The heat sink material comprises a main surface and a plurality of heat dissipation plates arranged parallel to the back surface of the main surface and extending toward the battery section. The current limiting unit has multiple current limiting elements arranged in series to limit the output current so as not to exceed the limiting current value, and the multiple current limiting elements are, The aforementioned Main surface In contrast They are installed side by side. Each terminal of the multiple current limiting elements is inserted into the insertion hole of the control board. It is characterized by having this feature. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] According to the battery device for air-conditioned clothing of the present invention, even if an extreme difference in the heat generated occurs among multiple current-limiting elements wired in series due to malfunction, damage, or other reasons, a single heat sink attached to the multiple current-limiting elements can smooth out the heat generated from the multiple current-limiting elements and dissipate the heat. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the current-limiting elements from overheating to the point where they ignite flammable materials. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0012] [Figure 1] This is an explanatory diagram showing the air-conditioned garment from the back. [Figure 2] This is a block circuit diagram of a clothing air conditioning system. [Figure 3] This is a perspective view of a battery device for air-conditioned clothing. [Figure 4] This is a disassembled perspective view of a battery unit for air-conditioned clothing. [Figure 5] This is an exploded perspective view of the control unit. [Figure 6] This is an exploded perspective view of the current limiting section. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0013] The present invention will be described in detail based on the illustrated embodiments. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram of the air-conditioned garment W as seen from the back. The air-conditioned garment W consists of a jacket W2 equipped with a zipper W1 on the front for opening and closing, and a garment air conditioning device M attached to it.

[0014] The garment air conditioning device M consists of a plurality of fan units F, for example two fan units F fixed to mounting holes (not shown) on the back of the jacket W2, a battery device 1 for air-conditioned clothing stored in an inner pocket or the like of the jacket W2, and a plurality of connecting cables C connecting each fan unit F and the battery device 1 for air-conditioned clothing.

[0015] The disc-shaped fan unit F is arranged symmetrically with respect to the upper garment W2, and the blade part F1 is housed inside the housing. Power is supplied to the motor that rotates the blade part F1 via the connection cable C, and by rotating the blade part F1 at high speed, outside air is inhaled into the upper garment W2. Inside the upper garment W2 with the zipper W1 closed, an air current K is generated in the direction of the arrow, and the air inside the upper garment W2 is discharged to the outside through the gaps around the neck and wrists.

[0016] In this way, by driving the motor of the fan unit F, a cool state is maintained inside the upper garment W2. In addition to the axial flow fan that operates with direct current, an appropriate fan such as a centrifugal fan can also be adopted for the fan unit F.

[0017] The housing of the fan unit F consists of a main body part and a fixing frame part, and is fixed by sandwiching the mounting hole of the upper garment W2 with these. In case of a failure of the fan unit F or the like, the fan unit F can be easily removed from the upper garment W2 by separating the fixing frame part from the main body part.

[0018] One end of the connection cable C that is independently wired for each fan unit F is provided with a connection terminal part C1 that connects to the terminal insertion part 3b. The other end of the connection cable C is shown as being connected to the fan unit F, but it may also be made detachable like the terminal insertion part 3b and the connection terminal part C1.

[0019] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the battery device 1 for air-conditioned clothing, and FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view. The battery device 1 for air-conditioned clothing includes a battery part 5 made of a lithium-ion battery or the like and a control part 6 connected to the battery part 5, which are housed inside a housing part 4 composed of a box-shaped base part 2 with an open top and an upper lid part 3 that covers and seals the base part 2 from above.

[0020] The base 2 has an inner wall 2a that separates the space where the battery unit 5 is housed from the space where the control unit 6 is housed, and a positioning part 2b that positions the top cover 3. At both ends of the inner wall 2a, there is a pair of recesses 2c for wiring the positive and negative power lines 5a and 5b of the battery unit 5 to the control unit 6.

[0021] The outer surface of the base 2 is provided with a power switch 2d for turning the power supply to the fan F on and off, a remaining charge indicator 2e for displaying the remaining charge of the battery 5, a terminal connection part 2f for inserting the connection terminal part C1 of the connection cable C, and a charging insertion part 2g for charging via a charging cable from a commercial power source or the like.

[0022] The top cover portion 3 is provided with an inner wall portion 3a that contacts the inner wall portion 2a of the base portion 2, and a terminal insertion portion 3b into which the connection terminal portion C1 of the connecting cable C is inserted. In addition, the inner wall portion 3a of the top cover portion 3 is provided with a recess 3c and a positioning portion (not shown) into which the tip of the positioning portion 2b of the base portion 2 is inserted, similar to the inner wall portion 2a of the base portion 2.

[0023] When the base portion 2 is sealed by the upper cover portion 3, a highly airtight, cubic sealing material 7 made of silicone resin or the like is fitted into rectangular holes formed by recesses 2c and 3c in the inner wall portions 2a and 3a.

[0024] The sealing material 7 has a through hole 7a in the center through which a power line 5a or power line 5b is inserted, and a recessed groove 7b surrounding the through hole 7a. When the groove 7b of the sealing material 7 is pressed into the inner wall portions 2a and 3a around the recesses 2c and 3c, and the top cover portion 3 is closed onto the base portion 2, the sealing material 7 will not come off even if the housing portion 4 is subjected to impact.

[0025] By fitting the sealing material 7 to the inner wall portions 2a and 3a, the space in which the battery portion 5 is housed and the space in which the control unit 6 is housed can be completely separated. In this way, even if electrolyte leaks from the battery portion 5, which is made of lithium-ion batteries, the electrolyte will not enter the control unit 6 side.

[0026] The battery unit 5 uses, for example, multiple lithium-ion batteries with a nominal voltage of 3.7V and a rated capacity of 1.88Ah connected together. The battery unit 5 can also use disposable dry cell batteries instead of rechargeable batteries that can be charged via the charging insertion part 2g. If dry cell batteries are used, it is not necessary to provide the charging insertion part 2g.

[0027] Figure 5 is an exploded perspective view of the control unit 6, and Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view of the current limiting unit 9. The control unit 6 consists of a control board section 8 in which two IC boards are arranged in an L-shape, and a plurality of current limiting units 9 connected to this control board section 8. The number of current limiting units 9 is the same as the number of fan sections F attached to the jacket W2.

[0028] The control board section 8 consists of a first board 8a and a second board 8b connected via a connecting terminal 8c. The first board 8a is provided with insertion holes 8d for inserting each terminal 9b of the current limiting element 9a of the current limiting section 9. The second board 8b is provided with a switch terminal 8e that contacts the power switch section 2d to turn it on and off, an output terminal 8f that connects to the terminal connection section 2f and terminal insertion section 3b of the housing section 4, and a connection hole 8g for connecting the terminals of an LED element (not shown) located on the back surface of the remaining charge indicator section 2e of the base section 2. The remaining charge indicator section 2e is configured to light up multiple LED elements according to the remaining charge of the battery section 5.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2, each current limiting unit 9, which is arranged in parallel to correspond to each fan unit F, has two current limiting elements 9a arranged in series to control the output current so that no overcurrent occurs.

[0030] These current limiting elements 9a employ semiconductor switching elements such as field-effect transistors (FET elements) that control the current between the source and drain by a gate voltage applied to the gate portion. By setting an appropriate gate voltage, the output current is limited so as not to exceed the limiting current value. The gate, source, and drain terminals 9b of the current limiting element 9a are inserted into the insertion holes 8d of the first substrate 8a. In addition to FET elements, current limiting elements 9a may also employ elements such as resistors.

[0031] The current limiting value of the current limiting element 9a is set to be the same as the rated current value Ia when the blade section F1 is stably rotating, or slightly higher than the rated current value Ia. By using a dual system with the current limiting elements 9a in series, even if one current limiting element 9a fails and can no longer limit the output current, the other current limiting element 9a, which is not failing, can maintain the current so as not to exceed the limiting value.

[0032] Multiple current-limiting elements 9a, wired in series, are mounted side-by-side on the planar main surface 9d of a single heat sink material 9c made of a metal with high thermal conductivity, via their respective heat transfer plates 9e. Adhesive layers, such as a paste-like silicone material with high thermal conductivity, may be provided on both sides of these heat transfer plates 9e, which are made of insulating material with good thermal conductivity. Alternatively, the heat transfer plates 9e may not be placed at all, and the aforementioned paste-like silicone material may be placed between the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c and the current-limiting elements 9a.

[0033] As shown in Figure 6, screws 9f are inserted through the screw holes 9g of the current limiting element 9a, the heat transfer plate 9e, and the heat sink material 9c, respectively, so that the flat surface 9h of the current limiting element 9a is mounted on the main surface 9d of the heat sink material 9c via the heat transfer plate 9e. This mounting method allows heat generated by the current limiting element 9a to be efficiently transferred to the heat sink material 9c.

[0034] On the back surface of the main surface 9d of the heatsink material 9c, multiple heat sinks 9i are arranged in parallel, perpendicular to the main surface 9d. By arranging a large number of heat sinks 9i in this way, the surface area is increased, thereby improving heat dissipation efficiency.

[0035] Furthermore, when each terminal 9b of the current limiting element 9a is inserted into the insertion hole 8d of the first substrate 8a and fixed in place, a gap is created between the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c on the first substrate 8a side and the first substrate 8a, resulting in a separation between them.

[0036] By creating a gap between the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c and the first substrate 8a in this way, the placement of IC components can be efficiently arranged on the upper and lower surfaces of the first substrate 8a without being restricted by the heat sink material 9c, whereas normally the placement of IC components is restricted by the heat sink material installed on the substrate.

[0037] Furthermore, a portion of the side surface 9j of the heat sink material 9c on the first substrate 8a side may be made to contact the first substrate 8a, to the extent that it does not restrict the placement of IC components. When the first substrate 8a and the heat sink material 9c are in contact, the heat from the heat sink material 9c is transferred to the first substrate 8a, increasing heat dissipation. In addition, heat dissipation can be further increased by making the tip of the heat sink plate 9i of the heat sink material 9c contact the inner surface of the housing 4.

[0038] In this embodiment, two current limiting elements 9a are provided, but the current limiting elements 9a of the current limiting unit 9 may be configured by arranging three or more elements in series. The number of elements can be determined as appropriate, as long as the output current can be limited so as not to exceed the limiting current value.

[0039] In the state shown in Figure 3, pressing the power switch 2d turns on the power, and the motor rotates based on the rated current value Ia of the fan unit F and the rated voltage applied to drive the fan unit F, generating an appropriate amount of airflow from the blade unit F1.

[0040] Then, outside air is drawn into the jacket W2, generating an airflow K in the direction of the arrow, and the air inside the jacket W2 is expelled to the outside through gaps around the neck and wrists, thus maintaining a cool state inside the jacket W2. At this time, the current limiting element 9a of the current limiting unit 9 limits the current supplied to the fan unit F so that an appropriate amount of airflow is always generated from the blade unit F1. The current limiting element 9a generates heat according to the limited current, but by dissipating the heat from the heat sink material 9c, it can continue to operate stably.

[0041] The amount of heat dissipated from the heat sink material 9c is set to dissipate the heat generated by the current limiting operation when the maximum current is supplied to the current limiting element 9a. The specifications of the current limiting unit 9, such as the dimensions and material of the heat sink material 9c, and the height and number of heat sink plates 9i, are appropriately designed to achieve this set amount of heat dissipation. For example, assuming that the maximum current is supplied to the current limiting element 9a when a short circuit occurs on the output side of the current limiting element 9a, in the connection cable C or fan unit F connected to the control unit 6, and assuming an ambient temperature of 40°C, the current limiting unit 9, including the heat sink material 9c and heat sink plates 9i, is thermally designed so that the surface temperature of the current limiting element 9a is no more than 135°C, preventing thermal damage to the current limiting element 9a.

[0042] The current limiting element 9a of the current limiting unit 9 continuously limits the current to ensure that an appropriate amount of air is always drawn in from the fan blades F1. As the operating time increases and repeated operation at high temperatures occurs, it deteriorates over time and gradually loses its ability to adequately limit the current. Eventually, the current limiting function may be destroyed due to a short circuit or other cause, resulting in malfunctions such as unlimited current flow. Because the characteristics of each element vary, this malfunction does not occur simultaneously in a pair of current limiting elements 9a; usually, the malfunction occurs in only one of the current limiting elements 9a first.

[0043] For example, if one of the current limiting elements 9a is damaged due to aging and short-circuits, its electrical resistance becomes almost zero, and its power consumption becomes almost zero. Consequently, the short-circuited current limiting element 9a no longer limits the current and also generates no heat. Therefore, the other current limiting element 9a, which is functioning normally, will perform the entire current limiting to the rated current value Ia.

[0044] In this situation, the other current limiting element 9a, which is functioning normally, will be subjected to twice the load of its normal operation, resulting in approximately double the power consumption. In other words, the other current limiting element 9a will generate twice the heat corresponding to the doubled power consumption.

[0045] In other words, as far as the power supply to the fan unit F by the control unit 6 is concerned, even if one current limiting element 9a is damaged and the element itself overheats abnormally, and only the other current limiting element 9a is functioning normally, power will be supplied as usual, just as if both current limiting elements 9a were functioning normally. The wearer of the air-conditioned garment W does not open the top cover 3 to check the condition of each component inside the control unit 6, so as long as power is being supplied to the fan unit F normally, they will not notice even if one of the current limiting elements 9a is damaged.

[0046] When both current limiting elements 9a are operating normally, they generate almost the same amount of heat. Therefore, whether the two current limiting elements 9a are mounted on a common heat sink material 9c, or on separate heat sink materials, the heat sink material 9c will be approximately twice the size of the individual heat sink materials, resulting in no significant difference in heat dissipation characteristics between the two.

[0047] However, as described above, if one current limiting element 9a is damaged due to aging and the other normal current limiting element 9a generates twice the normal amount of heat, a significant difference in heat dissipation characteristics will occur between the two. As shown in Figures 5 and 6, if the current limiting element 9a that has short-circuited and stopped generating heat and the other normal current limiting element 9a are mounted on a common heat sink material 9c, the heat sink material 9c has high thermal conductivity, so it can dissipate approximately twice the amount of heat from a heat dissipation area equivalent to approximately twice that of individual heat sink materials.

[0048] Therefore, even if the other normally functioning current limiting element 9a generates twice the amount of heat, the heat dissipation characteristics of the heat sink material 9c, which are approximately twice those of the individual sheet sink material, ensure that the necessary amount of heat is reliably dissipated from the normal current limiting element 9a. Even if a short circuit occurs in the output side of the current limiting element 9a, the connecting cable C, the fan section F, etc., in this state, causing the current limiting element 9a to limit an excessive current and increasing the amount of heat generated compared to normal, the current limiting element 9a can maintain a maximum surface temperature of 135°C or less at an ambient temperature of 40°C, thus preventing thermal breakdown of one normal current limiting element 9a. At the same time, the normal current limiting element 9a will not generate enough heat to ignite flammable materials in an explosive atmosphere.

[0049] In contrast, if two current limiting elements 9a are attached individually to a heat sink material, as in the conventional method, each heat sink material can only dissipate the amount of heat generated by one normal current limiting element 9a. Therefore, twice the heat generated by one normal current limiting element 9a will cause its surface temperature to rise by approximately twice. If a short circuit occurs on the output side of the current limiting element 9a, the connecting cable C, the fan unit F, etc., and ignoring the effect of radiant heat transfer, the maximum surface temperature of the current limiting element 9a will reach approximately 230°C at an ambient temperature of 40°C, making it difficult to avoid thermal destruction of one normal current limiting element 9a. Furthermore, if the ignition temperature of flammable materials in an explosive atmosphere is, for example, around 230°C, there is a risk of ignition of the flammable materials.

[0050] Furthermore, it is possible to mount three or more current limiting elements 9a arranged in series onto a common heat sink material 9c. In such a case, if one current limiting element 9a is damaged, the power consumption of the damaged element 9a divided by the number of normally functioning current limiting elements 9a will be added to the power consumption of the normal current limiting elements 9a. In this case as well, the same heat dissipation effect can be obtained from the common heat sink material 9c.

[0051] Furthermore, some current limiting elements 9a may fail in a way that results in a high resistance value that generates a lot of heat. Even if this failure occurs in one of the current limiting elements 9a, if the other current limiting element 9a is functioning normally, the common heat sink material 9c will provide a similar heat dissipation effect.

[0052] In this way, by mounting multiple current limiting elements 9a onto a single common heat sink material 9c, stable heat dissipation characteristics can always be achieved even if a malfunction such as a short circuit occurs in one of the multiple current limiting elements 9a. In particular, even if a short circuit occurs on the output side of the current limiting element 9a, the connecting cable C, the fan unit F, etc., and the amount of heat generated by the current limiting element 9a increases to limit the excessive current, heat can be reliably dissipated from the current limiting element 9a, preventing thermal damage to the normally functioning current limiting element 9a. As a result, the current limiting unit 9 of the air-conditioned clothing battery device in this embodiment does not reach abnormally high temperatures, so even when used in an explosive atmosphere, the possibility of ignition is extremely low.

[0053] Even if one of the multiple current limiting elements 9a wired in series is damaged, and heat equivalent to the total power consumption is generated only from the normally functioning current limiting element 9a, a single heat sink material 9c to which multiple current limiting elements 9a are attached can dissipate an amount of heat equivalent to the total heat generated when all multiple current limiting elements 9a are functioning normally. Therefore, even if a short circuit occurs on the output side of the current limiting element 9a, the connecting cable C, the fan unit F, etc., it will not cause ignition of flammable materials when used in an explosive atmosphere.

[0054] As described above, with the battery device 1 for air-conditioned clothing according to the present invention, even if an extreme difference in the heat generated occurs among multiple current-limiting elements 9a wired in series due to malfunction, damage, or other reasons, a single heat sink material attached to the multiple current-limiting elements 9a can smooth out the heat generated from the multiple current-limiting elements 9a and dissipate the heat. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the current-limiting elements 9a from overheating to the point where they ignite a flammable substance. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0055] 1. Battery device for air-conditioned clothing 2 base 3. Top lid 4. Enclosure 5. Battery section 6 Control Unit 8 Control board section 8a First substrate 8d Insertion hole 9 Current limiting section 9a Current limiting element 9b terminal 9c heat sink material 9d Main surface 9e Heat Transfer Plate 9g screw hole 9h flat part 9i heat sink 9j side C connection cable F Fan Club

Claims

1. A battery device for air-conditioned clothing worn in an explosive atmosphere, which supplies power to a fan unit connected via a connecting cable, The housing contains a battery section, a control board section consisting of an IC board, and a current limiting section, and a control unit connected to the battery section, and a single heat sink made of a metal with high thermal conductivity. The heat sink material comprises a main surface and a plurality of heat dissipation plates arranged parallel to the back surface of the main surface and extending toward the battery section. The current limiting unit has multiple current limiting elements arranged in series to limit the output current so as not to exceed the limiting current value. Multiple current limiting elements are mounted side-by-side with respect to the main surface portion. A battery device for air-conditioned clothing, characterized in that each terminal of the plurality of current limiting elements is inserted into the insertion hole of the control board.

2. The battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that the control board portion and the heat sink material are spaced apart.

3. The battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that the control board portion and a part of the side surface of the heat sink material on the control board side are in contact.

4. The battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that the tip of the heat sink is in contact with the inner surface of the housing.

5. The battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that each of the multiple current limiting elements is attached to the main surface via a heat transfer plate.

6. The battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 5, characterized in that screws are inserted through the screw holes of the current limiting element, the heat transfer plate, and the heat sink material, and the flat portion of the current limiting element is mounted on the main surface via the heat transfer plate.

7. The battery device for air-conditioned clothing according to claim 1, characterized in that the current limiting element is a semiconductor switch element.

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