Device for controlling the temperature of a material

Abstract

In a device (1) for selectively controlling the temperature of a material, in particular flexible material, and comprising two heat exchangers (3, 4), the two heat exchangers (3, 4) are arranged in a circuit (2) to which a liquid is applied, a flexible heat exchanger (3) is embedded in the material and has two films (16, 17) or film sections which extend in two dimensions and in parallel and are connected to one another along a line or at a point, and the second heat exchanger (4) is provided with at least a heating element (9) and a cooling element (10).

Description

[0001]24-02-2025-41067901-HauPtPasi-0015 PCT / DE2025 / 000018 EW 38 / 25 PCT Device for tempering a material Description: The invention relates to a device for selectively tempering a particularly flexible material, which device has two heat exchangers. Devices for tempering, in particular for heating, for example, clothing, are known and proven in a wide variety of designs. However, such devices, which allow both heating and cooling of flexible materials such as items of clothing or the like, are structurally complex and correspondingly bulky. A device known from DE 411 679 A1 can be used to cool or heat clothing when an external heat exchanger is appropriately applied. Flexible hoses are used there to transfer heat or cold to the clothing. This means that such a transfer takes place in a line.Furthermore, due to the length of the hoses and their sinusoidal corrugation, the heat transfer fluid is significantly heated or cooled. A similar situation applies to the devices described in DE 21 2004 000 039 Ui and US 2012 / 022 432 A1. 24-02-2025-41067901—HauPtPmst-00 6 PCT / DE2025 / 000018 US 2012 / 022 432 A1 also discloses flat heat exchangers in clothing. However, these have a plate-like core made of an incompressible plastic, into which intersecting channels for a fluid are introduced in a matrix-like manner. The remaining plate remnants then serve as spacers for a liquid-tight cover. Even the complex life support system according to DE 69 329 840 T2 only discloses one line for cooling a piece of clothing.Furthermore, the cooling loop described therein has a complex auxiliary heat exchanger and an additional valve for temperature regulation in this cooling loop. The device according to DE 692 03 534 T2 can also be used to regulate the temperature of an item of clothing. The device generates heat by burning gas and is therefore very complex and expensive. Against this background, the object of the invention is to provide a compact device of the type mentioned at the beginning that is also very energy-efficient. This technical problem is solved by a device with the features according to claim 1. A first advantage is that this device only uses one circuit pressurized with a liquid, in which two heat exchangers are arranged. Accordingly, only one pump is required in one circuit.The use of a flexible heat exchanger in the material allows for a highly customized design, 24-02-202S-410S7901-HauPtPosi- 017 PCT / DE2025 / 000018 for example, clothing, upholstery, or the like. The flexible heat exchanger is cost-effective and can be designed in a wide variety of ways if it comprises two flat, parallel films or film sections that are connected to each other linearly and point-wise. If the connections are welded seams and spot welds, for example, created by high-frequency welding with PVC or PU films, a very flat, yet quite large-surface, flexible heat exchanger is obtained. The second heat exchanger can be formed simply and cost-effectively by a liquid tank. The second heat exchanger is equipped with at least one heating and cooling element, so that heat or cold can be directly introduced into the circuit.For this purpose, the heating and cooling elements are expediently arranged directly on or in the second heat exchanger. In a structural embodiment of the device according to the invention, the heating element is an electrically operated heating cartridge and the cooling element is a pelletizing element. Both can be operated with comparatively low energy consumption. In order to dissipate the heat generated by the pelletizing element during the cooling process, a heat sink functioning like a further heat exchanger is also provided. The heat is transferred via a heat pipe to a cooling body with a fan. Such heat pipes enable efficient heat transfer even with small cross-sectional areas. This heat can then be dissipated to any location in the surrounding area via flexible hoses. An electronic control system is also provided.Such control electronics will have integrated buttons and preferably an application. This allows the temperature to be regulated manually or automatically, and with the help of sensors, usage behavior can be observed, documented, and analyzed so that the application can recognize the individual's comfortable temperature. It has proven useful if the power is supplied via a USB interface, which can be connected to a commercially available power bank. This allows the actual temperature to be compared with the target temperature largely in real time, enabling an automated control process for controlling the heating and cooling output. Although not limited to this, a preferred use of the device according to the invention is its incorporation into a textile material, e.g.Animal mats, but also in motorcycle clothing, in particular a jacket or a vest to be worn under the jacket. In summer as well as winter, motorcyclists can then be offered a comfortable temperature. The device according to the invention is explained in more detail with reference to the drawing, in which exemplary embodiments are shown only schematically. The drawing shows: Fig. 1: the basic structure of the device and Fig. 2: a schematic view of a flexible heat exchanger. 24 -02-202-41067901 0 .1S PCT / DE2025 / 000018 The device according to the invention only has one circuit 2 supplied with a liquid. Integrated into the circuit 2 are a flexible heat exchanger and a second heat exchanger, which is simply formed by a liquid tank. A pump 5 ensures the necessary pressure build-up. The heat exchangers 3, 4 and the pump are connected by flexible hoses 6-8.The heat exchanger is embedded in a flexible material that can be both heated and cooled. For this purpose, the circuit is supplied with cold or heat via the second heat exchanger. Accordingly, the second heat exchanger is provided with at least one heating element in the form of an electrically operated heating cartridge for heating and a cooling element 10, a pelletizing element, for cooling. If the second heat exchanger is supplied with cold from the pelletizing element 10 arranged directly thereon, the heat is dissipated from the rear of the pelletizing element. The heat is dissipated via a heat pipe (12) to a heat sink 11. This consists of a heat sink, preferably made of aluminum, and a fan. This heat is then dissipated to the environment, particularly via flexible plastic pipes. The structure of a flexible heat exchanger 15 is further explained with reference to Figure 2.The heat exchanger 15 has a lower foil 16 and an upper foil 17, possibly also folded foil sections. The foils 16, 17 are welded together at the edges. An inlet 18 and an outlet 19 are also incorporated into the edge. The upper and lower foils 16, 17 are joined together by a plurality of spot welds 20. Hau 24-02- 025-41067801-HauPtPast- 020 PCT / DE2025 / 000018 In this embodiment, the weld points 20 are arranged regularly, in a matrix-like manner. This makes the heat exchanger 15 suitable for comparatively large-area heat or cold transfer. Diagonally opposite the inlet 18, the fluid enters a peripheral channel 21, which leads to the outlet 19 and is bordered by linear weld seams 22. The geometry of the heat exchanger 15 shown in the figure is merely exemplary.

Claims

Hau24-02-2025-41087901-HauPiPast-0022 PCT / DE2025 / 000018 EW 38 / 25 PCT Device for tempering a material Claims:

1. Device (for selectively tempering a particularly flexible material, comprising two heat exchangers (3, 4), characterized in that the two heat exchangers (3, 4) are arranged in a circuit (2) supplied with a liquid, that a flexible heat exchanger (4) is embedded in the material, which has two flat and parallel extending films (16, 17) or film sections which are connected to one another in a linear and point-like manner, and that the second heat exchanger (4) is provided with at least one heating (16) and one cooling element (10).

2. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the second heat exchanger (4) is a liquid tank. 3.Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating (and the cooling element (10) are arranged directly on or in the second heat exchanger ().

4. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the heating element (10) is an electrically operated heating cartridge and the cooling element (10) is a pelletizing element.

5. Device according to claim 1, characterized in that the heat generated by the pelletizing element (10) is transferred via a heat pipe (12) to a heat sink with a. 24- 02- 202S- 41087801-HauiPosi 002.5PCT / DE2025 / 000018 fan.

6. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized in that the connections are weld seams (22) and weld points (20).

7. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by an electronic control system.

8. Device according to one or more of the preceding claims, characterized by its incorporation into a textile material.

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