JP7665461B2 - Electronic Cooling Mask - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to the technical field of everyday protective equipment, in particular to respiratory masks.

Masks are widely used in daily life, covering the nose and mouth and preventing airborne contaminants such as pollen, fine particles, dust, viruses and pathogens, thereby providing a protective function for maintaining health.

Japan Utility Model No. 003227863 Japan Utility Model No. 003229764 Japan Patent Publication No. 2008-031581 Japan Patent Publication No. 2012-533327 International WO/2010-047382 International WO/2017-057168

These patent documents propose a method of cooling the body by electronic cooling and a method of respiratory cooling using a large-scale refrigerant circulation.

In 2020, if you want to cool down outside, use a neck cooler! Check out the cooling effect of the "Neck Cooler Neo"!
https://kaden.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/column_review/kdnreview/1259705.html
A great companion for sports: Philips releases a mask with a built-in electric fan that makes it easier to breathe
https://www.gizmodo.jp/2020/12/philips-face-mask.html
Survey conducted on December 3, 2020

According to non-patent literature, the first link is a product that has been developed to help people survive the heat by directly contacting the cooling surface of a Peltier element to the neck and using an external power source. No suitable prior patent literature could be found in Japan. The second link is a product that uses an electric fan to suck in air to make breathing easier.

Due to the recent spread of the coronavirus, it has become necessary to wear a mask even during the hot summer months. However, hot air from breathing becomes trapped inside the mask, and the gas inside the mask becomes as hot or humid as body temperature. This creates the problem that heat cannot be expelled through breathing to regulate internal body temperature, raising concerns about health hazards such as heatstroke and heat stroke.

Unless the breath is taken in steadily at a temperature lower than body temperature outdoors in midsummer, the health hazard concerns cannot be eliminated. Therefore, as a conceivable method for solving this problem, it can be considered to use a mask equipped with a Peltier element to exchange heat between the inside and outside, and to have a cooling surface of the Peltier element on the inside, as in the site information referenced in the non-patent literature in the above-mentioned prior art.
Furthermore, this may be achieved by using a paint having a cooling effect, such as a special coating that has been developed in recent years.
The whitest paint on earth has been created, which is also effective in beating the heat (verified on April 24, 2021)
https://www.gizmodo.jp/2021/04/white-paint-for-global-warming.html

However, when the inventors actually created the device, they found that even with the cooling surface of the Peltier element facing inward, there was not enough temperature reduction during breathing. In particular, the temperature of the gas produced during breathing inevitably becomes equivalent to body temperature, and they found a further problem in that the evaporation effect associated with exhalation could not sufficiently suppress the rise in body temperature.

In this situation, we came to the conclusion that in order to improve the efficiency of waste heat associated with breathing, including the transpiration effect of body heat waste heat associated with breathing and exhalation, it is necessary to increase the contact area of the cooling part with the exhaled gas. By further providing a comb-shaped heat exchange part that can increase the contact area with the air being breathed on the cooling surface of the Peltier element, we have created a part where the gas during breathing stays inside the mouth part and the mask, and by providing an additional comb-shaped cooling part between the cooling surface and the mouth part, we have efficiently solved the problem.

In addition, as the moisture in the breath cools, it condenses on the comb-shaped cooling section of the present invention. The condensed moisture can be discharged to the outside using a drain hose or the like, and the discharged moisture can be directed to the heat generating waste heat surface of the present invention, allowing the moisture condensed inside the waste heat surface to evaporate, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency by utilizing the evaporative waste heat effect that accompanies the evaporation of the condensed moisture, thereby achieving higher performance waste heat or improved cooling efficiency.

Furthermore, the device can be configured to reduce the human body's exposure to viruses, bacteria, chemical toxins, dust, etc. through wireless communication functions, making breathing safer.

Instead of simple surface cooling like the neck cooler described in Non-Patent Document 1 above, it was confirmed that by providing a comb-shaped heat exchanger with a height of about 0.3 cm to 5 cm on the cooling surface of the Peltier element, it is possible to lower the temperature of the inhaled and exhaled air below the outside air temperature and the exhaled air temperature.

Furthermore, in the Utility Model No. 003227863, in regards to the antibacterial properties of regular masks, it is stated that the mask is "antibacterial treated fabric." In the present invention, antibacterial design is applied using metal ions from heat exchange metal parts, etc., so that the antibacterial design is fundamentally different from that of general antibacterial treated fabric, and therefore has a special effect.

Furthermore, for utility model 003229764, the gas drawn in by the outside air using a fan is electronically cooled. The model does not perform heat exchange on the trapped gas as in the present invention, but instead performs forced intake and forced cooling using a fan, which results in a relative difference in the residence time of gas in the space in contact with the cooling part per unit time between the model and the present invention, resulting in a significantly reduced cooling performance due to a shorter residence time in the model than in the present invention. The present invention aims to lower the temperature of gas trapped in the mask due to a person's natural breathing or simple fan intake, rather than dynamic intake cooling using a forced intake fan, and has the special effect of sufficiently cooling the gas trapped in the mask at a temperature equivalent to body temperature.

JP 2008-031581 A describes a method of cooling a refrigerant using a semiconductor element and exchanging heat at the contact point with the clothing to cool a cooling component attached to the clothing and lower body temperature. The present invention directly cools exhaled air without using a refrigerant, thereby lowering the temperature of the gas that is inhaled into the lungs inside the body, rather than on the body surface, promoting cooling from within the body, and improving the efficiency of body cooling associated with the blood circulation in the body, which occurs due to blood cooling associated with heat exchange in the blood as well as gas exchange in the lungs.

In JP 2012-533327, section 0053 of the application points out the possibility that cleaning the inside of the mask with water may have a detrimental effect on electrically moving parts such as fans. This invention has the special advantage that the cleaning section does not have any electrically moving parts, so the problems described do not occur.

In international application WO/2010-047382, the body is cooled by cooling a refrigerant and circulating the refrigerant in a pad attached to the body. As the present invention does not use a cooling medium, pumps and other devices are not required, improving power efficiency and lowering body temperature through heat exchange with blood in the lungs.

In contrast to the international application WO/2017-057168, the present invention uses a water-based cooling medium to cool the gas inside the part that covers the mouth and nostrils, lowering the temperature of the respiratory gas, and uses a part that uses a valve to exhaust the exhaled air so that heat from the exhaled air does not remain inside the part. Since the present invention does not use a refrigerant as in the international application, a refrigerant circulation pump is not required, improving power efficiency and resulting in a very compact configuration.
In this case, by providing a small heat exchange unit that can be configured and contained in the very narrow space between the mask and the body, namely the front of the lips and the lower nostrils, it is possible to cool the air per unit volume that is very small compared to conventional products, and in particular, by efficiently cooling the exhaled air that has risen due to body temperature, it is possible to avoid adverse effects on the body even in places where the surrounding temperature is at or above body temperature.
In particular, in the case of this international prior application, since the refrigerant is water, it is virtually impossible to cool to below freezing (even saline solution is about -4°C). Therefore, compared to a cooling section that uses a refrigerant and circulates the refrigerant, the present invention can provide a sufficiently low negative temperature by using an electronic cooling section that performs direct heat exchange. However, this invention has the effect of solving the problem that it is impossible to sufficiently lower the temperature of the inhaled gas with a cooling mask that uses water or the like as a refrigerant for safety reasons.

In other words, all of the above-mentioned prior art examples are designed to ensure that the inside and outside of the mask are separated by a filter, and are not configured to directly exchange heat without using a refrigerant, but rather to cool the heat inside the mask via a refrigerant using a dedicated refrigerant cooling device installed separately. In particular, there is a problem that the power efficiency is very poor because a pump or the like is used to transport the refrigerant. Or, since the forced inhalation gas is directly cooled, the heat exchange structure is very inefficient. Furthermore, some devices have a significantly poorer power efficiency and volume ratio because they drive a large fan without using a refrigerant. In addition, since the cooling structure is such that the filter is located between the cooling part and the face line, the exhaled air is cooled after passing through the filter, and even if the user is ill, the exhaled air is not sufficiently contaminated for exhaust to the outside. Furthermore, by configuring the intake fan on the right, the cooling part in the center, and the exhaust fan on the left, the circulation of the exhaled air can be improved.

The present invention improves volume ratio and power efficiency, reduces the possibility of mechanical failures such as pumps, and because it does not forcibly cool large volumes of air by forcibly sucking in with a fan, there is no need to drastically increase the cooling performance per unit time when using a large intake fan for forced intake. This not only makes it possible to lower the temperature of the amount of air needed for breathing with sufficiently low power, but also allows for sufficient filtering of the exhaled air, and the fan circulation allows the infected person's exhaled air to be filtered and exhausted even if the outer mesh of the mask is coarse.

In this way, compared to conventional conditions, the present invention cools the exhaled air carrying body temperature that is retained in the mask, and also uses a cooling section with a small volume to cool the gas carrying body temperature that is retained in the mask due to breathing, thereby realizing cooling of the hot gas in the mask and enabling sufficient cooling of the gas necessary for breathing within the retention time of the exhaled air associated with breathing.

Appearance with mask on Outside the mask Inside the mask (a) Without filter (b) With filter Example of a schematic perspective view of the mask structure when viewed from the side Example of a schematic perspective view of a mask with a drain structure seen from the side Example of forced gas circulation inside the mask (a) without filter (b) with filter Examples of mask variations: (a) Commercially available products (b) Direct cooling of the body surface

First, the exterior will be described based on Figure 1. The mask in this photo is made of urethane and is somewhat thick, but there is an issue that it is not strong enough to fix the cooling parts to the mask. To solve this issue, the mask is equipped with parts made of resin or the like as spacers or frames, so that it is strong enough to hold the cooling unit. Note that the mask is not limited to urethane masks, and may be made of a suitable mesh material with a reasonable strength. Furthermore, the cooling efficiency may be improved by appropriately equipping the electronic cooling section with an electric fan.

In terms of appearance, as shown in Figure 1, the cooling element is configured to operate from an external USB power supply, and a cooling section integrated into the mask can be provided using an electronic cooling element. This power supply can be a solar cell, and the cooling unit is equipped with an electronic heat exchanger such as a Peltier element, allowing for a simple structure. Furthermore, instead of air cooling as in the image, a larger heat exchanger such as liquid cooling can be provided, but a lightweight Peltier element is preferable.

The cooling section thus constructed is configured so that there is a volume in the gap between the cooling section and the face that is large enough to temporarily retain the gas produced by breathing, and when the structure of the face section and cooling section is observed from the side, the structure of the gap between the face line 4000 and the comb-shaped cooling section 3001 in FIG. 4 is assumed. The filter section 3002 used in the mask is configured between the oral and nasal cavity sections associated with the face line 4000 of the mask and the comb-shaped heat exchange cooling section 3001. It is preferable to consider that the performance of the mask itself can be designed arbitrarily by changing the material of this filter section.

The comb-shaped cooling section configured as described above can ensure a sufficient volume for the respiratory gas to remain. This configuration can ensure a sufficient volume for the heat exchange associated with cooling in the short time it takes to breathe, making it possible to sufficiently cool the inhaled air in the physical heat exchange associated with breathing, greatly reducing the possibility of re-inhaling gas whose temperature has increased due to exhalation, and can configure a filter-equipped mask that can prevent the efficiency of heat waste associated with breathing from worsening due to regular use of the mask. Furthermore, as a configuration for improving breathability, the mask may be made of a mesh material or an electric fan may be used to create positive pressure inside, thereby reducing the strain caused by breathing.

Figure 2 shows the appearance of the present invention. The electronic cooling mask 1000 is composed of a mask that is stronger than a normal mask made of rubber bands, etc., and, if necessary, a fixing device 1002 made of resin or the like to support a relatively heavy electronic cooler 1001 (the electronic cooler is fixed to create a mask with a cooler). If the mask material is strong enough, the fixing device 1002 may not be included.

Figure 3(a) shows a comb-shaped heat exchange cooling section 3001 configured inside the mask of the present invention. Furthermore, (b) shows a filter, which is the main function of the mask, configured and fixed on top of the comb-shaped heat exchange section. Also, the circular parts on the left and right sides of the center of each of Figures 3(a) and (b) can be considered to be configured to have a valve-shaped structure so that exhaled (exhausted) air can be easily discharged when exhaling (exhausting). Also, the performance of the mask can be considered to change depending on the performance of the filter shown in (b).

Furthermore, since it is quite possible that the cooling section of the present invention will condense, the device may be configured to reduce the risk of infection associated with breathing by using a drain hose for draining water to the outside, or by using appropriate antibacterial and germicidal materials such as ion coatings of silver or copper to prevent the growth of mold and bacteria caused by the increase in humidity due to condensation, or may be further equipped with functions such as deodorization and sterilization using electrical plasma or ions.

It is more effective if the comb-shaped heat exchange metal part for expanding the gas contact area of the cooling part has a high thermal conductivity, and a wide design is possible, such as a heat exchange part with undulations of about 3 mm to a heat exchange part with undulations of about 5 cm in order to expand the contact area, and it is preferable that some ingenuity is used to improve the heat exchange efficiency from a thermodynamic perspective, and the inventor has conducted experiments using comb-shaped, fin-shaped, thorn-shaped, columnar, and forest-shaped heat exchange parts with heights of about 3 mm to 15 mm. Furthermore, it is possible to configure the electronic cooling element so that multiple sheets are stacked, such as two sheets, to provide more efficient and sufficient cooling for the user.

Furthermore, the moisture resulting from the condensation described above can be discharged from the inside of the mask to the outside using a drain hose, and the moisture from the condensation discharged by the drain hose or the like can be made to flow into the heat dissipation section of the heat exchanger section, which is composed of electronic components or the like provided on the outside, thereby evaporating the moisture on the heat dissipation section, thereby improving the heat dissipation efficiency on the outside and improving the overall cooling performance of the mask of the present invention.

Furthermore, the heat exchanger structure of the cooling section and waste heat section, which are configured by sandwiching the semiconductor cooling element 1004, can be configured to use a drain hose 5001 facing from the inside to the outside as shown in Figure 5 to drain the moisture condensed on the inner cooling surface of the heat exchanger component to the mask outer evaporation waste heat section 5002, thereby further improving the waste heat efficiency by absorbing heat as heat of vaporization associated with the evaporation of the condensed moisture.

Furthermore, the filter section 3002 of the present invention can be replaced with a PM2.5 compatible or N95 equivalent filter using any fixing means, thereby changing the performance according to the purpose of use, or the cooler fixing device 1002 can be provided with a fixing mechanism with a removable function such as a spring or ratchet mechanism, thereby making it possible to remove the electric fan section or the cooling section with electric fan 1001, thereby making it easier to clean the product of the present invention.

Furthermore, a microphone may be provided in any location that is easy to pick up sound, such as the inside of the mask filter or mask product closer to the mouth, for example, between the parts on the outside of the mask and the filter, the inside of the filter, or the inside of the parts for fixing the filter to the mask, and a speaker may be provided on the outside of the mask to transmit voices inside the mask to the outside, or remote calls may be realized using wireless communication functions (more specifically, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. *including registered trademarks) linked to the voice signal picked up by the microphone and a speaker or earphones. The voice audible to the outside may be optimized or noise reduction may be performed using a component configuration such as 4011, 4012, and 4013 in Figure 4 through circuits or programs that change or improve the sound and/or quality of the voice obtained through the microphone, such as a voice changer, equalizer, or noise canceller.

By providing the mask with such functions to patients in an isolated state, it is possible to improve and/or facilitate voice communication with the patient. In addition, the mask may be configured to link with a smartphone. Furthermore, the USB connection for power supply may be provided with a data link function, and a compute module such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) or Wi-Fi (registered trademark) may be provided externally or together with a battery.

Furthermore, the mask may be configured to sterilize inhaled and exhaled air using an electronic sterilization device (including ion, plasma cluster, metal ion generator, ozone generator, hypochlorous acid generator, etc. *registered trademarks). An electric fan may be provided to properly circulate such sterilized air, an electric fan may be provided to create an appropriate positive pressure inside the mask as described above, or a fan may be provided to improve exhaust performance, and the components used in the mask may be antibacterial treated to prevent the increase of germs due to humidity. Such electronic sterilization devices may be provided, for example, on the exhaust valve side, to reduce the risk of infection from the patient's exhaled air by creating a structure that sterilizes the patient's exhaled air as much as possible.

Furthermore, by using solar cells, it is possible to charge the device while it is in use outdoors, or by using a multiplexed structure such as a double cooling structure by further providing a heat exchange medium circulating section for liquid cooling on the outside of the electronic heat exchange component, it is possible to achieve high-temperature heat exchange efficiency in a dual medium cooling structure such as that used in nuclear fuel reprocessing reactors. This dual medium may be realized by a multi-stage cooling configuration such as a liquid cooling or gas cooling structure from the electronic heat exchange element, or a triplex structure in which gas cooling from the electronic heat exchange element is performed in addition to liquid cooling. The battery as the power source can be built-in or can be implemented in any way, whether it is connected via external wiring regardless of priority wireless.

Furthermore, according to (a) and (b) of FIG. 6, the air sucked in from the intake hole 6001 by a fan or the like passes through the comb-shaped cooling part of the cooling part 6002 and is exhausted from the exhaust hole 6003 by a fan or the like, and the filter is fixed to cover the cooling part with a fixture such as 6004, etc., so that the filtered air during breathing and the forcedly circulated air are separated, so that bacteria, viruses, etc. are not exhausted to the outside even if the user is ill. Of course, it should be considered that the configuration of the present invention can be implemented even without intake and exhaust holes and forced circulation by a forced fan, and it should also be considered that it can be implemented without intake and exhaust holes and without an exhaust valve.

In addition, the specifications described as an intake and exhaust fan may be configured so that both are intake only or exhaust only, and the cooling section 3001 is configured between the mask with cooler (1001, 3009) as the mask exterior and the replaceable inner filter section (3002). Since the cooling section is non-invasive to the filter section, there is no need to consider gaps between the filter and the cooling section, and filter replacement is not affected. This configuration makes filter replacement easy while ensuring and maintaining the safety of the mask, and therefore can be considered to be a preferable structure when using the present invention. Note that holes for intake and exhaust are not necessarily required.

Furthermore, as shown in Fig. 7, several variations are possible, such as (a) using a normal commercially available mask (7001) as the inner filter without using a dedicated filter, making it easy to obtain the filter part, and (b) equipping the mouth area cooling part (7002) that extends the cooling part to the inside of the mask using a part with high thermal conductivity such as metal, providing the mouth area cooling part as a body surface cooling part, making it possible to directly cool the body surface and improve the feeling of coolness when wearing the mask. Furthermore, it is also possible to secure a gap area for breathing by making the mouth area cooling part a mesh panel, or to directly cool the area around the lips using a pipe-shaped refrigerant circulating part from the semiconductor cooling part.

In order to lower the temperature of the gas inside the mask, which is a factor that inhibits waste heat associated with breathing, a comb-shaped cooling part with an expanded contact area is provided, making it possible to sufficiently cool the mask, and by avoiding the rise in body temperature caused by a mask used in the oral and nasal cavities in summer, it is possible to take care not to cause health problems such as heatstroke and heat stroke. Depending on the performance of the filter material, an electric electronic cooling mask at the level of a surgical mask can be realized, and it is expected that the environment for people's activities and exercise can be made more comfortable even in a virus environment such as corona. In addition, by making it possible to configure an electric circuit, it is possible to realize a mask with high convenience and safety that allows remote calls that were not possible in the past. Furthermore, by using a solar cell, it is possible to charge the mask while using it outdoors, and by using an arbitrary multiplexing structure such as further providing a heat exchange medium circulation part for liquid cooling on the outside of the electronic heat exchange component to double the cooling structure, it is also possible to realize high-temperature heat exchange efficiency in a dual medium cooling structure such as that used in nuclear fuel reprocessing reactors. In addition, it may be configured to detoxify the breath by an electronic disinfection device for the breath.

1000: Outside of mask with cooler 1001: Electronic cooler with electric fan 1002: Fixing device for mask with cooler 1003: Power cable for electronic cooler 1004: Semiconductor cooling element 3000: Inside of mask with cooler 3001: Comb-shaped heat exchanger part inside mask with cooler 3002: Dustproof and disease-prevention filter inside mask with cooler 3003: Exhaust valve 4000: Face line 4011: Microphone part 4012: Speaker part 4013: Computer and Wi-Fi part 5001: Drain hose 5002: Outside of mask, transpiration heat dissipation part 6001: Intake hole 6002: Electronic cooling part 6003: Exhaust hole 6004: Filter fixing device 7001: Commercially available mask 7002: Cooling part around mouth

Claims (2)

In the field of everyday protection products,
A mask for use in the nasal and oral cavity for respiratory safety to maintain health,
The mask is provided with a heat exchanger that directly exchanges heat between the inside and outside of the mask.
In the cooling section provided inside the heat exchange component,
The air you breathe remains in the mask under the influence of body heat.
By cooling the exhaled air under the influence of the remaining body temperature with the cooling unit,
It is constructed to prevent the re-inhalation of exhaled air while still warm,
The heat exchange parts provided inside the mask are arranged in a comb-like and/or column-like shape,
It is characterized by being provided in the gap space between the body and the mask under the nostrils and in front of the lips,
Electronic cooling mask for nasal and oral cavity
A mask according to claim 1 in the technical field of everyday protective products,
A mask for use in the nasal and oral cavity for respiratory safety to maintain health,
Between the outer mask part and the inner filter part,
The heat exchanger can be made with any irregularities, including comb-like.
The present invention is characterized by comprising:
Electronic cooling mask for nasal and oral cavity

Images