JP7713737B2 - temperature control clothing - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to temperature-regulating clothing, such as work clothes, that can be fitted with a temperature-regulating member to effectively cool or heat the interior.

Work clothing equipped with a fan has traditionally been used to prevent heatstroke at work sites, drawing in outside air to cool the garment. However, while fan-equipped work clothing provides a cooling effect, it can also cause the garment to expand, affecting workability.

In recent years, it has been proposed to achieve a cooling or warming effect by using temperature control elements such as Peltier elements that can be cooled or heated by passing electricity through them, thereby directly providing a feeling of coolness or warmth to the worker (Patent Document 1). Unlike air conditioning using fans, this temperature control element does not cause the inside of the work clothes to expand, and it can also be made more compact, so it has the advantage of not affecting workability or compromising fashion.

Patent Publication No. 2022-074925

However, when using a Peltier element to cool or heat as described above, cooling one side heats the other side, so to achieve a cooling effect, it is necessary to exhaust the heated air, and conversely, to achieve a heating effect, it is necessary to exhaust the cooled air.

The object of the present invention is to provide temperature-regulating clothing that can effectively exhaust unnecessary heat and cold air when regulating temperature using a temperature-regulating member.

A typical configuration of the present invention for achieving the above-mentioned object is a temperature regulating garment to which a temperature regulating member can be attached and detached, comprising an upper garment member having two front pleats formed at the top center of the outer surface along the top and bottom at a predetermined distance apart, and two hidden pleats formed at the top center of the inner surface along the top and bottom at a position corresponding to the front pleats, and having a box pleat-shaped attachment portion; and a locking member having a joint joined to the upper garment member along the two hidden pleats so as to cover the box pleat-shaped attachment portion formed at the top center of the inner surface of the upper garment member, and a locking portion formed below the joint for attaching the temperature regulating member, wherein the joint is joined on both sides in the width direction along the hidden pleats of the box pleat-shaped attachment portion, so that a tubular portion is formed by the attachment portion and the locking member, and the locking portion is formed in a float-like shape that can swing without being joined to the attachment portion.

In this invention, when a temperature control component such as a Peltier element is used, unnecessary heat can be exhausted from the box-pleated cylindrical portion, efficiently enhancing the cooling/heating effect.

(a) is an explanatory diagram of a state in which a temperature control member is attached to a jacket, and (b) is a cross-sectional view taken along the line B-B of (a). FIG. 10 is a perspective view illustrating a state before the temperature control member is attached to the jacket; A perspective view illustrating a state in which a temperature control member is attached to a jacket. FIG. 1A is a front view of a state in which a temperature control member is attached to a jacket, and FIG. 1B is a rear view of a state in which a temperature control member is attached to a jacket. FIG. 1A is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the temperature control member is in contact with a person, and FIG. 1B is an explanatory diagram illustrating a state in which the temperature control member is separated from the person.

Next, a temperature-regulating garment according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 is an explanatory diagram showing the state in which a temperature-regulating member has been attached to the outer garment, and Figure 2 is an explanatory perspective view showing the state before the temperature-regulating member has been attached to the outer garment.

As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the outer garment member 1 has two front pleats 2a formed above and below at a specified distance in the upper center of the outer surface, and two hidden pleats 2b formed above and below at a specified distance in the upper center of the inner surface at positions corresponding to the front pleats 2a, thereby forming a box pleat-shaped attachment portion 2.

The front pleats 2a and the back pleats 2b are formed continuously from the lower end of the yoke portion 1a of the outer garment member 1 to the upper end of the collar portion 1b, forming a vertically elongated box pleat shape up to the upper end of the collar portion 1b.

A fastening member 3 is attached to the attachment portion 2 by stitching, and a temperature control member 4 is attached to this fastening member 3. This fastening member 3 is a fabric member that is wider than the distance between the two shadow pleats 2b of the attachment portion 2 formed on the outer garment member 1, and has a length approximately the same as the vertical length of the box-pleated attachment portion 2, and is configured to be sized to cover the attachment portion 2.

The locking member 3 is constructed as a single piece of fabric, with a joint 3a sewn to the mounting portion 2 and a locking portion 3b for locking and attaching the temperature control member 4. The joint 3a has stitching portions 3a1 at both widthwise ends for sewing to the mounting portion 2, and the locking portion 3b has a locking opening 3c for locking the temperature control member 4.

When attaching the fastening member 3 to the outer garment member 1, the fastening member 3 covers the attachment portion 2, and the seams 3a1 at both widthwise ends of the joining portion 3a are sewn along the shadow folds 2b of the attachment portion 2. At this time, the fastening portion 3b located below the joining portion 3a is not sewn to the attachment portion 2, leaving it in a flat shape.

When the fastening member 3 is attached to the outer garment member 1 in the manner described above, the box-shaped attachment portion 2 and the fastening member 3 form a tubular portion 5 at the joint 3a, as shown in Figure 1(b). In this embodiment, the fastening member 3 is made of a stretchable mesh fabric, and the stretchability of the pleats is not hindered even if the seam 3a1 is sewn along the shadow pleat ridge 2b.

On the other hand, the locking portion 3b, which is not sewn to the mounting portion 2, hangs down like a dangler. As shown in Figure 2, an locking opening 3c is formed in the approximate center of this locking portion 3b for attaching the temperature control member 4. The inner diameter of the locking opening 3c is approximately the same as the outer diameter of the locking protrusion 4a formed on the temperature control member 4. This locking protrusion 4a is fitted into the locking opening 3c, and the engaging ring 4b is engaged or screwed onto the locking protrusion 4a so as to sandwich the locking member 3. This allows the temperature control member 4 to be attached to the locking member 3 sewn to the outer garment member 1, as shown in Figures 3 and 4.

The temperature control member 4 attached to the locking member 3 is a member capable of cooling and heating. In this embodiment, a Peltier element is used as the temperature control member 4, and this Peltier element is connected to a portable battery (not shown) via a cord 6.

The Peltier element has the property that when electricity is applied, for example, one side (front surface) 4c shown in Figure 1(b) cools, the other side (back surface) 4d generates heat. For this reason, in order to cool the inside of the outer garment 1, it is necessary to exhaust the heated air, and conversely, in order to warm the inside of the outer garment 1, it is necessary to exhaust the cooled air.

In this embodiment, as described above, a cylindrical portion 5 is formed, surrounded by the box-shaped mounting portion 2 and the locking member 3, and the surface 4c of the temperature control member 4 attached to the locking member 3 faces the outside of the cylindrical portion, while the back surface 4d of the temperature control member 4 faces the inside of the cylindrical portion 5. Therefore, when electricity is applied so that the surface 4c of the temperature control member 4 is cooled, the air heated by the heat generated by the back surface 4d of the temperature control member 4 is exhausted upward, with the cylindrical portion acting as an air passage.

In this embodiment, the locking member 3 is made of mesh fabric, so the heated air is exhausted through the air passage. However, the locking member 3 does not have to be made of mesh fabric; for example, a non-breathable material could be used. In that case, forming an exhaust opening at the top end of the tubular portion surrounded by the box-shaped mounting portion 2 and the locking member 3 will allow the air to be exhausted efficiently through that opening.

As a result, when cooling the front surface 4c of the temperature control member 4, heated air is efficiently exhausted from the back surface 4d, effectively cooling the inside of the outer garment member 1.

As mentioned above, the temperature control member 4 is attached to the flush portion of the locking member 3. Therefore, when attaching the temperature control member 4 to the locking opening 3c, the temperature control member 4 can be easily fitted into the locking opening 3c from the front side of the locking member 3 and engaged with the temperature control member 4 from the back side of the locking member 3 using the engagement ring 4b. This allows for a configuration in which the temperature control member 4 is attached by sandwiching the locking member 3, and simply providing the locking opening 3c in the locking member 3 to attach the temperature control member 4 simplifies the attachment configuration.

Furthermore, because the temperature control member 4 is attached to the above-mentioned top portion, this portion is able to swing relative to the outer garment 1. Therefore, for example, when electricity is applied to cool the surface 4c of the temperature control member 4, as shown in Figure 5(a), when the user M wearing the outer garment 1 leans forward, the temperature control member 4 swings, causing the cooled surface 4c to come into close contact with the user's back. This allows the user to directly feel the cool air and experience the cooling effect.

Conversely, as shown in Figure 5(b), when the user M of the outer garment 1 straightens their back, the temperature control member 4 oscillates, moving the cooled surface 4c away from the user's back. This reduces the cold sensation felt by the temperature control member 4.

By attaching the temperature control member 4 to the unsewn, float-like portion of the fastening member 3 in this way, the temperature control provided by the temperature control member 4 can be directly changed by the user changing their posture.

In this embodiment, as described above, the attachment portion 2 in a box pleat shape is formed on the outer garment member 1 of the fastening member 3, and the fastening member 3 is sewn along the shadow pleats to form an airway for unwanted heat, enabling efficient temperature control.

In addition, in this embodiment, the box pleats formed in the outer garment 1 are utilized to attach the temperature control member 4, thereby maintaining the stretchability of the outer garment 1 at the back.

In addition, in this embodiment, by attaching the temperature control member 4 to the flush portion of the locking member 3, it is only necessary to provide the locking member 3 with an locking opening 3c for attaching the temperature control member 4, which makes it possible to simplify the attachment configuration of the temperature control member 4.

In addition, in this embodiment, by attaching the temperature adjustment member 4 to the bottom portion of the locking member 3, it is possible for the user to directly change the temperature adjustment by the temperature adjustment member 4 by changing their posture.

In the above-described embodiment, the locking member 3 is attached by sewing along the hidden folds of the mounting portion 2, but the method for attaching the locking member 3 to the mounting portion 2 does not have to be limited to sewing. For example, the locking member 3 may be attached by gluing both widthwise ends along the hidden folds of the mounting portion 2, or by joining both widthwise ends of the locking member 3 along the box shape of the mounting portion 2, so that the box shape and the locking member 3 form a tubular portion.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the vertical length of the locking member 3 is approximately the same as the vertical length of the box-pleated mounting portion 2 so as to cover the mounting portion 2, but the vertical length of the locking member 3 may be shorter than that of the mounting portion 2. Even if the vertical length of the locking member 3 is shorter than the vertical length of the mounting portion 2, as long as the aforementioned cylindrical portion 5 is formed above the locking opening 3c, heat from the back surface 4d of the temperature adjustment member 4 can be effectively vented from the cylindrical portion 5.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, the attachment portion 2 is provided from the lower end of the yoke portion 1a of the outer garment member 1 to the upper end of the collar portion 1b, but the attachment portion 2 is not limited to this location and may be provided, for example, from the back body portion 1c (see Figure 3) to the collar portion 1b.

In addition, in the above-described embodiment, one attachment part 2 is provided at the top center of the back of the outer garment 1, and one temperature control member is provided there. However, attachment parts 2 may also be provided on the left and right sides in addition to the center, allowing multiple temperature control members to be attached.

Furthermore, while the above-described embodiment shows an example in which the inside of the outer garment 1 is cooled by cooling the surface of the temperature control member 4, it is also possible to heat the inside of the outer garment 1 by passing electricity through the surface of the temperature control member 4 to heat it.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1 ... outer garment member 1a ... yoke portion 1b ... collar portion 1c ... back body portion 2 ... attachment portion 2a ... front pleat ridge 2b ... shadow pleat ridge 3 ... locking member 3a ... joint portion 3b ... locking portion 3c ... locking opening 4 ... temperature control member 4a ... locking protrusion 4b ... engagement ring 4c ... surface 4d ... back surface 5 ... tubular portion 6 ... cord

Claims (6)

In a temperature regulating garment having a detachable temperature regulating member,
an outer garment member having two front pleats formed at an upper center on the outer surface along the top and bottom at a predetermined interval, and two hidden pleats formed at an upper center on the inner surface along the top and bottom at positions corresponding to the front pleats at a predetermined interval, thereby forming a box pleat-shaped attachment portion;
a locking member having a joining portion joined to the outer garment along the two shadow pleats so as to cover a box pleat-shaped mounting portion formed at the upper center of the inner surface of the outer garment, and a locking portion formed below the joining portion for mounting the temperature control member;
and
The temperature regulating garment is characterized in that the joining portion is joined on both sides in the width direction along the shadow pleats of the attachment portion, thereby forming a tubular portion by the attachment portion and the locking member, and the locking portion is formed in a float-like shape that can swing without being joined to the attachment portion. The temperature-regulating garment of claim 1, characterized in that the temperature-regulating member is a member that heats one side when the other side is cooled. The temperature-regulating garment of claim 1, characterized in that the box pleat-shaped attachment portion is formed continuously from the yoke portion of the outer garment member to the top of the collar. The temperature-regulating garment of claim 1, wherein the fastening member is a mesh-like fabric member that covers the box-pleat-shaped mounting portion. The temperature-regulating garment of claim 1, characterized in that the tubular portion formed by the box-pleat-shaped attachment portion and the locking member has an open upper end. The temperature-regulating garment of claim 2, characterized in that the engaging portion is formed as an opening for attaching the temperature-regulating member, and when the temperature-regulating member is attached to the opening, the engaging portion faces the inside of the tubular portion of the temperature-regulating member, and the other side faces the outside of the tubular portion.