Abstract:
An air conditioning system for a garment that is worn over the clothing of an individual that utilizes a thermoelectric heating and cooling system that allows an individual to control the temperature under the garment. The garment protects the individual from extreme external temperatures in the environment. The system also prevents the buildup of humidity within the garment since the air that is heated or cooled by the thermoelectric device is dehumidified before it enters the garment. The air conditioning mechanism is mounted in a self-contained environment that is insulated from the ambient air temperature in the environment.

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     The present invention relates generally to temperature and climate-controlled suits that are worn by humans to protect them from extreme external temperatures in the environment. Specifically, the present invention pertains to low-cost self-contained climate-controlled suits that are worn by humans that keep a person&#39;s skin temperature constant without moisture buildup inside the suit.  
       BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0002]     In the extreme winter and summer temperatures, it is often uncomfortable, if not difficult, to move about outdoors. Travel is even more difficult in certain parts of the country such as the Arizona desert in summer, or in Minnesota during winter where temperatures can range from 110 degrees to as low as −30 degrees. While most individuals cope in the extreme cold temperatures by wearing layers of clothing in an effort to secure body heat, it would be desirable to have a portable means to provide heat that would reduce the need to wear many layers of clothing. Likewise, in the summer, many professionals are required to wear business suits that are very uncomfortable in high temperatures and high humidity. It would also be desirable to provide a portable means to cool a person who must wear uncomfortable clothing outdoors to maximize comfort.  
         [0003]     The present invention addresses these concerns by providing a suit that may be worn over clothing while maintaining a stable temperature and humidity level within a confined space of the suit. The temperature inside the suit may be kept at a constant temperature through the use of a combination thermoelectric heater/cooler that is housed within a backpack. An intake fan is exposed to the elements and ingests air from the outside into the backpack where it passes over a large heat sink that is either cool or hot depending on how the heater/cooler is set. When the air passes over the heat sink, the temperature of the air is either raised or lowered depending on the temperature of the heat sink. The air is then forced out of the backpack into the suit through a narrow tube that his connected to the suit.  
         [0004]     The suit is made from plastic, vinyl or other suitable non-porous material. The suit is constructed so that it can cover a large portion of the human body over clothing, yet leave the hands, feet, and face exposed to the environment. When the air is delivered from the backpack to the suit through the tube, it circulates throughout the suit so that the person within the suit remains in a comfortable constant-temperature and low-humidity environment. The air is expelled through openings in the suit near the neck area or around the hands and feet area.  
       DISCUSSION OF THE PRIOR ART  
       [0005]     Temperature controlled suits are known in the prior art. More specifically, suits that are used to cover an entire person&#39;s body that are cooled or heated using an external source of conditioned air are discussed in the prior art. Other similar temperature-controlled and air conditioned suits are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,064,448, 2,540,547, 3,085,405, 3,085,405, 5,197,294, and French Patent No. FR2619315.  
         [0006]     While these devices aim to function as air conditioned suits, and while each invention disclosed in the respective patents may disclose a feature of the present invention, none of the above-listed patents disclose the combination of features in the present invention either individually or in combination with each other in such a way that it would have been obvious to do so at the time the present invention was conceived.  
         [0007]     In addition, there is a need in the art for a device which can function as both a thermoelectric air conditioner that works in combination with a lightweight plastic or vinyl suit worn over other clothing that maximizes throughput of air, yet minimizes the level of humidity under the suit. A device of this type is disclosed by the present invention.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0008]     Broadly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a source for heating and cooling a space confined under a garment.  
         [0009]     It is a further object of the present invention that the source for heating and cooling the space is a thermoelectric heating and cooling unit.  
         [0010]     It is a further object of the present invention that the thermoelectric heating and cooling unit be confined within a closed space.  
         [0011]     It is a further object of the present invention that a fan or other wind-producing device be used to deliver air in contact with the thermoelectric device to cool or heat the air.  
         [0012]     It is a further object of the present invention that the heated or cooled air is delivered through a tube from the closed space to inside of the garment.  
         [0013]     It is a further object of the present invention that the garment be worn over at least one layer of clothing that is worn by a person.  
         [0014]     It is a further object of the present invention that the thermoelectric device is capable of switching from heating to cooling functionality by means of a switch.  
         [0015]     It is a further object of the present invention that the air delivered to the garment contains minimal humidity.  
         [0016]     The description of the invention which follows, together with the accompanying drawings should not be construed as limiting the invention to the example shown and described, because those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains will be able to devise other forms thereof within the ambit of the appended claims. 
     
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0017]      FIG. 1  is a front view of the backpack that encloses the thermoelectric apparatus and the delivery tube;  
         [0018]      FIG. 2  is an exploded view of the thermoelectric apparatus from the front of the device;  
         [0019]      FIG. 3  is an exploded view of the thermoelectric apparatus from the rear of the device;  
         [0020]      FIG. 4  is a perspective view of the thermoelectric apparatus showing the front panel of the apparatus removed;  
         [0021]      FIG. 4A  is a perspective view of the thermoelectric apparatus showing the rear panel of the apparatus removed;  
         [0022]      FIG. 5  is a side cross-sectional view of the thermoelectric apparatus showing the general path of how ambient air is ingested into the apparatus and is expelled from the apparatus;  
         [0023]      FIG. 5A  is a side cross-sectional view of the thermoelectric apparatus showing the thermoelectric apparatus encased within the backpack;  
         [0024]      FIG. 6  is a front view of a person wearing the suit over a layer of clothing with the thermoelectric apparatus connected to the suit;  
         [0025]      FIG. 6A  is a rear view of a person wearing the suit over a layer of clothing with the thermoelectric apparatus connected to the suit. 
     
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT  
       [0026]     By way of one example of many to serve as background in understanding the present invention,  FIG. 1  shows a thermoelectric heating and cooling apparatus  100  enclosed within a backpack  120 . The backpack  120  has two straps  130  for wearing around an individual&#39;s shoulders as shown in  FIG. 6 . Referring back to  FIG. 1 , a fan cover  110  is embedded within an opening in the rear of the backpack  120 . The fan cover  110  receives air that is ingested into the backpack  120  from a fan  210  as shown in  FIG. 2 . Referring to  FIG. 1 , a tube  140  receives air that is expelled from the backpack  120  and travels down the length of the tube  140  until it is forced into a suit  420  as shown in  FIG. 6 . A connector  150  is used to connect to a receiving port on the suit  420  as shown in  FIG. 6   a.    
         [0027]      FIG. 2  shows the parts of the thermoelectric heating and cooling apparatus  205 . A thermoelectric heating and cooling apparatus utilizes the Peltier effect, which utilizes bimetallic plates  225  that are connected to a low voltage D.C. power source such as batteries  270 . The surfaces of the bimetallic plates  225  become cold on one plate and hot on the other when a direct current is applied across the plates  225 . The surface area of the first plate  226  is in direct contact with the rear surface area of a heat sink  220 . The second plate  227  of the bimetallic plates  225  is insulated from the first plate  226  but is secured to the first plate by the insulation. The surface area of the second plate  227  faces outward and must reside outside of the front casing  250 . The front casing  250  receives the combination of the heat sink  220  and bimetallic plates  225  so that the heat sink  220  and the first plate  226  are enclosed entirely within the front casing  250 . A tube receiver  260  is secured to the front casing so that the tube  140  may be secured to the tube receiver  260  by means of the connector  150 .  
         [0028]     A rear casing  240  contains the fan cover  110  that is comprised of numerous holes  230  that allow for air to flow into the rear casing  240 . A fan  210  is secured to the rear casing  240  directly over the fan cover  110 . When the fan  210  is activated, it serves to draw ambient air in from the outside environment and into the rear casing  240 . The rear casing  240  and the front casing  250  are joined together to form a unit  320  with a chamber  315  as shown in  FIG. 5 . A switch  200  is secured to the rear casing  240 . When the switch  200  is in the “on” position, it draws current from the batteries  270  and activates the fan  210  and the bimetallic plates  225 . The fan  210  is unidirectional and will only draw air in from the outside environment. As mentioned previously, when current is applied across the bimetallic plates  225 , the first plate  226  will become hot or cold depending upon whether the switch  200  is in the “hot” or “cold” position.  
         [0029]     As shown in  FIG. 5 , if it is assumed that the switch  200  is in the “hot” position, the first plate  226  will heat substantially to a temperature that is significantly higher than the ambient air temperature. When the first plate  226  is in direct contact with the heat sink  220 , the temperature of the heat sink  220 , which is made from a material that is an excellent conductor of heat, will approach the temperature of the first plate  226 . When the fan  210  draws air  300  into the rear casing  240  and generally follows the path  310 , the air  300  will come into direct contact with the heat sink  220 . Likewise, the temperature of the air  300  will heat up significantly and approach the temperature of the heat sink  220  in the immediate vicinity of the heat sink  220 . Once the temperature of the air  300  is heated in the immediate vicinity of the heat sink  220 , the remaining air in the enclosed area within the front casing  240  and rear casing  250  will also become heated. This is primarily due to the heat sink  220 , the fan  210  and the first plate  226  are all enclosed within the two casings.  
         [0030]     When the air pressure in the chamber  315  becomes greater than the ambient air pressure, the heated air  300  will enter the cap  260 , will flow into the tube  140  and enter into the suit  420  as shown in  FIG. 6 . It is imperative that the second plate  227  remain outside of the chamber  315  to prevent the cold temperature of the second plate  227  from canceling the effects of the warm temperature of the first plate  226 . When the switch  200  is moved to the “cold” position, the exact opposite effects occur that make the temperature of the first plate  226  drop significantly below the ambient temperature, while the temperature of the second plate will rise substantially.  FIG. 5A  shows how the unit  320  is enveloped by the backpack  120 .  
         [0031]      FIG. 6  shows an individual  400  wearing the suit  420 . It is important that the suit  420  be made of plastic or vinyl so that when the air  300  is received into the suit  420 , that the air  300  does not escape through the suit  420 . It is also imperative that the suit  420  be worn on top of other clothing to minimize direct contact with the individual&#39;s skin. The hands, feet, and face of the individual  400  are not covered. In fact, the incoming air  300  should only escape in minimal amounts from the area near the neck of the individual  400 . Because the air  300  that is produced emerges from a thermoelectric heating or cooling apparatus, the air is far less humid. Thus, when the air  300  enters the suit  420 , the humidity in the air  300  will be substantially diminished.  FIG. 6A  shows the suit  420  being worn with the backpack  120  being worn.  
         [0032]     While the inventive apparatus, as well as a method of heating and cooling ambient air and directing into a suit that is worn over clothing as described and claimed herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiment of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.  
         [0033]     Although the invention has been described in detail with reference to one or more particular preferred embodiments, persons possessing ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains will appreciate that various modifications and enhancements may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims that follow.