WEARABLE GARMENT

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of textile engineering particularly in the field of designing garments for workers and labors. The present invention specifically deals with the production of a garment material suitable for maintaining body temperatures in specific weather conditions for prolonged working durations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.

The textile engineering in today's era has come to a level of advancement in designing garments after an extensive research and development keeping in view the need and requirements of people. The specific requirements can be based on weather conditions, type of work and other purposes, like an astronaut suit which maintains an oxygen level and air pressure up to a standard level in space. Garments are also worn by people depending upon the climatic conditions such as extreme cold and hot temperatures. In cold conditions people who work in outside environment need a garment which can store and retain body temperature in order for them to work comfortably in such conditions. In hot climates where temperature exceeds more than the body temperature of a normal human being, a garment is needed which can absorb body heat by maintaining a cooling effect and thereby enhancing the efficiency of the workers in an outside environment.

From the labor statistics, there are more than 900 million blue collar workers around the world who work in either extremely hot or extremely cold weather conditions. As an approximation, the temperatures are generally between as low as −20 degree Celsius and as high as 50 degree Celsius. The worldwide health authorities receive more than 20 million climate-related illness cases every year. The cases generally include fatigue, stress and heat strokes, chill burns, hypothermia, and so on. At an average, there are 70,000 climate related deaths recorded and this can be illustrated from the condition that on a hottest day a normal human being cannot stand for more than 10-15 minutes under the sun.

A number of researches have been done to provide a garment which can cool in hot temperatures and can maintain the body temperature during working in cold/hot temperatures. A relevant art CN1829454 states cooling clothes with an objective to provide a simple structure and to allow a lot of sweat sufficiently vaporized cooling garment comprises of an air intake external air intake port, parallel air generating unit, for drawing air from the air intake port, and parallel relative to the body substantially parallel to the wind occurs; cloth guide, for by parallel to the wind generating unit occurs parallel flow parallel along the body while serving as clothing; and an air outlet portion of the discharge direction parallel to the outside; a power supply unit for supplying power to the occurrence of parallel air unit, wherein: using a parallel air generating unit to flow between the cloth sheet and the underwear, the total delivery flow of about 5m.

Another art JP3212335 discloses a liquid-circulation type cooling garment that is free from external piping and wiring, and that is small, light, and inexpensive. A resin pad formed by laminating a resin material in a coolant flow path, which is a cooling portion, is used to achieve cost reduction by reducing the number of steps of sewing or assembling tubes and pipes, and reducing the resin. A liquid circulation type cooling garment with improved maintenance by selecting a cooling point by selecting the position of the pad and attaching/detaching the resin pad is realized.

FIG. 1A to FIG. 1F illustrates different kinds of vest existing today, such as fan vest which employs fan to cool down the suit and hence the body, water pumping suit to supply water by employing some kind of pipes and fittings. Some other vests include refrigerants and heaving ice cooling packs. All these competitive vests include a source of external power to gear up the cooling and heating requirement of the worker or person.

There are a number of garments produced so far to maintain the body temperature. However, all the relevant arts suggest or provide the application of an external source of energy to maintain the flow of heat conduction by using a fan, cooler, or wiring/piping to make a liquid in circulation to deliver or extract the required amount of heat.

Therefore, there is a requirement to provide a wearable garment allowing an effective heat control and temperature control for the wearer without attaching any external device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Various objects, features, embodiments and advantages of the inventive subject matter will become more apparent from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments, along with the accompanying drawing figures in which like numerals represent like components.

Throughout this specification, the word “comprise”, or variations thereof such as “comprises” or “comprising”, will be understood to imply the inclusion of a stated element, integer or step, or group of elements integers or steps, but not the exclusion of any other element, integer or step, or group of elements, integers or steps.

Further embodiments and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the ensuing description which is given by way of example only.

In an embodiment, a wearable garment consisting of a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein said portions are customizable and reusable; wherein the top portion comprises a vest for an upper part of a body. The bottom portion comprises a short for lower part of the body and the top portion and the bottom portion are attached to each other using a plurality of straps. The plurality of straps comprises a phase change material which is in direct contact with the body. The top portion and the bottom potion of the wearable garment comprises of equally distributed divided sheets or pouches to prevent or minimize leakage of heat from the body. The top portion, the bottom portion and the straps are immersed in a mixture material comprising of a mixture of hydrocarbon chain, water and a salted base.

The present invention relates to a wearable garment to maintain the body temperatures of the workers working in different and extreme weather conditions of hot and cold. In order to enhance the working hours in such climatic conditions the garment material is cotton dipped to form a mixture material. The mixture material is a mix of hydrocarbon chains with water and salted base in order not to add volume change during phase change material operation. The mixture material comprises calcium chloride CaCl₂(H₂O) and organic material fats. The major fatty acids include palmitate (35%), stearate (26%), oleate (24%) and myristate (12%). Some minor components include as hexadecenoic (2%) and pentadecanoic acids. The two main mixtures with phase change material are eutectic ice and humps fat, wherein both can be stored in pouches and applied in various points across the body while being insulated from the outside heat/cold weather which results in insulating and cooling the body.

In an embodiment, the pouches are filled with a phase change material to maintain temperature of the body for extended working hours.

In an embodiment, the pouches comprises of a flexible copper coil configured to transfer energy from an intensive point of stored pocket into the body by thermal conduction during extreme conditions.

In an embodiment, the salted base is calcium chloride (CaCl₂) and the hydrocarbon chain is an organic material fat selected from a group consisting of palmitate (35%), stearate (26%), oleate (24%), myristate (12%), hexadecenoic (2%), and pentadecanoic.

In an embodiment, the phase change material is selected from group consisting of eutectic ice and humps fat. The eutectic ice is employed to cool the body by absorbing heat generated by the body. The humps fat warms the body by transferring the absorbed energy from the humps fat to the body.

In an embodiment, wherein the weight of the wearable garment is in a range of 0-1 kg of weight.

In an embodiment, the wearable garment is in form of socks, gloves and head cover immersed in the mixture material.

In an embodiment, the wearable garment immersed in phase change material is effective for a time period of 2 years.

In one of the preferred embodiments, of the invention which discloses a wearable garment comprising: a top portion and a bottom portion, wherein said portions are customizable and reusable; the top portion comprises an underwear vest for an upper part of a body; the bottom portion comprises a short for lower part of the body, wherein the top portion and the bottom portion are attached to each other using a plurality of straps; the straps comprise a phase change material and are attached to the body; the top portion and the bottom potion of the wearable garment are formed in divided sheets or pouches to prevent leakage and stay in an equal distribution; wherein the pouches are filled with a phase change material to maintain body temperature for extended working hours.

In an embodiment, the phase change material can be eutectic ice to cool the body by absorbing the heat generated by the body during long working hours. Humps fat can also be employed as phase change material to warm the body during cold working conditions.

Another embodiment states that the top portion and the bottom portion can be made of non-toxic garment which is comfortable and light weight with weight not more than 1 kg so as not to impede wearer's movement. Furthermore, the garment can be non-flammable in hot or extreme hot weather conditions. The phase change material being incorporated in the garment pouches absorb the heat generated by the body and flows the heat so generated into the cold conditions.

In another embodiment, states the wearable garment further comprising socks, gloves and head cover dipped in a desirable mixture depending upon the environmental conditions. The head, feet and hands are the main points of the body to catch the heat/cold.

In another embodiment, the top and the bottom portions of the garment material are meshed and breathable customized material dipped in specific conditions needed for the coverall cover.

Another preferred embodiment of the invention states that a flexible copper coil or sheet can be added to the garment pouches to transfer heat or cold from an intensive point of cold/hot stored pocket into the body by thermal conduction during extreme conditions.

Another embodiment states that the coverall garment can be dipped in either PCM ICE/hot ACID that can last for at least 2 years and attach to the pouches of the material distributed around the body if needed. The heat therefore needed through the body can be transferred by heat conduction of the flexible copper coils from an intensive point or initial point on the side containing stored PCM ICE/ACID.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The embodiments of herein disclosed can be better understood with reference to the drawings as illustrated as following:

FIG. 1A to FIG. 1F illustrates different kinds of vest existing in prior art, such as fan vest which employs fan to cool down the suit and hence the body, water pumping suit to supply water by employing some kind of pipes and fittings. Some other vests include refrigerants and heaving ice cooling packs. All these competitive vests include a source of external power to gear up the cooling and heating requirement of the worker or person.

FIG. 2A illustrates a graph depicting the variation of heat flow in the camel humps fat with the temperature change, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2B (a) & (b) illustrate the working principle of the phase change material, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic representation of a phase change process, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5A shows a Table 1, listing various types of commercial PCMs and their phase change temperature and heat of fusion, according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 5B shows a Table 2, which lists thermal properties of some mixture components or mixture of materials which may be used for dipping a garment material, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrates a meshed and dipped breathable garment textile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIGS. 6C and 6D illustrates exemplary mixture pads and pouches, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 7 illustrates mixture pads/pouches as in FIG. 6C-6D attached in straps as belts with a vest, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary demonstration of the wearable garment displaying a top portion and a bottom portion, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The embodiments herein and the various features and advantageous details thereof are explained more fully with reference to the non-limiting embodiments that are illustrated in the following detailed description. Descriptions of well-known components and processing techniques are omitted so as to not unnecessarily obscure the embodiments herein. The examples used herein are intended merely to facilitate an understanding of ways in which the embodiments herein may be practiced and to further enable those of skill in the art to practice the embodiments herein. Accordingly, the examples should not be construed as limiting the scope of the embodiments herein.

Various modifications to the disclosed embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Thus, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments shown, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the claims. The terms like can be, shall be, could be, and other related terms herein disclosed in the foregoing and later parts of the specification in any means do not limit or alter the scope of the present invention. The terms are provided just for the mere understanding of the main invention and its embodiments.

Exemplary embodiments are described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Wherever convenient, the same reference numbers are used throughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts. While examples and features of disclosed principles are described herein, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosed embodiments.

The thermal energy storage thus becomes an important factor in all operations and technical work in real world applications. The thermal energy storage systems provide numerous options for efficient energy use and conservation. One option includes using Phase Change Material (PCM), for thermal energy storage. The PCMs are materials that supply thermal regulation at particular phase change temperatures by absorbing and emitting the heat of the medium. PCMs in general and in particular have freezing and melting points higher than those of other thermal storage systems. Phase change material works by absorbing energy during a heating process and energy releases to the environment in a phase change period during a cooling process. The latent thermal energy released or absorbed during change in their state at a certain temperature enables the thermal regulation. PCMs for thermal energy storage are generally solid-liquid phase change materials and therefore they need encapsulation. Advantages of energy systems using PCMs as a storage medium includes high thermal energy storing capacity, small unit size, suitable melting point, high heat storage density, good thermal conductivity, small volume change, and its isothermal behavior during charging and discharging when compared to other different thermal energy storage.

FIG. 2A illustrates a graph depicting the variation of heat flow in the camel humps fat with the temperature change, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The variation of the heat flow of the camel's hump fat depicts that the humps fat can withstand temperature of more than 60 degree Celsius. The hump fat act as reservoirs of fatty tissue and concentrating body fat in their humps minimizes heat-trapping insulation throughout the rest of their body. This enables camels to adapt to living in hot climates and to store the heat generated by the body as well as controlling the body temperature in cold weather as well. Where thick insulation improves heat loss, the storage of latent heat has many advantages compared with other methods of sensible heat storage such as: high energy storage density, small temperature difference in heat exchange and less energy loss. The humps fat can withstand up to 53.1 degree Celsius at its melting point and have a heat enthalpy of −56.1 J/g.

FIGS. 2B (a) & (b) illustrate the working principle of the phase change material, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The great amount of transfer of heat during a melting process as well as the crystallization process without major changes in temperature make phase change material important in practical applications as a source of heat storage material. When temperature rises, heat is absorbed by the mixture of microcapsules and this energy is retained in the materials changed state without bringing a change in the actual temperature of the PCM. Therefore, the temperature remains constant during the phase change state of the PCT such as melting and crystallization.

FIG. 3 illustrates a schematic representation of a phase change process, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. During melting of the PCM the heat is supplied to the PCM in a solid state for it to melt without bringing about a change in its temperature. During solidification of the PCM in liquid state, the heat leaves the liquid and thereby the PCM solidifies without the change in temperature. The phase change material works by utilizing both heat of fusion and heat of vaporization. The energy required to cause these changes at a melting point is due to the heat of fusion and at the boiling point is due to the vaporization enthalpy. It is important to know specific heat of fusion or vaporization and the temperature at which phase change occurs in design phase to formulate a suitable mixture to work at different temperature/weather conditions.

FIG. 4 illustrates examples and specifications of various phase change materials which can be used based on the needs and applications, and their classification as organic and inorganic, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The organic phase change materials mainly include fatty acids and paraffin under solid-liquid PCM and inorganic include metal and hydrous salts.

Natural PCMs can liquefy and harden ordinarily without phase isolation, and in light of their inactive latent heat, they solidify with almost no super-cooling and are generally non-destructive. Where, inorganic PCMs are mostly utilized in high-temperature sunlight based applications and one of the most revealed difficulties is their maintenance. At lower temperatures, they solidify; at high temperatures, they are hard to deal with. A salt hydrate as a rule dissolves either to a salt hydrate with fewer moles of water as shown in below equations:

AB.nH₂O−AB.mH2O+(n−m)H2O

or to its anhydrous form as:

AB. nH2O−AB+nH2O

The PCM can be used as both a natural heat and cold sources or manmade heat or cold sources. The storage of heat or cold is critical to match availability and demand with respect to time. There are three different ways to use PCMs for heating and cooling of buildings: PCMs in building walls; PCMs in building components other than walls i.e. in ceilings and floors; and PCMs in separate heat or cold stores.

The first two are passive systems, where the sudden increase or decrease in the outdoor or indoor temperatures beyond the melting point can result in the release of heat or cold stored. The third one is active system, where insulation is used to thermally separate the stored heat or cold that is contained from the building. Therefore, the heat or cold is used only on demand and not automatically. In building applications, only PCMs that have a phase transition close to human comfort temperature (20-28° C.) can be used. Some commercial PCMs have been also made for construction application.

FIG. 5A shows Table 1, listing various types of commercial PCMs and their phase change temperature and heat of fusion, according to an embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 5B shows a Table 2, which lists thermal properties of some mixture components or mixture of materials which may be used for dipping a garment material, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In order to enhance the working hours in extreme climatic conditions the garment material such as cotton is dipped to form a mixture coated material.

After many research and studies of data and thermal properties of different materials, to come up with the special material established from the characteristics and date for the best resolution to mix with the chosen hump fat the E23 Plus ICE eutectic solution in Table 2 for the needed temperature range where the melting temperatures for both mixtures can withstand 20 to 50 degree Celsius climates. However, other solutions and mixtures can be founded upon exceptional requirements by customizing and revising different ranges.

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrates a meshed and dipped breathable garment textile, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The meshed and smart breathable textile with the dipped mixture can last up to at least two years. FIGS. 6C and 6D illustrates exemplary mixture pads and pouches, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The design can be changed in various ways based on the wearer's request.

FIG. 7 illustrates mixture pads/pouches as shown in FIGS. 6C and 6D attached in straps as belts with a vest, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For an upper part of the body, mixture pouches are attached in straps as belts with a vest and for a lower part of the body shorts are attached in straps. In an embodiment, fit coverall for the entire body dipped in the eutectic ice or fat and attached with the pouches of the material distributed around the body. Dipped (in the eutectic ice or fat) gloves, socks and head cover may also be designed to cover the hands, feet and head respectively, as they are the most vulnerable parts of the body. In an embodiment, the garments dipped in eutectic ice or fat can have a life of up to 2 years. For extreme conditions the material may work with connecting a flexible copper coil that can transfer heat of the body by heat conduction from an intensive point (initial point) on the side containing material stored (eutectic ice or fat).

In an embodiment, the size of the pads/pouches can be customized in different sizes such as for babies, adults or old people and garment can also be customized as being designed as coverall, two piece dress, jumpers, shirts etc. The customization of the material can be done based on the customer requirement for different temperature/weather conditions. Since, during the phase change period of the material composition the humps fat or eutectic ice insulates the body by absorbing the heat coming from outside and reduces the body temperature by absorbing the heat generated by the body itself. By that time, it can control the internal temperature of the body in any weather condition during this period since the materials are combined to last and store excessive thermal energy for approximately 6 hours to allow the body to cool and feel comfortable. This would increase the productivity of the worker when exposed to excessive and intolerable weather conditions.

The Humps fat in a camels' body enables the camel to function and cope with a four-or five-degree swing therefore heat can be stored in their body without any side effects. Also, lesser surface of their body is directly exposed to the sun's rays hence they're absorbing less heat, and not raising their body temperature too much. So without wasting much energy, it can dissipate excess heat very quickly. Similar process occurs for the human body by using the designed garment where thermal properties of phase-change materials allow them to be perceived as the material of choice for thermal insulation of the human body considering sensible heat, latent heat, and thermochemical reactions. Camels are one of the main creatures on the planet that store all their fat in one spot. Furthermore, that is valuable for keeping cool in a hot atmosphere since warmth can get away quicker from the remainder of their body, which causes them keep up a lower internal heat level. Compare that with people, who store all fats, making it significantly harder to remain cool with adding some of the fats to the material for a longer period of comfort zone of the human body. The camel humps store blood cells that are elastic, perfect for holding a lot of water that will let us use a less number of water to reduce the weight of the material.

Different methods of heating or cooling the body are used in the international market, comparing it with our solution corresponding the main objectives as it has to be very safe and yet efficient, easy to use and reusable without any extra median or power inputs such as the exiting solutions.. Table 2 of FIG. 5B states thermal properties of some mixture components or mixture materials for a garment material to be dipped in. In order to enhance the working hours in such climatic conditions the garment material such as cotton is dipped to form a garment of mixture coated material. The dipping mixture material is a mix of hydrocarbon chains with water and salted base in order not to add volume change during phase change material operation. The mixture material comprises calcium chloride CaCl₂(H₂O) and organic material fats. The major fatty acids include palmitate (35%), stearate (26%), oleate (24%) and myristate (12%). Some minor components include as hexadecenoic (2%) and pentadecanoic acids. Some of the mixture components are provided along with the melting point, heat of fusion and latest heat.

FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary demonstration of the wearable garment displaying a top portion and a bottom portion, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The wearable garment is made into two pieces, the top portion having a vest for the upper part of the body and a bottom portion having a short for the lower part of the body. The garment is dipped in the mixture as stated earlier and the straps are also provided to tighten the garment top or bottom portion to the upper or lower part of the body. The straps are also dipped in mixture to enhance stability of operation. The pouches/pads as illustrated in FIG. 6 can be inserted into the garment or can be made totally out of the meshed or dipped breathable garment. Small pouches are provided in order that the fluid or phase change material inside the pouches/pads remains in equal distribution and thereby an equal heat dissipation rate. A flexible copper coil is also provided as a carrier of heat from one point to another.

The advantages of the wearable garment is that it can be employed by any class of workers such as field workers, solders in army, geologists in polar regions, blue collar workers (such as construction, cleaners, securities), outdoor activities (skiing, safari, deserts, hiking and the like), medical (babies fever, hypothermia). Furthermore, by the application of the garment, the productivity can be enhanced for more than 8 hours of long duration. There can be reduction of the climate related illness such as hypothermia, heat strokes, and stresses. The work style can be comfortable and cost effective. The garment suit bears not more than 1 kg of weight hence lightweight and easy to use and reusable as there is no need of inputs. There is no need for electricity and is non-flammable and non-toxic garment.

It is to be understood, however, that even though numerous characteristics and advantages of the present invention have been set forth in the foregoing description, together with details of the structure and function of the invention, the disclosure is illustrative only. Changes may be made in the details, especially in matters of shape, size, and arrangement of parts within the principles of the invention to the full extent indicated by the broad general meaning of the terms mentioned. Having described the methods and structures in detail and by reference to several preferred embodiments thereof, it will be apparent that modifications and variations are possible without departing from the scope of the invention as defined above or in the claims.

WEARABLE GARMENT

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