Multi-mode portable evaporative cooler
OwnerRex A. Eisererinventor
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A multi-mode evaporative cooling system operates alternately in a first mode to provide cooled, moist air via internal evaporation, and a second mode for cooling an object (e.g., a body) via conduction. In the second mode, the cooler suspends internal evaporation to direct warm, dry air toward a wetted object, causing water on the object to evaporate, which provides more efficient cooling useful for the treatment of heat injuries. The system may be medialess to allow the suspension of internal evaporation to occur quickly. The system includes a fan and may utilize a control system coupled to sensors and components to regulate operation.
Claims21
A multi-mode cooling apparatus for selectively cooling an area via evaporative air cooling or cooling a body via external water evaporation, the apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure;
- an air inlet that enables air to flow from an exterior of the enclosure to an interior of the enclosure;
- an air outlet that enables air to flow from the interior of the enclosure to the exterior of the enclosure;
- an internal water distribution system, wherein the water distribution system is configured in a first mode of operation to receive water from a water source and generate a source of water in an interior of the enclosure, and is configured in a second mode of operation to be disabled or diverted, thereby allowing a body wetted by water to be cooled by the air outlet;
- a water source configured in the first mode of operation to supply water to the water distribution system, and is configured in the second mode of operation to suspend the supply of water to the internal water distribution system;
- and
- a fan configured to move ambient air through the enclosure, from the air inlet toward the air outlet, forming an air stream, such that in the first mode of operation the air stream is cooled and humidified inside the enclosure before exiting the air outlet, and in the second mode of operation unsaturated dry air is expelled from the air outlet and directed over a wetted body.
A medialess multi-mode cooling apparatus for selectively cooling an area via evaporative air cooling or cooling a body via external water evaporation, the apparatus comprising:
- an enclosure;
- an air inlet that enables air to flow from an exterior of the enclosure to an interior of the enclosure;
- an air outlet that enables air to flow from the interior of the enclosure to the exterior of the enclosure;
- an atomizer positioned within the enclosure, wherein the atomizer is configured in a first mode of operation to receive water from a water source and generate a mist of the water distributed throughout a substantial volume of the interior of the enclosure, and is configured in a second mode of operation to be disabled;
- a water source configured in the first mode of operation to supply water to the atomizer, and is configured in the second mode of operation to supply water to a body cooling process external to the enclosure;
- and
- a fan configured to move ambient air through the substantial volume of the interior of the enclosure, from the air inlet toward the air outlet, forming an air stream, such that in the first mode of operation the air stream is cooled and humidified inside the enclosure before exiting the air outlet, and in the second mode of operation unsaturated dry air is expelled from the air outlet and directed over a body wetted by water supplied by the water source.
A method of treating heat injury or cooling an area using a dual-mode cooler, the method comprising:
- operating a fan to drive an air stream through an enclosure from an inlet to an outlet;
- selecting a first mode of operation wherein water is distributed into the air stream within the enclosure to evaporatively cool the air stream before it exits the outlet;
- and
- selecting a second mode of operation wherein the distribution of water into the air stream within the enclosure is suspended or bypassed while the fan continues to operate, thereby expelling an unsaturated air stream from the outlet configured to conductively cool a wetted body external to the enclosure.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.