Self-regulated thermal comfort control for wearable heating device
Journal
Journal of the Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers
Journal Volume
121
Pages
74-80
Date Issued
2021
Author(s)
Abstract
In this study, a thermal comfort control model based on heat flux regulation was developed to ensure the thermal comfort in human-clothing-environment system. Compared to traditional temperature control methods, the heat flux control method in this study provided a more stable control for both temperature and heat flux, and clearly quantified human thermal sensation under cold stress. First, a heat transfer model was derived to quantitatively describe the heat transfer of an electrically heating device between two fabric layers. By using three temperature sensors, the mathematical description of derived heat exchange equation was validated and applied to a wearable heating device. The scenarios of a person in cold environments and under various activity levels were also simulated by using an environmental chamber. A control strategy based on the mathematical model was developed to optimize the applied voltage of the electric heater. The skin temperature and sensible heat loss can be stably controlled within standard thermal comfort range (Predicted Mean Vote ~ 0). Finally, an example of human wearing an electrically heated jacket in the freezer room was used to demonstrate the reliability and practicality of the heat flux control system. ? 2021 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers
Subjects
Environmental chambers; Heat transfer; Heating equipment; Man machine systems; Temperature control; Thermal comfort; Wearable technology; Control strategies; Heat transfer model; Human clothing environment system; Human thermal sensations; Mathematical descriptions; Predicted mean vote; Temperature control methods; Thermal comfort control; Heat flux
Type
journal article