Thermoregulatory Clothing System

for Building Energy Saving

PI: Jintu Fan (Cornell FSAD);

Co-PI: Huiju Park (Cornell FSAD);

Co-PI: Tasha Lewis (Cornell FSAD)

Co-PI: Edwin Kan (Cornell ECE);

Co-PI: Ronggui Yang (U Colorado ME)

Duration of the Award : 04/27/2015 to 04/26/2018

Description of Technology

• Breathable undershirt embedded with

microtubes.

• Supplying of next-to-skin moving air

for thermoregulation.

• Sensing of skin temperature and

wireless communication using fabric

antenna

• Intelligent control of microclimate.

• Efficient and compact thermoelectric

energy conversion unit.

An air-conditioning garment system consisting of an undergarment fitted with

detachable micro-tubes and an electro-mechanical heating/cooling device

(EMD), providing next-to-skin cooling/warm air for thermoregulation.

Value Proposition and Uniqueness

• Improved personal comfort, particularly in extreme conditions.

• HVAC energy saving for indoor occupants.

• Effective cooling/heating function (up to 27 watts cooling and 18

watts heating) with COP>1.

• Portable personal air-conditioning.

• Machine washable of the undergarment after detaching the micro-

tubes and the electro-mechanical heating/cooling device (EMD).

• Little effect on choice of outer wear and appearance.

• Affordable (~$10 for undergarment, ~$200 for the EMD unit which

can be used for 3 to 5 years).

Key Challenges and Achievements

• Pressure drop in the micro-tubes.

• Seamless integration with the clothing system.

Key Challenges and Achievements

• Pressure drop in the micro-tubes.

• Seamless integration with the clothing system.

• Compactness and efficiency of thermoelectric energy

conversion unit.

• Accuracy in next-to-skin sensing and optimization in wireless

communication & control.

Key Challenges and Achievements

Weight: 430 g

Dimension: 14cm×8cm×4cm

passive sensor tag on undergarmentRFID reader

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Market Discovery & Penetration

Elderly care: ~$300B Police First respondants

Infantry Air force Equine

Potential Collaboration with DELTA Community

• Thermal manikin testing

• Wireless passive tag sensing and

communication technology

• Apparel design and manufacturing

• Market discovery and commercialization