Air-conditioning bed

Abstract

An air-conditioning bed comprises a bed frame, a mattress placed on and supported by the bed frame, and a head panel located at one end of the bed frame. The mattress is associated with a first air-conditioning system for providing air after being conditioned to the region adjacent to the body of the user of the bed, forming an air-conditioned space. The head panel is associated with a second air-conditioning system for providing air after being conditioned to the region adjacent to the head of the user. The first and second air-conditioning systems include a thermoelectric module.

1 . An air-conditioning bed, comprising a bed frame extending in the horizontal direction, a mattress placed on and supported by the bed frame, and a head panel located at one end of the bed frame,
 wherein the mattress is associated with a first air-conditioning system for providing air after being conditioned to the region adjacent to the body of the user of the bed, forming an air-conditioned space, and the head panel is associated with a second air-conditioning system for providing air after being conditioned to the region adjacent to the head of the user,   and wherein each of the first and second air-conditioning systems includes a thermoelectric module having a thermoelectric device.   
     
     
         2 . The bed according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric module of the first air-conditioning system is housed inside the mattress, and the thermoelectric module of the second air-conditioning system is housed inside the head panel. 
     
     
         3 . The bed according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermoelectric module of the first air-conditioning system is housed inside the wall close to the bed, or placed on the floor under the bed. 
     
     
         4 . The bed according to  claim 1 , wherein the mattress includes a mattress body and a mattress surface layer, air channels being arranged in the mattress body to communicate the thermoelectric module of the first air-conditioning system with holes in the mattress surface layer. 
     
     
         5 . The bed according to  claim 4 , wherein an air layer is provided between the mattress body and the mattress surface layer, one side of the air layer being communicated with the air channels while the other side being communicated with the holes in the mattress surface layer. 
     
     
         6 . The bed according to  claim 4 , wherein the air channel is in the form of flexible pipe. 
     
     
         7 . The bed according to  claim 4 , wherein the hole in the mattress surface layer is provided with a valve for selectively closing the hole. 
     
     
         8 . The bed according to  claim 4 , wherein the air channels are divided into supply channels and return channels, and a first set of the holes communicates with the supply channels while the other set of the holes communicates with the return channels, so that supply air can be supplied from the first air-conditioning system to the air-conditioned space through the first set of holes via the supply channels, and return air can be drawn from the air-conditioned space to the first air-conditioning system through the second set of holes via the return channels. 
     
     
         9 . The bed according to  claim 8 , wherein return air is re-supplied to the air-conditioned space after being slightly re-cooled or re-heated by the first air-conditioning system. 
     
     
         10 . The bed according to  claim 8 , wherein the second air-conditioning system is operated under a 100% fresh air supply model when return air temperature is approximately equal to the room temperature. 
     
     
         11 . The bed according to  claim 1 , further comprising a control system including:
 a first control unit for adjusting the temperature of the air-conditioned space as well as the flow rate of the supply air from the mattress; and   a second control unit for the second air-conditioning system so as to maintain the speed-of-contact of supply air to the region adjacent to head of the sleeper in a certain range.   
     
     
         12 . The bed according to  claim 11 , wherein the speed-of-contact is maintained between 0.1 m/s to 0.2 m/s. 
     
     
         13 . The bed according to  claim 11 , wherein the flow rate of the supply air from the mattress is set at about 20 l/s. 
     
     
         14 . The bed according to  claim 11 , wherein the control system is set so that the temperature of the air-conditioned space at the beginning and end of the sleeping time is higher than that at the middle part of the sleeping time.