Cooling and warming device

Abstract

A cooling and warming device includes a housing having a receiving space formed therein. The receiving space has a lower end mounted with a heat exchanger having a heating element therein, so that a cooling unit can be placed into the receiving space from an upper end of the receiving space to make the cooling unit contact with an upper surface of the heat exchanger. The housing further includes a liquid tank used to store a predetermined volume of a liquid, and a control circuit used to control the heating element or a pump for guiding the liquid in the liquid tank between the heat exchanger and a blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway therebetween. Thus, a uniform heat exchange for cooling or warming the liquid in the liquid tank will be carried out by the cooling unit or the heating element through the heat exchanger.

1 . A cooling and warming device, comprising:
 a housing;   a receiving space formed in the housing, wherein the receiving space has an upper end provided with an upper opening exposed out of a surface of the housing and a lower end provided with a lower opening;   a heat exchanger fixedly mounted around the lower opening and having a heating element therein;   a liquid tank mounted in the housing for storing a predetermined volume of a liquid;   a pump mounted in the housing and sandwiched between the liquid tank and the heat exchanger; and   a control circuit mounted in the housing and electrically connected to the pump and the heating element for controlling the pump and the heating element, so that the liquid in the liquid tank can be guided to the heat exchanger and a cooling and warming blanket in turn, and guided back to the liquid tank through the cooling and warming blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway;   wherein a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid in the liquid tank can be carried out by a cooling unit placed into the receiving space from the upper opening through the heat exchanger; or a uniform heat exchange for warming the liquid in the liquid tank can be carried out by a heating element in the heat exchanger.   
   
   
       2 . The cooling and warming device of  claim 1 , wherein the heat exchanger comprises:
 a metal upper plate having an upper surface facing the lower opening;   a liquid guiding unit mounted on a lower surface of the metal upper plate, wherein the liquid guiding unit has an upper surface and a lower surface wound with a liquid guiding channel; and   a metal lower plate having an upper surface mounted on the lower surface of the liquid guiding unit, wherein the heating element is mounted in the metal lower plate, and the metal lower plate has a lower surface provided with a liquid inlet and a liquid outlet, each of which is penetrated through the metal lower plate, respectively;   wherein when the control circuit starts the pump, the pump guides the liquid in the liquid tank to the liquid guiding unit through the liquid inlet, and then the liquid is guided to the cooling and warming blanket through the liquid outlet, and the liquid is guided back to the liquid tank through the cooling and warming blanket, so as to form a heat exchange circulating pathway, such that a uniform heat exchange for cooling the liquid can be carried out by the cooling unit on the upper surface of the metal upper plate through the metal upper plate and the metal lower plate; or a uniform heat exchange for warming the liquid can be carried out by the heating element in the metal lower plate.   
   
   
       3 . The cooling and warming device of  claim 2 , wherein the surface of the metal lower plate further comprises an overheat protection unit corresponding to the heating element, and the overheat protection unit is electrically connected to the control circuit for detecting the temperature of the metal lower plate; whereby when the heating element is in a normal operation status, the overheat protection unit allows an electric current of the control circuit to pass through the heating element, so that the heating element can continue to heat the liquid; and when the heating element is in an abnormal operation status that causes the metal lower plate to be overheated, the overheat protection unit controls the control circuit to stop supplying the electric current to the heating element. 
   
   
       4 . The cooling and warming device of  claim 3 , wherein the surface of the housing further comprises a control panel which is electrically connected to the control circuit and used to respectively control the pump or the heating element by inputting control signals to the control circuit. 
   
   
       5 . The cooling and warming device of  claim 4 , wherein a relatively lower portion of the receiving space has a volume greater than a volume of other portion thereof. 
   
   
       6 . The cooling and warming device of  claim 5 , wherein the overheat protection unit is a thermal fuse. 
   
   
       7 . The cooling and warming device of  claim 6 , wherein the heating element is a heat pipe.