Personal heat control devicee and method

Abstract

Embodiments of the present invention provide a device for personal heat control, including a flexible housing comprising a cooling surface, a heating surface thermally insulated from the cooling surface, and a heat transfer unit configured to transfer heat from cooling surface to heating surface. Other embodiments of the present invention provide a system for cooling wearers of impact-resistant helmets, comprising an impact-resistant outer shell, foam pads affixed to an inside of the impact-resistant outer shell and configured to rest on a wearer's head, thermoelectric cooling devices spaced to avoid interference with foam pads and configured to rest against the head, a heat sink, and heat pipes thermally coupled at one end to thermoelectric cooling devices and at another end to the heat sink, and configured to transfer heat from thermoelectric cooling devices to heat sink with minimal heat loss, the heat pipes spaced to avoid interference with the foam pads.

1 . A garment for personal heat control, the garment comprising: 
 a cooling surface;    a heating surface thermally insulated from the cooling surface;    a heat transfer unit configured to transfer heat from the cooling surface to the heating surface; and    a direct current power source mounted within the garment and electrically coupled to the heat transfer unit.    
   
   
       2 . The garment of  claim 1 , the heat transfer unit comprising: 
 a thermoelectric cooling unit having a cooling surface and a heating surface;    a spreader thermally coupled with the cooling surface of the thermoelectric cooling unit; and    a heat sink thermally coupled with the heating surface of the thermoelectric cooling unit.    
   
   
       3 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the cooling surface of the garment is the spreader.  
   
   
       4 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the spreader is flush with a soft surface of the garment to form the cooling surface of the garment.  
   
   
       5 . The garment of  claim 1 , the heat transfer unit comprising: 
 a thermoelectric cooling unit having a cooling surface and a heating surface; and    a heat sink thermally coupled with the heating surface of the thermoelectric cooling unit.    
   
   
       6 . The garment of  claim 5 , wherein the cooling surface of the thermoelectric cooling unit is flush with a soft surface of the garment to form the cooling surface of the garment.  
   
   
       7 . The garment of  claim 1 , wherein the direct current power source is flexible.  
   
   
       8 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein an area of the heat sink is larger than an area of the spreader.  
   
   
       9 . The garment of  claim 7 , wherein the area of the heat sink is two to seven times larger than the area of the spreader.  
   
   
       10 . The garment of  claim 2 , further comprising one or more devices selected from the group consisting of: a timer, a solid-state electronic timing switch, and an electroluminescence device.  
   
   
       11 . The garment of  claim 2 , wherein the garment is selected from a group consisting of: biking shorts, biking shoes, biking jerseys, exercise suits, sport bras, spandex pants, under garments, shorts, tops, shirts, gloves, shoes, boots, ski boots, roller skates, ice skates, roller blades, socks, wrist bands, heart monitors, wrist watches, uniforms, baseball caps, golf caps, visors, head bands, hats, glasses, sunglasses, headphones, medallions, pendants, jewelry, necklaces, bracelets, anklets, chemical suits, bio suits, space suits, space helmets, bullet-proof vests, fire protective suits, motorcycle leathers, goggles, hard hats, construction helmets, welding masks, motor racing helmets, motor cycle helmets, motor racing suits, motor racing under garments, bicycle helmets, football helmets, batting helmets, cricket batting helmets, baseball batting helmets, softball helmets, skiing helmets, skiing suits and under garments, riding helmets, equestrian riding helmets, fencing masks, fencing tunics, shin guards, knee pads, military equipment hats, and military helmets.  
   
   
       12 . The garment of  claim 2 , further comprising a programmable logic device, wherein the programmable logic device is configured to turn the thermoelectric cooling unit on or off based on an expected heat generation pattern.  
   
   
       13 . The garment of  claim 12 , wherein the programmable logic device is configured via external radio control.  
   
   
       14 . The garment of  claim 2 , further comprising a programmable logic device and a plurality of thermoelectric cooling units, wherein the programmable logic device is configured to pulse each of the plurality of thermoelectric units on and off in a predetermined pattern.  
   
   
       15 . A method for personal heat control, the method comprising: 
 providing a garment comprising a cooling surface, a heating surface thermally insulated from the cooling surface, a Peltier thermoelectric cooling unit configured to transfer heat from the cooling surface to the heating surface, and a direct current power supply; and    applying the cooling surface of the garment to an area proximal to skin.    
   
   
       16 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 bonding a metal cap to the Peltier thermoelectric cooling unit for contacting the skin.    
   
   
       17 . The method of  claim 15 , further comprising: 
 thermally coupling a spreader to the Peltier thermoelectric cooling unit, wherein applying the cooling surface of the garment to an area proximal to skin comprises applying the spreader to an area proximal to skin.    
   
   
       18 . A system for cooling wearers of impact-resistant helmets, the system comprising: 
 an impact-resistant outer shell;    a plurality of impact-dampening foam pads affixed to an inside of the impact-resistant outer shell and configured to rest on a wearer's head;    a plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices spaced to avoid interference with the plurality of impact-dampening foam pads and configured to rest against the wearer's head;    a heat sink configured to dissipate heat from the plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices;    a plurality of heat pipes thermally coupled at one end to the plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices and thermally coupled at another end to the heat sink, and configured to transfer heat from the plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices to the heat sink with minimal conduction heat loss, wherein the plurality of heat pipes is spaced to avoid interference with the plurality of impact-dampening foam pads.    
   
   
       19 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising an elasticized band attached at each end to the inside of the impact-resistant outer shell and configured to hold the plurality of thermoelectric cooling devices against the wearer's head.  
   
   
       20 . The system of  claim 18 , further comprising a halo attached to an outside of the impact-resistant outer shell and configured to house the heat sink.