Cooling Pillow

Abstract

A pillow, pillow case, or cooling strip that is associated with a pillow or pillow case, comprising a Peltier cooling module is disclosed. The pillow, pillow case, or cooling strip is configured such that the Peltier cooling module is capable of transporting at least 0.5 joules of heat per second across a temperature difference of at least 10° C. between opposite sides of the pillow, pillow case or cooling strip.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application relies on the disclosure of and claims priority to and the benefit of the filing date of U.S. Provisional Application No. 62 / 653,595 filed Apr. 6, 2018, the disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONField of the Invention[0002]The present invention is directed to the field of pillows that cool the head and / or neck of a user.Description of Related Art[0003]Pillows that provide a relatively cool support for the head or the body while sleeping have been developed and commercialized widely. There are three main types of cooling pillows: gel cooling pillows, pillows which use airflow to cool the sleeper, and temperature-regulating pillows that use phase change materials to control temperature. A gel cooling pillow uses a soft flowable gel to remove body heat via convection from the region of highest temperature, which is usually the part of the pillow directly in ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The present invention is about pillows that cool the head and neck of a user while sleeping. There are three main types of cooling pillows: gel cooling pillows, airflow cooling pillows, and temperature-regulating pillows. The gel cooling pillows use a soft flowable gel to remove body heat via convection, while the airflow cooling pillows use air passages to promote convective cooling. The temperature-regulating pillows use phase change materials that control temperature through a phase change process. The patent text describes the use of a specific phase change material called BioPCM Q 25, which is shaped in containers inside the pillow to enhance heat transfer. The rate of cycling of the phase change material controls the amount of heat transferred. The technical effect of this invention is to provide an improved cooling pillow that can effectively cool the user's head and neck while sleeping.

Problems solved by technology

The two main disadvantages of the use of phase change materials in building cooling pillows are the relatively low thermal storage capacity of most phase change materials that may be used in construction of pillows and the relatively narrow range of temperatures at which phase change occurs.

Some reviewers, on the other hand, say that the gel side does not stay cool throughout the night, and claim that the gel pockets are too few.

Thus, this pillow will probably be too thin for those that are broad or well-built, and consequently it will not offer adequate support.

Passive heat transport strategies suffer from the deficiency that the rate of heat transport is limited by the heat transport capacity of the materials used in the pillow.

Therefore, only a limited rate of cooling is achievable.

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