Wearable device capable of switch-capacitor direct current boosting for efficient use of wearable thermoelectric power generating element and operating method thereof

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a technology for configuring a switch-capacitor direct current boosting device together with a thermoelectric element, thereby allowing the connection of a capacitor to vary in each of: a case in which the capacitor stores electricity due to the production of electricity by the thermoelectric element, and a case in which an electric device operates due to the discharge of electricity from the capacitor. A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor direct current boosting for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric power generating element according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element for generating electricity by contacting a user's body surface; an energy storage module connected to the thermoelectric element and having multiple capacitors for storing the electricity generated by the thermoelectric element; a switch module having multiple switch units and allowing one capacitor among the multiple capacitors and another capacitor to be connected in series or in parallel with each other; and a device unit for receiving electricity from the multiple capacitors when each of the multiple capacitors is connected in series by operation of the switch units.

Description

Wearable device capable of switching capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of wearable thermoelectric generator and its operating method

[0001] The present invention relates to a wearable device capable of a switch-capacitor DC booster for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator and a method of operating the same, and more particularly, to a technology for forming a switch-capacitor DC booster together with a thermoelectric generator, such that the connection of the capacitor is variable in each case of storage of capacitor electricity due to electricity production by the thermoelectric generator and operation of the electric device due to electricity discharge from the capacitor.

[0002]

[0003] A thermoelectric element is a device that exploits the effects of the interaction between heat and electricity. The Peltier effect, which creates a temperature gradient across a thermoelectric material when current flows through it, is a phenomenon called the Peltier effect. Conversely, the Seebeck effect, which generates electricity when a temperature difference exists across the thermoelectric material, is a phenomenon called the Seebeck effect.

[0004] The Seebeck effect can be used to convert heat generated in places like computers, automobile engines, and industrial plants into electrical energy. Thermoelectric power generation utilizing the Seebeck effect can be utilized as a renewable energy source. Recently, research and development are increasing on devices that utilize the Seebeck effect to generate electricity using human body heat, utilizing wearable devices.

[0005] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2022-0114297 (Title: Case device and method for providing a charging function) discloses a case device for providing a charging function, comprising: a housing including an internal space for accommodating a wearable device; a communication interface for providing a wired or wireless connection with the wearable device; at least one receiving groove formed in the internal space for accommodating the wearable device; at least one thermoelectric element arranged so that a portion of the thermoelectric element is exposed through the at least one receiving groove; a heat radiating member arranged adjacent to the at least one thermoelectric element; a battery arranged inside the housing; and at least one processor electrically connected to the communication interface, the at least one thermoelectric element, the heat radiating member, and the battery, wherein the at least one processor: obtains status information of the wearable device, and controls the at least one thermoelectric element based on the status information of the wearable device.

[0006] <Prior Art Literature>

[0007] Republic of Korea Publication Patent No. 10-2022-0114297

[0008]

[0009] The purpose of the present invention to solve the above problems is to form a switch-capacitor DC step-up device together with a thermoelectric element, so that the connection of the capacitors can be varied (parallel / series) in each case of storage of capacitor electricity due to electricity production of the thermoelectric element and operation of the electric device due to electricity discharge from the capacitor.

[0010] The technical problems to be solved by the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned can be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present invention belongs from the description below.

[0011]

[0012] The present invention for achieving the above object comprises: a thermoelectric element that generates electricity by coming into contact with a body surface of a user; a storage module that is connected to the thermoelectric element and has a plurality of capacitors that store electricity generated by the thermoelectric element; a switch module that allows one capacitor among the plurality of capacitors to be connected in series or in parallel with another capacitor and has a plurality of switch units; and a device unit that receives electricity from the plurality of capacitors when each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series with each other by operation of the switch unit.

[0013] In an embodiment of the present invention, the switch unit may be an integrated circuit (IC).

[0014] In an embodiment of the present invention, the switch unit may have a NO terminal which is a normally open terminal, a NC terminal which is a normally closed terminal, and a common terminal.

[0015] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first common terminal and the first NC terminal are connected and energized in the circuit within the switch unit, and the second common terminal and the second NC terminal are connected and energized, so that each of the plurality of capacitors can be connected in parallel and charged.

[0016] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first common terminal and the first NO terminal are connected and energized in the circuit within the switch unit, and the second common terminal and the second NO terminal are connected and energized, so that each of the plurality of capacitors can be connected in series and discharged.

[0017] In an embodiment of the present invention, when one capacitor and another capacitor are connected in series or in parallel with each other, each of the plurality of switch units can sequentially change states.

[0018] In an embodiment of the present invention, the switch module may include a front switch portion connected to one end of the device portion; a rear switch portion connected to the other end of the device portion; and at least one intermediate switch portion formed between the front switch portion and the rear switch portion.

[0019] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first NO terminal of the front switch unit and one end of the device unit may be connected, and the second NO terminal of the rear switch unit and the other end of the device unit may be connected.

[0020] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first NC terminal of the rear switch unit and one end of the thermoelectric element may be connected, and the second NC terminal of the front switch unit and the other end of the thermoelectric element may be connected.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, the second NO terminal of one intermediate switch unit and the first NO terminal of another intermediate switch unit can be connected.

[0022] In an embodiment of the present invention, the first NO terminal of one intermediate switch unit and the second NO terminal of the front switch unit may be connected, and the first NO terminal of the rear switch unit and the second NO terminal of another intermediate switch unit may be connected.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, the intermediate switch unit may be formed in multiple numbers.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present invention, the storage module may include a lead capacitor connected in parallel with the lead switch section; an intermediate capacitor connected in parallel with the intermediate switch section; and a rear capacitor connected in parallel with the rear switch section.

[0025] The present invention for achieving the above object comprises a first step in which each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in parallel; a second step in which, when a supply voltage signal is input to the other control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, the other side of each of the plurality of switch units is sequentially switched from a closed state to an open state; a third step in which, when a supply voltage signal is input to the one control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, one side of each of the plurality of switch units is sequentially switched from a closed state to an open state, so that each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series; a fourth step in which, when a ground signal is input to the one control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, one side of each of the plurality of switch units is sequentially switched from an open state to a closed state; and a fifth step in which, when a ground signal is input to the other control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, the other side of each of the plurality of switch units is sequentially switched from an open state to a closed state, so that each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in parallel.

[0026] In an embodiment of the present invention, a sixth step may be further included in which the above-described second to fifth steps are performed repeatedly.

[0027] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element that generates electricity by contacting a body surface of a user; a booster device that is connected to the thermoelectric element and includes a plurality of unit modules to boost the voltage of the thermoelectric element; and a device unit that receives electricity from the booster device; wherein one of the plurality of unit modules is connected to a branch line branched from a connection line connecting the thermoelectric element and the device unit, and one of the plurality of unit modules is characterized in that it has a plurality of capacitors that store electricity, and a plurality of switch units that allow one capacitor and another capacitor among the plurality of capacitors to be connected in series or in parallel with each other.

[0028] In an embodiment of the present invention, the thermoelectric element and the plurality of unit modules and the device unit may further include a plurality of control switches for turning on or off the current of one of the plurality of unit modules and the other.

[0029] In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of unit modules may include an odd module, which is a unit module connected to a branch line located oddly from the thermoelectric element; and an even module, which is a unit module connected to a branch line located evenly from the thermoelectric element.

[0030] In an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of control switches may include an odd control switch that controls electricity flowing from the even module to the odd module, or electricity flowing from the thermoelectric element to the odd module most closely connected to the thermoelectric element; and an even control switch that controls electricity flowing from the odd module to the even module.

[0031] In an embodiment of the present invention, when charging is performed on the odd module, a plurality of capacitors installed in the odd module may be connected in parallel, and a plurality of capacitors installed in the even module may be connected in series.

[0032] In an embodiment of the present invention, when charging is performed on the even module, a plurality of capacitors installed in the odd module may be connected in series, and a plurality of capacitors installed in the even module may be connected in parallel.

[0033]

[0034] The effect of the present invention according to the above configuration is that the output of the thermoelectric element is stored in a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel, and then each of the plurality of capacitors is converted into a series connection to be boosted with high efficiency and provide electricity to the outside.

[0035] In addition, the effect of the present invention is that by forming a plurality of unit modules including a plurality of capacitor parts in multiple stages, connecting each unit module, and implementing the maximum voltage using each unit module to enable a boost output, electricity boosted with high efficiency can be transmitted to the device part, thereby facilitating the operation of the device part.

[0036] The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects described above, and should be understood to include all effects that can be inferred from the detailed description of the present invention or the composition of the invention described in the claims.

[0037]

[0038] Figure 1 is an image of the principle of electricity production using a thermoelectric element.

[0039] Figure 2 is a graph related to the operating characteristics of a thermoelectric element.

[0040] Figure 3 is a circuit diagram and graph related to the capacitor operating characteristics.

[0041] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of a switch-capacitor connection of a wearable device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0042] Figure 5 is a graph related to efficiency for residual voltage during parallel charging of the switch unit and capacitor.

[0043] Figure 6 is a graph related to the use of thermoelectric elements and capacitors.

[0044] FIG. 7 and FIG. 8 are circuit diagrams of a wearable device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0045] Figures 9 to 13 are schematic diagrams related to the connection of a storage module and a switch module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] Figure 14 is a graph related to the operation of a switch module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] Figures 15 and 16 are actual implementation diagrams and related graphs of a wearable device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 are schematic diagrams of the configuration of a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0049] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a unit module of a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0050] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] FIGS. 21 to 34 are schematic diagrams of the operation of the first module and the second module included in a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] FIG. 35 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a control unit during charging of a first module and a second module included in a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0053] FIG. 36 is a flowchart for the operation of the control unit during discharge of the second module included in a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0054]

[0055] A most preferred embodiment according to the present invention comprises: a thermoelectric element that generates electricity by coming into contact with a body surface of a user; a storage module that is connected to the thermoelectric element and has a plurality of capacitors that store electricity generated by the thermoelectric element; a switch module that allows one capacitor among the plurality of capacitors to be connected in series or in parallel with another capacitor and has a plurality of switch units; and a device unit that receives electricity from the plurality of capacitors when each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series with each other by operation of the switch unit.

[0056]

[0057] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described with reference to the attached drawings. However, the present invention can be implemented in various different forms and is therefore not limited to the embodiments described herein. In the drawings, irrelevant parts have been omitted for clarity of description, and similar parts have been designated with similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0058] Throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected (connected, contacted, or coupled)" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected," but also cases where it is "indirectly connected" with another part in between. Furthermore, when a part is said to "include" a component, this does not exclude other components, but rather implies that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0059] The terminology used herein is merely used to describe specific embodiments and is not intended to limit the present invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this specification, it should be understood that the terms "comprises" or "has" indicate the presence of a feature, number, step, operation, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, but do not exclude in advance the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0060]

[0061] Figure 1 is an image of the principle of electricity production using a thermoelectric element, and Figure 2 is a graph related to the operating characteristics of the thermoelectric element.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 1, a person maintains the body temperature at a certain level, which can be formed higher than the temperature of a general space, and in order to generate electricity using this, a wearable device can be formed with a thermoelectric element located on the human skin and a heat dissipation part formed on the upper part of the thermoelectric element to dissipate the heat of the thermoelectric element.

[0063] At this time, the thermoelectric element emits heat due to the difference between the human body temperature on the skin and the outside temperature, and the emitted heat is 100 to 300 W / m 2 It is a level. In addition, thermoelectric devices can convert the emitted body heat into electricity.

[0064] When using the above thermoelectric element, the heat conversion efficiency is determined by the figure of merit (zT) of the thermoelectric element, and is around 0.01 to 0.08% in a human body heat environment. Therefore, if the area of ​​the thermoelectric element is 45 cm 2 In this case, a maximum power of 0.15 to 1.18 mW can be recovered.

[0065] As shown in Fig. 2, the maximum power refers to the power transmitted when the thermoelectric element and the external load resistance are equal, and is I / I in the graph of Fig. 2. max This corresponds to the case where is 0.5. At this time, the maximum normalized voltage and power (V / V max , P / P max ) are 0.5 and 1, respectively.

[0066] Figure 3 is a circuit diagram and graph related to the operating characteristics of a capacitor. Here, Figure 3 (a) is a circuit diagram related to a capacitor connected to a DC power source and a resistor, and Figure 3 (b) is a schematic diagram related to the operating characteristics of a capacitor connected to a DC power source and a resistor.

[0067] As shown in (a) of Fig. 3, a capacitor having a capacitance C has a maximum voltage V s It can be formed as an RC circuit with a DC power source and a resistor R connected, where V sAnd R is the electrical equivalent circuit modeling of the thermoelectric element.

[0068] In the circuit of (a) of Fig. 3, if points 2 and 3 are connected while the capacitor is fully discharged, the voltage V at point 2 is equal to the voltage V at point 1. s Power can be transmitted until it becomes equal to .

[0069] The current I is influenced by the resistance R (V s -V) / R passes through the circuit, and the power P transferred to the capacitor accordingly is I*V. And, after connecting the circuit, time can be nondimensionalized and interpreted as a time constant τ, and τ is R*C.

[0070] The energy E delivered to the capacitor is the product of power P and time, and over a time of about 5τ, V is V s 99.3% of V max In terms of power transfer, more than 80% of power transfer is possible between 0.3τ and 1.3τ, at which time, V / V max is between 0.25 and 0.72.

[0071] In the graph of Fig. 3 (b), the vertical axis represents the normalized value as described above, and the horizontal axis represents the time constant (τ). As can be seen in the graph of Fig. 3 (b), it can be confirmed that the average power between 0.3τ and 1.3τ is approximately 93% efficient compared to the maximum transmittable power.

[0072]

[0073] FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of a switch-capacitor connection of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5 is a graph related to efficiency for residual voltage during parallel charging of a switch-capacitor, and FIG. 6 is a graph related to the use of a thermoelectric element and a capacitor.

[0074] As shown in Figure 4, when n capacitors with capacitance C are connected in parallel, they have a capacitance of nC, and when charged, all capacitors have a capacitance of V s It can be charged up to. After this, if point 2 and point 5, point 4 and point 7, ..., point (n-2) and point (n+1) are connected, the capacitors are connected in series, and the capacitance decreases to C / n, but the voltage is n*V. s It rises to .

[0075] This is the load resistance R L When connected to, V L is n*V s When the load resistance is reduced until it is fully discharged, the boosted power can be transferred and stored by connecting it to a rechargeable secondary battery or another capacitor.

[0076] In Fig. 5, P mean is the minimum power transfer efficiency (graph a), and E gain is the ratio of the amount of energy stored in the capacitor to the maximum storage capacity of the capacitor (b graph), and τ is the time constant (c graph).

[0077] In addition, in each of the graphs (a) to (e) of FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the nondimensionalized value (V / V) of the residual voltage (V). s ) represents the voltage, and the horizontal axis represents the time constant (τ). In addition, the residual voltage (V) range is described at the top of each graph (a) to (e) of Fig. 5.

[0078] As shown in Figure 5, when a thermoelectric element and a capacitor are connected, the residual voltage of the capacitor can be compared when it is charged to 80%, with the residual voltage being around 20% to 60%. Furthermore, it can be seen that in an environment where the residual voltage of the capacitor is around 20% to 60%, the power transfer efficiency from the thermoelectric element to the capacitor is over 80%.

[0079] At this time, the energy stored in the capacitor decreases because the absolute charge amount decreases, but when the charging time is taken into account, the time-averaged power (E) is formed when the residual voltage is at the level of 20% to 40%. gain / τ) can be confirmed to be high.

[0080] In each of (a) to (c) of FIG. 6, graphs are shown in different ranges of time constant (τ) in relation to the circuit diagram of the same configuration as FIG. 4, the vertical axis represents a non-dimensionalized (normalized, ratio to maximum value (max)) value, the horizontal axis represents the time constant (τ), and graphs for voltage (V), current (I), power (P), and energy (E) are shown, respectively.

[0081] Figure 6 shows a graph for the case where 16 capacitors are formed in the circuit diagram of Figure 4. After connecting 16 capacitors in parallel, charging them to 80% of the voltage, connecting them in series, discharging them to 60%, and then switching them in parallel again to charge them from 60% to 80% of the voltage, the average power transfer efficiency (P) of the thermoelectric element is repeated. avg ) is achieved at 80.8%. Discharging it at 20% to 40% voltage can achieve power transfer efficiency of 58.2% to 87.1%.

[0082]

[0083] When recovering energy by converting body heat into electricity based on the wearable thermoelectric device as described above, the maximum recoverable output is 0.1 to 1 mW (DC 50 to 200 mV) depending on the surrounding environment, depending on the properties of the body heat and the thermoelectric device.

[0084] Therefore, in order to operate an actual application (electrical device), the output voltage must be increased through a boost circuit before use, but commercial DC voltage boost circuits exhibit an efficiency of less than 40%.

[0085] The present invention provides a switch-capacitor DC boost technology capable of storing the output of a thermoelectric element in a capacitor connected in parallel and boosting the voltage with high efficiency by changing the connection of the capacitor to series when using the electricity of the capacitor. Hereinafter, details thereof will be described in detail using each drawing.

[0086] Figures 7 and 8 are circuit diagrams of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, (a) of Figure 8 shows each connection terminal, and (b) of Figure 8 shows an embodiment of the circuit configuration of the switch unit (10). In the following descriptions, "connection" may refer to receiving an electrical signal.

[0087] As shown in FIGS. 7 and 8, the wearable device of the present invention includes: a thermoelectric element that generates electricity by coming into contact with a body surface of a user; a storage module that is connected to the thermoelectric element and has a plurality of capacitors that store electricity generated by the thermoelectric element; a switch module that allows one capacitor among the plurality of capacitors to be connected in series or in parallel with another capacitor and has a plurality of switch units (10); and a device unit that receives electricity from the plurality of capacitors when each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series with each other by operation of the switch unit (10).

[0088] Here, the device unit may be an electronic device such as a lamp or smartwatch that operates by receiving electricity, but is not limited thereto. Each of the capacitor and the thermoelectric element may have a volume suitable for a wearable device, and as this is related to prior art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0089]

[0090] The switch unit (10) may be an integrated circuit (IC). In addition, the switch unit (10) may be provided with a normally open terminal (NOx), a normally closed terminal (NCx), and a common terminal (COMx).

[0091] Specifically, as shown in (b) of FIG. 8, on one side of the switch unit (10), a supply voltage terminal (V+) (101) into which a supply voltage signal is input, a first NO terminal (NO1) (102) which is an NO terminal, a first common terminal (COM1) (103) which is a common terminal, a first control terminal (IN1) (104) which is a control terminal (Digital Control Input Terminal) into which a control signal is input or an output signal is output, and a first NC terminal (NC1) (105) which is an NC terminal may be formed, and the first common terminal (COM1) (103) may be selectively connected to the first NO terminal (NO1) (102) or the first NC terminal (NC1) (105) depending on the digital control signal input to the first control terminal (104).

[0092] At this time, the first common terminal (COM1) (103), the first NO terminal (NO1) (102), and the first NC terminal (NC1) (105) are connected to the first switch (121), and by the operation of the first switch (121), the first common terminal (COM1) (103) can be selectively connected to the first NO terminal (NO1) (102) or the first NC terminal (NC1) (105).

[0093] And, on the other side of the switch unit (10), a ground terminal (GND) (106) as a terminal to which a ground signal is input, a second NC terminal (NC2) (107) as an NC terminal, a second control terminal (IN2) (108) as a control terminal (Digital Control Input Terminal) to which a control signal is input or an output signal is output, a second common terminal (COM2) (109) as a common terminal, and a second NO terminal (NO2) (110) as an NO terminal can be formed, and the second common terminal (COM2) (109) can be selectively connected to the second NO terminal (NO2) (110) or the second NC terminal (NC2) (107) depending on the digital control signal input to the second control terminal (108).

[0094] At this time, the second common terminal (COM2) (109), the second NO terminal (NO2) (110), and the second NC terminal (NC2) (107) are connected to the second switch (122), and by the operation of the second switch (122), the second common terminal (COM2) (109) can be selectively connected to the second NO terminal (NO2) (110) or the second NC terminal (NC2) (107).

[0095] As shown in (a) of Fig. 8, a first connection unit (210), a second connection unit (220), and a third connection unit (230) can be formed as connection units that are connection terminals (Terminal Blocks) that transmit signals input to the circuit of Fig. 7.

[0096] A negative TEG_L (Thermoelectric Generator_Low) signal of a thermoelectric generator may be input to a first terminal of a first connection unit (210), a ground signal may be input to a second terminal of the first connection unit (210), a supply voltage (Vcc) signal may be input to a third terminal of the first connection unit (210), and a positive TEG_H (Thermoelectric Generator_High) signal of a thermoelectric generator may be input to a fourth terminal of the first connection unit (210).

[0097] At this time, the first terminal of the first connection part (210) and the fourth terminal of the first connection part (210) are connected to the thermoelectric element, the second terminal of the first connection part (210) is grounded, and the third terminal of the first connection part (210) can be connected to a voltage line supplied to the device part.

[0098] In addition, an IN_L_I signal, which is a signal when the input control signal is in a low state, may be input to the first terminal of the second connection unit (220), a LOAD_L signal, which is a negative pole of the load of the device unit, may be input to the second terminal of the second connection unit (220), a LOAD_H signal, which is a positive pole of the load of the device unit, may be input to the third terminal of the second connection unit (220), and an IN_H_I signal, which is a signal when the input control signal is in a high state, may be input to the fourth terminal of the second connection unit (220).

[0099] At this time, the second terminal of the second connecting portion (220) and the fourth terminal of the second connecting portion (220) are connected to the device portion, and the first terminal of the second connecting portion (220) and the fourth terminal of the second connecting portion (220) can be connected to the control portion that transmits the control signal.

[0100] And, the IN_L_O signal, which is a signal when the output signal, which is a signal output from the switch module, is in a Low state, is output to the first terminal of the third connection unit (230), the LOAD_L signal, which is a negative pole of the load of the device unit, is input to the second terminal of the third connection unit (230), the LOAD_H signal, which is a positive pole of the load of the device unit, is input to the third terminal of the third connection unit (230), and the IN_H_O signal, which is a signal when the output signal, which is a signal output from the switch module, is in a High state, can be output to the fourth terminal.

[0101] At this time, the second terminal of the third connection part (230) and the fourth terminal of the third connection part (230) are connected to the device part, and the first terminal of the third connection part (230) and the fourth terminal of the third connection part (230) can be connected to the control part that receives the output signal.

[0102]

[0103] The switch module may include a front switch section (11) connected to one end of the device section; a rear switch section (14) connected to the other end of the device section; and at least one intermediate switch section formed between the front switch section (11) and the rear switch section (14).

[0104] Here, the intermediate switch section can be formed in multiples. That is, multiple intermediate switch sections can be formed between the front switch section (11) and the rear switch section (14), and in this way, each of the multiple switch sections (10) can be connected.

[0105] However, for the convenience of understanding, Fig. 7 discloses the formation of two intermediate switch sections, a first intermediate switch section (12) and a second intermediate switch section (13), and the description will be based on this. Here, the same principle applies even if the number of intermediate switch sections increases.

[0106] As shown in Fig. 7, the first NO terminal (1021) of the front switch unit and one end of the device unit can be connected, and the second NO terminal (1104) of the rear switch unit and the other end of the device unit can be connected. In addition, the LOAD_H signal that has passed through the second connection unit (220) or the third connection unit (230) as described above can be transmitted to the first NO terminal (1021) of the front switch unit, and the LOAD_L signal that has passed through the second connection unit (220) or the third connection unit (230) can be transmitted to the second NO terminal (1104) of the rear switch unit.

[0107] The first NC terminal (1054) of the rear switch unit and one end of the thermoelectric element can be connected, and the second NC terminal (1071) of the front switch unit and the other end of the thermoelectric element can be connected. Accordingly, the TEG_L signal passing through the first connection unit (210) as described above can be transmitted to the second NC terminal (1071) of the front switch unit, and the TEG_H signal passing through the first connection unit (210) can be transmitted to the first NC terminal (1054) of the rear switch unit.

[0108] And, looking at the details of how each of the remaining signals is transmitted to each switch unit (10), the supply voltage signal passing through the first connection unit (210) can be transmitted to the supply voltage terminal (101) of the front switch unit (11), the supply voltage terminal (101) of the first intermediate switch unit (12), the supply voltage terminal (101) of the second intermediate switch unit (13), and the supply voltage terminal (101) of the rear switch unit (14).

[0109] In addition, the ground signal passing through the first connection part (210) can be transmitted to the ground terminal (106) of the front switch part (11), the ground terminal (106) of the first intermediate switch part (12), the ground terminal (106) of the second intermediate switch part (13), and the ground terminal (106) of the rear switch part (14).

[0110] In addition, the IN_H_I signal passing through the second connection part (220) can be transmitted to the first control terminal (104) of the front switch part (11), the first control terminal (104) of the first intermediate switch part (12), the first control terminal (104) of the second intermediate switch part (13), and the first control terminal (104) of the rear switch part (14) after passing through the first resistance part (311).

[0111] In addition, the IN_L_I signal passing through the second connection section (220) can be transmitted to the second control terminal (108) of the front switch section (11), the second control terminal (108) of the first intermediate switch section (12), the second control terminal (108) of the second intermediate switch section (13), and the second control terminal (108) of the rear switch section (14) after passing through the second resistance section (312).

[0112] In addition, the IN_L_O signal output through the third connection part (230) can be output from the second control terminal (108) of the front switch part (11), and the IN_H_O signal can be output from the second control terminal (108) of the rear switch part (14).

[0113] The second NO terminal of one intermediate switch unit and the first NO terminal (102) of another intermediate switch unit can be connected. In addition, the first NO terminal (102) of one intermediate switch unit and the second NO terminal (1101) of the front switch unit can be connected, and the first NO terminal (1024) of the rear switch unit and the second NO terminal of another intermediate switch unit can be connected.

[0114] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the first NO terminal (1022) of the first intermediate switch unit and the second NO terminal (1101) of the front switch unit are connected, the second NO terminal (1102) of the first intermediate switch unit and the first NO terminal (1023) of the second intermediate switch unit are connected, and the first NO terminal (1024) of the rear switch unit and the second NO terminal (1103) of the second intermediate switch unit can be connected.

[0115] The storage module may include a lead capacitor (21) connected in parallel with the lead switch unit (11); an intermediate capacitor connected in parallel with the intermediate switch unit; and a rear capacitor (24) connected in parallel with the rear switch unit (14).

[0116] Here, one end of the lead capacitor (21) can be connected to the first common terminal (103) of the lead switch unit (11), and the other end of the lead capacitor (21) can be connected to the second common terminal (109) of the lead switch unit (11). At this time, the other end of the lead capacitor (21) can be simultaneously connected to the second NC terminal (1072) of the first intermediate switch unit.

[0117] In addition, one end of the first intermediate capacitor (22) connected to the first intermediate switch unit (12) may be connected to the first common terminal (103) of the first intermediate switch unit (12), and the other end of the first intermediate capacitor (22) may be connected to the second common terminal (109) of the first intermediate switch unit (12). At this time, one end of the first intermediate capacitor (22) may be simultaneously connected to the first NC terminal (1051) of the front switch unit, and the other end of the first intermediate capacitor (22) may be simultaneously connected to the second NC terminal (1073) of the second intermediate switch unit.

[0118] In addition, one end of the second intermediate capacitor (23) connected to the second intermediate switch unit (13) may be connected to the first common terminal (103) of the second intermediate switch unit (13), and the other end of the second intermediate capacitor (23) may be connected to the second common terminal (109) of the second intermediate switch unit (13). At this time, one end of the second intermediate capacitor (23) may be simultaneously connected to the first NC terminal (1052) of the first intermediate switch unit, and the other end of the second intermediate capacitor (23) may be simultaneously connected to the second NC terminal (1074) of the rear switch unit.

[0119] As shown in (b) of Fig. 8, in the circuit of the switch unit (10), the first common terminal (103) and the first NC terminal (105) are connected and energized, and the second common terminal (109) and the second NC terminal (107) are connected and energized, so that each of the plurality of capacitors can be connected in parallel and charged.

[0120] In addition, in the circuit of the switch section (10), the first common terminal (103) and the first NO terminal (102) are connected and energized, and the second common terminal (109) and the second NO terminal (110) are connected and energized, so that each of the plurality of capacitors can be connected in series and discharged.

[0121] When one capacitor is connected in series or in parallel with another capacitor, each of the plurality of switch units (10) can be sequentially switched. Specifically, in sequentially switching each of the front switch unit (11), the first intermediate switch unit (12), the second intermediate switch unit (13), and the rear switch unit (14), a delay unit formed of a resistor and a capacitor can be installed to avoid the hassle of individually manipulating each switch unit (10). In addition, the delay unit can include the first resistor unit (311), the second resistor unit (312), and the first to eighth delay capacitors (328) described below.

[0122] Specifically, a first resistance unit (311) may be formed between a line into which an IN_H_I signal is input and each switch unit (10), and a second resistance unit (312) may be formed between a line into which an IN_L_I signal is input and each switch unit (10). Here, each of the first resistance unit (311) and the second resistance unit (312) may include a plurality of resistors.

[0123] Here, a first delay capacitor (321) may be connected to a line connecting the first resistance unit (311) and the first control terminal (104) of the front switch unit (11), a second delay capacitor (322) may be connected to a line connecting the first resistance unit (311) and the first control terminal (104) of the first intermediate switch unit (12), a third delay capacitor (323) may be connected to a line connecting the first resistance unit (311) and the first control terminal (104) of the second intermediate switch unit (13), and a fourth delay capacitor (324) may be connected to a line connecting the first resistance unit (311) and the first control terminal (104) of the rear switch unit (14).

[0124] In addition, a second delay capacitor (322) may be connected to a line connecting the second resistance unit (312) and the second control terminal (108) of the rear switch unit (14), a sixth delay capacitor (326) may be connected to a line connecting the second resistance unit (312) and the second control terminal (108) of the second intermediate switch unit (13), a seventh delay capacitor (327) may be connected to a line connecting the second resistance unit (312) and the second control terminal (108) of the first intermediate switch unit (12), and an eighth delay capacitor (328) may be connected to a line connecting the second resistance unit (312) and the second control terminal (108) of the front switch unit (11).

[0125] In a switch module having the above configuration, when a ground (GND) signal is received as an IN_H_I signal from the first control terminal (104) of one switch unit (10), the common terminal and the NC terminal of the switch unit (10) are connected, so that the switch unit (10) can be in the NC state. In other words, the NC state can mean a state in which the switch unit (10) is closed when there is no separate operation.

[0126] Here, in one switch section (10), the state in which the first common terminal (103) and the first NC terminal (105) are connected can be called the NC1 state, and the state in which the second common terminal (109) and the second NC terminal (107) are connected can be called the NC2 state.

[0127] And, when a supply voltage (V+, 1.8 V to 5.5 V) signal is input as an IN_L_I signal from the second control terminal (108) of one switch unit (10), the common terminal and the NO terminal of the switch unit (10) are connected so that the switch unit (10) can be in the NO state. In other words, the NO state can mean an open state when there is an operation on the switch unit (10).

[0128] Here, in one switch section (10), the state in which the first common terminal (103) and the first NO terminal (102) are connected can be called the NO1 state, and the state in which the second common terminal (109) and the second NO terminal (110) are connected can be called the NO2 state.

[0129] At this time, the control signal (operation signal) input as described above can delay the signal arrival time through a combination of appropriately combined resistors and delay capacitors as seen in the delay section, and accordingly, sequential signal input to each of the plurality of switch sections (10) as described above can be possible.

[0130] Specifically, in the circuit diagram of Fig. 7, when a supply voltage (V+) signal is input as an IN_L_I signal, the rear switch unit (14) switches from the NC2 state to the NO2 state, and then the second intermediate switch unit (13) switches from the NC2 state to the NO2 state, and then the first intermediate switch unit (12) switches from the NC2 state to the NO2 state, and then the front switch unit (11) can switch from the NC2 state to the NO2 state.

[0131] Next, when a supply voltage (V+) signal is input to the IN_H_I signal on the opposite side, the front switch unit (11) switches from the NC1 state to the NO1 state, and then the first intermediate switch unit (12) switches from the NC1 state to the NO1 state, and then the second intermediate switch unit (13) switches from the NC1 state to the NO1 state, and then the rear switch unit (14) can switch from the NC1 state to the NO1 state.

[0132] And, as described above, when the NO1 state and NO2 state are completed in each switch section (10), each capacitor can be connected in series.

[0133] After this, when the IN_H_I signal receives a ground (GND) signal, the front switch unit (11) switches from the NO1 state to the NC1 state, and then the first intermediate switch unit (12) switches from the NO1 state to the NC1 state, and then the second intermediate switch unit (13) switches from the NO1 state to the NC1 state, and then the rear switch unit (14) can switch from the NO1 state to the NC1 state.

[0134] Next, when a ground (GND) signal is input to the IN_L_I signal on the opposite side, the rear switch unit (14) switches from the NO2 state to the NC2 state, and then the second intermediate switch unit (13) switches from the NO2 state to the NC2 state, and then the first intermediate switch unit (12) switches from the NO2 state to the NC2 state, and then the front switch unit (11) can switch from the NO2 state to the NC2 state.

[0135] And, as described above, when the NO1 state and NO2 state are completed in each switch section (10), each capacitor can be connected in series.

[0136]

[0137] Figures 9 to 13 are schematic diagrams of connections between a storage module and a switch module according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figures 9 to 13 schematically show the configuration of a switch module in a circuit configured as in Figures 7 and 8, and can represent NC or NO states generated in time sequence.

[0138] That is, (a) and (b) of Fig. 9, (a) and (b) of Fig. 10, (a) and (b) of Fig. 11, (a) and (b) of Fig. 12, and (a) of Fig. 13 can each represent items that are performed sequentially.

[0139] Here, NC and NO represent the NC terminal and the NO terminal, respectively, and when a thick line border is formed on the NC terminal, it represents the connection between the common terminal and the NC terminal (NC1 state or NC2 state), and when a thick line border is formed on the NO terminal, it represents the connection between the common terminal and the NO terminal (NO1 state or NO2 state).

[0140] In Fig. 9 (a), the connection state of each capacitor and each switch unit (10) is shown, and in Fig. 9 (b), each switch unit (10) is shown in the NC1 state and the NC2 state, with the capacitors connected in parallel.

[0141] In (a) of Fig. 10, it is shown that each switch unit (10) sequentially switches from the NC2 state to the NO2 state in the order of the rear switch unit (14), the second intermediate switch unit (13), the first intermediate switch unit (12), and the front switch unit (11). Here, the time when each of the rear switch unit (14), the second intermediate switch unit (13), the first intermediate switch unit (12), and the front switch unit (11) are all in the NO2 state can be referred to as t0. In addition, in (b) of Fig. 10, it is shown that the front switch unit (11) switches from the NC1 state to the NO1 state at t1, which is a short time after t0.

[0142] In (a) of Fig. 11, an abnormal state is shown. If the rear switch unit (14) switches from the NC1 state to the NO1 state at time t2 as in (a) of Fig. 11, the second intermediate capacitor (23) may be electrically shorted internally and discharged.

[0143] Therefore, as shown in (b) of Fig. 11, the front switch unit (11), the first intermediate switch unit (12), the second intermediate switch unit (13), and the rear switch unit (14) must be sequentially switched from the NC1 state to the NO1 state (t2, t3, t4) to prevent power loss while sequentially connecting the capacitors in series to discharge the capacitors.

[0144] After this, all switch units (10) can be returned to the NC1 state and NC2 state by switching in reverse order as in (a) and (b) of Fig. 12 and (a) of Fig. 13.

[0145] Specifically, in (a) of FIG. 12, it is shown that the rear switch unit (14) switches from the NO1 state to the NC1 state at time t5, and in (b) of FIG. 12, it is shown that it switches sequentially (t6, t7, t8) from the NO1 state to the NC1 state. In addition, in (a) of FIG. 13, it is shown that each of the rear switch unit (14), the second intermediate switch unit (13), the first intermediate switch unit (12), and the front switch unit (11) sequentially switches from the NO2 state to the NC2 state from time t9, and accordingly, it is shown that it returns to the same state as in (b) of FIG.

[0146] After this, as shown in the arrow in (b) of Fig. 13, the states of the switch modules in (b) of Fig. 9, (a) and (b) of Fig. 10, (b) of Fig. 11, (a) and (b) of Fig. 12, and (a) of Fig. 13 are cycled to perform parallel / series state switching of each capacitor, and accordingly, low-voltage charging of the capacitor module and discharge after boosting can be implemented.

[0147]

[0148] Figure 14 is a graph related to the operation of a switch module according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0149] As shown in Fig. 7, as an example of a combination of appropriate resistors and delay capacitors for delaying a control signal (input signal) of a switch-capacitor, the resistance values ​​of each of the first resistor unit (311) and the second resistor unit (312) may be 100Ω. In addition, the first delay capacitor (321), the second delay capacitor (322), the fifth delay capacitor (325), and the sixth delay capacitor (326) may each be 1pF, and the remaining third delay capacitor (323), the fourth delay capacitor (324), the seventh delay capacitor (327), and the eighth delay capacitor (328) may each be 47pF.

[0150] In Fig. 14, one red dotted box indicates that a control signal (operation signal) is output as an IN_H_O signal or an IN_L_O signal through the four switch units (10) (front switch unit (11), first intermediate switch unit (12), second intermediate switch unit (13), and rear switch unit (14)) mentioned above from the IN_H_I signal or IN_L_I signal in the description of Fig. 7.

[0151] In Fig. 14, delayed signals are input to the successive dotted boxes (boxes a, b, c and d) for operation of the switch section (10), and Fig. 14 shows that delayed signals are sequentially input to a total of 16 switch sections (10).

[0152] In the NC to NO graph of Fig. 14 (a), the time interval for which the signal is delayed from the leftmost switch unit (10) to which the signal is input first to the rightmost switch unit (10) is displayed when the supply voltage (V+) signal is received in each switch unit (10), and in the NO to NC graph of Fig. 14 (b), it can be confirmed that when the ground (GND) signal is input to each switch unit (10), the conversion signal is reversed from the rightmost switch unit (10) to the leftmost switch unit (10).

[0153] FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 are actual implementation diagrams and related graphs of a wearable device according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specifically, FIG. 15 is a photograph of a prototype of the wearable device of the present invention, FIG. 16 (a) is a graph showing the prototype transmitting power to an external capacitor, and FIG. 16 (b) is a graph showing the prototype transmitting power to an external resistor.

[0154] As shown in Fig. 15, for the formation of a prototype, the lead capacitor (21), the first intermediate capacitor (22), the second intermediate capacitor (23), and the rear capacitor (24) were each prepared as 3.3 mF capacitors.

[0155] And, each capacitor is a thermoelectric element (V s After connecting to a capacitor with a capacitance of 3.3 mF (=100 mV), power was transferred to an external capacitor. Then, voltage and current were measured over time to obtain a graph as in (a) of Fig. 16.

[0156] As shown in (a) of Fig. 16, when multiple capacitors are connected in series, it can be confirmed that a voltage of 400 mV and a capacitance of 0.825 mF are formed in the capacitor module, and at this time, when power is transmitted to the external capacitor, it can be confirmed that 400 mV can be buffered for the external capacitor by going through each step (reflecting the change in NO and NC states).

[0157] Additionally, each capacitor is a thermoelectric element (V s After connecting to a (=100 mV) external resistor, power was transmitted to the external resistor. Then, the voltage and current were measured over time to obtain a graph as in (b) of Fig. 16.

[0158] As shown in (b) of Fig. 16, multiple capacitors were charged to 100 mV and then serially converted to form 400 mV, and then discharged to 160 mV, and then each of the multiple capacitors was converted to parallel and then charged.

[0159] And, as you can see in the graph, all capacitors form a residual voltage of 40mV immediately after switching, so you can see that 0.6mA is applied, and you can see that they operate by repeating the discharge when recharging.

[0160]

[0161] Hereinafter, the operating method of the present invention reflecting the above-mentioned matters will be described.

[0162] In the first step, each of the plurality of capacitors can be arranged in a parallel connection.

[0163] In the second step, when a supply voltage signal is input to the other side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units (10), the other side of each of the plurality of switch units (10) can be sequentially switched from a closed state to an open state.

[0164] In the third step, when a supply voltage signal is input to one side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units (10), one side of each of the plurality of switch units (10) is sequentially switched from a closed state to an open state, so that each of the plurality of capacitors can be connected in series.

[0165] In the fourth step, when a ground signal is input to one side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units (10), one side of each of the plurality of switch units (10) can be sequentially switched from an open state to a closed state.

[0166] In the fifth step, when a ground signal is input to the other side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units (10), the other side of each of the plurality of switch units (10) is sequentially switched from an open state to a closed state, so that each of the plurality of capacitors can be connected in parallel.

[0167] And, in the 6th step, steps 2 to 5 can be performed repeatedly.

[0168] When using the wearable device of the present invention as described above, the output of the thermoelectric element is stored in a plurality of capacitors connected in parallel, and then each of the plurality of capacitors is converted into a series connection to be boosted with high efficiency and provide electricity to the outside.

[0169] In addition, high-efficiency power transmission is possible through the formation of residual voltage by sequential state switching of multiple switches.

[0170] In addition, by performing sequential switching of multiple switches, internal power loss of the storage module is prevented, and by configuring a resistor-capacitor delay section that can perform sequential switching with only two signal input terminals, operating efficiency can be improved.

[0171]

[0172] Below, a wearable device of another embodiment will be described.

[0173] Figures 17 and 18 are schematic diagrams of a configuration of a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention. In Figures 17 and 18, V in refers to the voltage transmitted from the thermoelectric element, and V out refers to the voltage transmitted to the device.

[0174] Here, Fig. 17 is for the case where the number of unit modules (800) is odd, and Fig. 17 (a) shows the case where the first half cycle is performed, and Fig. 17 (b) shows the case where the second half cycle is performed.

[0175] In addition, Fig. 18 is for a case where the number of unit modules (800) is an even number, and Fig. 18 (a) shows that the first half cycle is performed, and Fig. 18 (b) shows that the second half cycle is performed.

[0176] Figure 19 is a schematic diagram of a unit module (800) of a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0177]

[0178] As shown in FIGS. 17 to 19, the wearable device of the present invention includes a thermoelectric element that generates electricity by coming into contact with a user's body surface; a booster device that is connected to the thermoelectric element and includes a plurality of unit modules (800) to boost the voltage of the thermoelectric element; and a device unit that receives electricity from the booster device.

[0179] The description of the thermoelectric element is the same as the description of the thermoelectric element installed in the wearable device of the embodiment of the present invention described above.

[0180] One unit module (800) among the plurality of unit modules (800) can be connected to a branch line (942) branched from a connecting line (941) connecting the thermoelectric element and the device unit.

[0181] One end of the connecting line (941) is connected to the thermoelectric element, the other end of the connecting line (941) is connected to the device unit, and a plurality of branch lines (942) can be connected to the connecting line (941) with each end spaced apart from each other. Here, the connecting line (941) and the branch line (942) can be formed of components through which electricity can flow, such as wires and printed circuit lines.

[0182] A unit module (800) may be connected to the other end of each of the plurality of branch lines (942), and the plurality of unit modules (800) may include an odd module (910), which is a unit module (800) connected to a branch line (942) located at an odd position from the thermoelectric element; and an even module (920), which is a unit module (800) connected to a branch line (942) located at an even position from the thermoelectric element.

[0183] Specifically, the branch lines (942) can be numbered in the order of separation from the thermoelectric element, and each branch line (942) can be called the first branch line (942), the second branch line (942), the third branch line (942), … the mth branch line (942) in that order.

[0184] And, correspondingly, each unit module (800) can be referred to as the first module (400), the second module (500), the third module, … . the m module (930) according to the order of each branch line (942).

[0185]

[0186] As shown in Fig. 19, one unit module (800) among a plurality of unit modules (800) may be equipped with a plurality of capacitor units (830) that store electricity, and a plurality of switch units that allow one capacitor unit (830) among the plurality of capacitor units (830) and another capacitor unit (830) to be connected in series or in parallel with each other.

[0187] A unit module (800) may include a first side line (841) and a second side line (842) that are formed to be electrically conductive and spaced apart from each other; a capacitor unit (830) having one end connected to the first side line (841) and the other end connected to the second side line (842); a series switch unit (820) installed between one capacitor unit (830) and another capacitor unit (830) and having one end connected to the first side line (841) and the other end connected to the second side line (842); and a parallel switch unit (810) installed at a portion of the first side line (841) between one end of the capacitor unit (830) and one end of the series switch unit (820) or at a portion of the second side line (842) between the other end of the capacitor unit (830) and the other end of the series switch unit (820).

[0188] At this time, the parallel switch unit (810) installed in the one-side line (841) portion between one end of the capacitor unit (830) and one end of the series switch unit (820) can be referred to as a one-side parallel switch unit (811), and the other-side parallel switch unit (812) installed in the other-side line (842) portion between the other end of the capacitor unit (830) and the other end of the series switch unit (820) can be referred to as a other-side parallel switch unit.

[0189] As seen in the above configuration, the plurality of switch units may include a series switch unit (820) and a parallel switch unit (810). In addition, the capacitor units (830) and the series switch unit (820) positioned alternately may be connected in parallel, and one capacitor unit (830), one parallel switch unit (810), and one series switch unit (820) may be connected in series with each other.

[0190] In such a unit module (800), when each series switch unit (820) is turned on and each parallel switch unit (810) is turned off, a plurality of capacitor units (830) can be connected in series with each other. And, when each series switch unit (820) is turned off and each parallel switch unit (810) is turned on, a plurality of capacitor units (830) can be connected in parallel with each other.

[0191] Here, the parallel switch unit (810) can be turned on by making the parallel switch unit (810) have a high value by the logic signal P, and the parallel switch unit (810) can be turned off by making the parallel switch unit (810) have a low value by the logic signal S.

[0192] Similarly, the serial switch unit (820) can be turned on by having a high value by the logic signal S, and the serial switch unit (820) can be turned off by having a low value by the logic signal P.

[0193]

[0194] The wearable device of the present invention may further include a thermoelectric element, a plurality of unit modules (800), and a plurality of control switches for turning on or off the power supply between one of the device parts and the other.

[0195] Here, the plurality of control switches may include an odd control switch (950) that controls electricity flowing from an even module (920) to an odd module (910), or electricity flowing from a thermoelectric element to an odd module (910) that is most closely connected to the thermoelectric element; and an even control switch (960) that controls electricity flowing from an odd module (910) to an even module (920).

[0196] In FIGS. 17 and 18, for the sake of understanding, the odd control switch (950) is marked with A, and the even control switch (960) is marked with B. That is, the logic signals that operate each control switch are indicated. In addition, the arrows indicate the flow of electricity.

[0197] Here, the odd control switch (950) can be turned on by having a high value by logic signal A, and the odd control switch (950) can be turned off by having a low value by logic signal B.

[0198] Similarly, the even control switch (960) can be turned on by making the even control switch (960) have a high value by logic signal B, and the even control switch (960) can be turned off by making the even control switch (960) have a low value by logic signal A.

[0199] As shown in Fig. 17, when the number of unit modules (800) is odd, an odd control switch (950) may be installed at the connection line (941) between the thermoelectric element and the first module (400). In addition, an odd control switch (950) may be installed at the connection line (941) between the even module (920) and the odd module (910).

[0200] And, when the number of unit modules (800) is odd, an even control switch (960) may be installed at the connection line (941) between the odd module (910) and the even module (920). In addition, an even control switch (960) may be installed at the connection line (941) between the m module (930), which is the last unit module (800), and the device unit.

[0201] As shown in Fig. 18, when the number of unit modules (800) is even, an odd control switch (950) may be installed at the connection line (941) between the thermoelectric element and the first module (400). In addition, an odd control switch (950) may be installed at the connection line (941) between the even module (920) and the odd module (910).

[0202] And, when the number of unit modules (800) is even, an even control switch (960) may be installed in the connection line (941) between the odd module (910) and the even module (920). In addition, an odd control switch (950) may be installed in the connection line (941) between the m module (930), which is the last unit module (800), and the device unit.

[0203] That is, depending on whether the number of unit modules (800) is odd or even, the control switch that controls the electric flow of the m module (930) and the device part is different, and the arrangement of the remaining control switches may be the same.

[0204]

[0205] When a booster having an odd number of unit modules (800) and a booster having an even number of unit modules (800) perform each half cycle, the half cycle in which the charging of the device section is performed may be different.

[0206] Specifically, as shown in (a) of FIG. 17, when the number of unit modules (800) is odd, in the first half cycle, the odd control switch (950) is turned on and the even control switch (960) is turned off, so that electricity can flow from the thermoelectric element to the first module (400) and from the even module (920) to the odd module (910).

[0207] Accordingly, charging of the odd module (910) including the first module (400) and the m module (930) can be performed. At this time, the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the odd module (910) can be connected in parallel, and the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the even module (920) can be connected in series.

[0208] And, as seen in (b) of Fig. 17, when the number of unit modules (800) is odd, in the second half cycle, the odd control switch (950) is turned off and the even control switch (960) is turned on, so that electricity can flow from the odd module (910) to the even module (920), and electricity can flow from the m module (930), which is the odd module (910), to the device unit.

[0209] Accordingly, charging of the even module (920) and charging or operation of the device unit can be performed. At this time, the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the odd module (910) can be connected in series, and the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the even module (920) can be connected in parallel.

[0210] As shown in (a) of Fig. 18, when the number of unit modules (800) is even, in the first half cycle, the odd control switch (950) is turned on and the even control switch (960) is turned off, so that electricity flows from the thermoelectric element to the first module (400), electricity flows from the even module (920) to the odd module (910), and electricity flows from the m module (930), which is the even module (920), to the device unit.

[0211] Accordingly, charging of the odd module (910) and charging or operation of the device unit can be performed. At this time, the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the odd module (910) can be connected in parallel, and the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the even module (920) can be connected in series.

[0212] And, as seen in (b) of Fig. 18, when the number of unit modules (800) is even, in the second half cycle, the odd control switch (950) is turned off and the even control switch (960) is turned on, so that electricity can flow from the odd module (910) to the even module (920).

[0213] Accordingly, charging of the even module (920) including the M module (930) can be performed. At this time, the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the odd module (910) can be connected in series, and the plurality of capacitor units (830) of the even module (920) can be connected in parallel.

[0214] As described above, when charging is performed on an odd module (910), a plurality of capacitor units (830) installed on an odd module (910) may be connected in parallel, and a plurality of capacitor units (830) installed on an even module (920) may be connected in series. In addition, when charging is performed on an even module (920), a plurality of capacitor units (830) installed on an odd module (910) may be connected in series, and a plurality of capacitor units (830) installed on an even module (920) may be connected in parallel.

[0215]

[0216] As described above, a single boost cycle may consist of a first half cycle and a second half cycle. Furthermore, the first and second half cycles may be alternately repeated, thereby boosting the voltage generated in the thermoelectric element.

[0217] By the above-mentioned boosting, in the k-th module (800) connected to the k-th branch line (942) from the switching element in the booster, the maximum V based on the series connection voltage of the plurality of capacitor parts (830) k = N1* N1* … N k *V in It is possible to charge the voltage as much as that. Specifically, when a unit module (800) having three capacitor parts (830) is formed in a boost device, it is possible to achieve a boost ratio of 3X3X3=27 times by using a total of nine capacitor parts (830).

[0218]

[0219] Hereinafter, as a specific example of a multi-stage connection of multiple unit modules (800) in a booster device as described above, a two-stage connection of the first module (400) and the second module (500) will be described.

[0220] Specifically, the fact that three capacitor parts (830) are formed in each of the first module (400) and the second module (500) will be described.

[0221] Figure 20 is a schematic diagram of the configuration of a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0222] As shown in Fig. 20, the first module (400) may include a first-first capacitor unit (411), a first-second capacitor unit (412), and a first-third capacitor unit (413) as a plurality of capacitor units (830). In addition, the first module (400) may include a first-first parallel switch unit (421) and a first-second parallel switch unit (422) as a single-side parallel switch unit (811), and may include a first-third parallel switch unit (423) and a first-fourth parallel switch unit (424) as the other-side parallel switch unit (812). And, the first module (400) may be equipped with a 1-1 series switch unit (425) and a 1-2 series switch unit (426) as a series switch unit (820).

[0223] In addition, a ground wire (GND) can be connected between the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424) and the other end of the 1-3 capacitor unit (413).

[0224] The second module (500) may include a second-first capacitor unit (511), a second-second capacitor unit (512), and a second-third capacitor unit (513) as a plurality of capacitor units (830). In addition, the second module (500) may include a second-first parallel switch unit (521) and a second-second parallel switch unit (522) as a single-side parallel switch unit (811), and may include a second-third parallel switch unit (523) and a second-fourth parallel switch unit (524) as the other-side parallel switch unit (812). In addition, the second module (500) may include a second-first series switch unit (525) and a second-second series switch unit (526) as a series switch unit (820).

[0225] In addition, a ground wire (GND) can be connected between the second-fourth parallel switch unit (524) and the other end of the second-third capacitor unit (513).

[0226] Each of the first module (400) and the second module (500) is connected to a branch line (942) connected to a connecting line (941), and the first control switch (610) and the third control switch (630) can be formed as an odd control switch (950), and the second control switch (620) can be formed as an even control switch (960).

[0227] Each switch section and control switch may be formed of a MOSFET element with a small internal resistance to reduce the time constant of the RC circuit and thereby speed up the charging time.

[0228]

[0229] An integrated connection unit (700) can be formed as a terminal block, and the integrated connection unit (700) can be provided with a first connection terminal (710), which is a terminal that supplies electricity to the thermoelectric element by being connected to the other end of the first control switch (610), and a second connection terminal (720), which is a terminal that receives electricity from the second module (500). Here, a thermoelectric element can be connected to the first connection terminal (710), and a device unit can be connected to the second connection terminal (720).

[0230] In addition, the integrated connection unit (700) may be provided with a fourth connection terminal (740) that is a terminal for transmitting a 1P signal, which is a control signal, to each of the 1-1 parallel switch unit (421) to the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424), and a third connection terminal (730) that is a terminal for transmitting a 1S signal, which is a control signal, to the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426).

[0231] In addition, the integrated connection unit (700) may be provided with a sixth connection terminal (760) that is a terminal for transmitting a 2P signal, which is a control signal, to each of the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524), and a fifth connection terminal (750) that is a terminal for transmitting a 2S signal, which is a control signal, to the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426).

[0232] In addition, the integrated connection unit (700) may be equipped with a seventh connection terminal (770) that transmits a control signal A to the first control switch (610), an eighth connection terminal (780) that transmits a control signal B to the second control switch (620), and a ninth connection terminal (790) that transmits a control signal C to the third control switch (630).

[0233] Here, for the purpose of performing control, the third connection terminal (730) to the ninth connection terminal (790) can be connected to the control unit.

[0234]

[0235] Figures 21 to 34 are schematic diagrams illustrating the operation of a first module (400) and a second module (500) included in a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention. Here, each of the processes in Figures 21 to 34 may be performed sequentially.

[0236] Below, the details of each drawing will be explained in detail.

[0237] As shown in Fig. 21, in the first stage, when the A signal of the control unit is transmitted to the first control switch (610) and the second control switch (620), the first control switch (610) can be turned on (turned on) and the second control switch (620) can be turned off (turned off).

[0238] Here, in the embodiment of the two-stage unit module, an embodiment can be disclosed in which the A signal of the control unit is separately transmitted to the first control switch (610) and the third control switch (630) at time intervals.

[0239] That is, the above logic signals can be transmitted to each switch section and control switch simultaneously or separately at time intervals, and for the convenience of understanding, the details of transmission of each logic signal related to each process may be disclosed below.

[0240] At this time, as the initial state of the first module (400), the 1-1 parallel switch unit (421) to the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424) are in the on state, and the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426) can be in the off state (turned off state).

[0241] By this, the 1-1 capacitor unit (411), the 1-2 capacitor unit (412) and the 1-3 capacitor unit (413) are connected in parallel, and the input voltage (V) is applied to the other end of the 1st control switch (610). in ) is authorized, charging can be performed for each of the first-1 capacitor unit (411) to the first-3 capacitor unit (413).

[0242] And, in the initial state of the second module (500), the P signal is transmitted from the control unit to the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524), so that each of the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524) is in an on state, and the P signal is transmitted from the control unit to the 2-1 series switch unit (525) and the 2-2 series switch unit (526), ​​so that each of the 2-1 series switch unit (525) and the 2-2 series switch unit (526) is in an off state. Accordingly, the 2-1 capacitor unit (511) to the 2-3 capacitor unit (513) may be connected in parallel with each other.

[0243] As shown in Fig. 22, in the second stage, charging is performed for each of the 1-1 capacitor unit (411) to the 1-3 capacitor unit (413), thereby providing a reference amount (V) for each capacitor unit of the 1st module (400). I,th ) is charged to more than (V) I ≥ V I,th ) If judged by the control unit, the control unit changes the signal to a B signal, thereby turning the first control switch (610) off, thereby disconnecting the connection between the thermoelectric element and the first module (400).

[0244] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0245]

[0246] As shown in Fig. 23, in the third step, when the S signal is transmitted from the control unit to each of the 1-1 parallel switch unit (421) to the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424), each of the 1-1 parallel switch unit (421) to the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424) is turned off, and thereby, each capacitor unit of the 1st module (400) can be electrically separated from each other.

[0247] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0248] As shown in Fig. 24, in the fourth step, when the S signal is transmitted from the control unit to each of the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426), each of the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426) is turned on, and thereby, the 1-1 capacitor unit (411), the 1-2 capacitor unit (412), and the 1-3 capacitor unit (413) can be connected in series. At this time, the potential (V) of the 1st module (400) I ) can be the sum of the voltages of individual capacitors.

[0249] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0250] As shown in Fig. 25, in the fifth step, when the B signal transmitted from the control unit to the second control switch (620) is transmitted, the second control switch (620) is turned on, and the first module (400) having the 1-1 capacitor unit (411) to the 1-3 capacitor unit (413) connected in series and the second module (500) having the 2-1 capacitor unit (511) to the 2-3 capacitor unit (513) connected in parallel can be connected to each other.

[0251] At this time, the potential (V) of the first module (400) I ) is the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) is higher than the voltage of the first module (400), the capacitor of the second module (500) can be charged with the charge of the first module (400). This charging process is performed by charging the potential (V) of the first module (400). I ) and the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) can be performed until they become equal.

[0252] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0253]

[0254] As shown in Fig. 26, in the sixth step, the potential (V) of the first module (400) I ) and the potential (V) of the second module (500) II) become the same, the control unit changes the B signal to an A signal, thereby turning the second control switch (620) off. In this case, the first module (400) and the second module (500) can be electrically separated from each other.

[0255] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0256] As shown in Fig. 27, in the 7th step, when a P signal is transmitted from the control unit to the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426), each of the 1-1 series switch unit (425) and the 1-2 series switch unit (426) is turned off, and the capacitor units of the 1st module (400) can be electrically separated from each other.

[0257] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0258] As shown in Fig. 28, in the 8th step, when the P signal is transmitted to the 1-1 parallel switch unit (421) to the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424), each of the 1-1 parallel switch unit (421) to the 1-4 parallel switch unit (424) is turned on, and the capacitor units of the 1st module (400) can be connected in parallel. At this time, the potential (V) of the 1st module (400) I ) may be the average value of the voltage of individual capacitors.

[0259] Here, the second module (500) can be maintained in the state of the first step described above.

[0260]

[0261] As shown in Fig. 29, in the 9th step, when the S signal is transmitted from the control unit to each of the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524), each of the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524) is turned off, and the capacitors of the second module (500) can be electrically separated from each other.

[0262] Here, the first module (400) can be maintained in the state in the above-described 8th step.

[0263] As shown in Fig. 30, in step 10, when the S signal is transmitted from the control unit to the 2-1 series switch unit (525) and the 2-2 series switch unit (526), ​​respectively, the 2-1 series switch unit (525) and the 2-2 series switch unit (526) are turned on, and the capacitor units of the 2nd module (500) can be connected in series. At this time, the potential (V) of the 2nd module (500) II ) can be the sum of the voltages of the individual capacitors of the second module (500).

[0264] Here, the first module (400) can be maintained in the state in the above-described 8th step.

[0265]

[0266] As shown in Fig. 31, in step 11, when the A signal is transmitted from the control unit to the third control switch (630), the third control switch (630) is turned on, and the potential (V) of the second module (500) in which the 2-1 capacitor unit (511) to the 2-3 capacitor unit (513) are connected in series II ) can be used as an output voltage to transmit electrical output to the device unit.

[0267] Here, the maximum available voltage (V out ) can be calculated by the following [Formula 1].

[0268] [Formula 1]

[0269] V out = n×m×V in

[0270] Here, m is the number of capacitors of the first module (400), n is the number of capacitors of the second module (500), and V in is the voltage of the thermoelectric element.

[0271] If the above process is repeated enough times, the n capacitor parts of the second module (500) can generate a maximum of mx Vin Each of the n capacitors can store the same amount of voltage, and when the n capacitors are connected in series, the maximum voltage of [Formula 1] can be realized.

[0272] Here, the first module (400) can be maintained in the state in the above-described 8th step.

[0273] As shown in Fig. 32, in step 12, after the discharge of the second module (500) is completed by transmitting electricity to the device unit, the control unit transmits a B signal to the third control switch (630) to turn off the third control switch (630), and the second module (500) can be electrically separated from the device unit.

[0274] Here, the first module (400) can be maintained in the state in the above-described 8th step.

[0275]

[0276] As shown in Fig. 33, in step 13, when a P signal is transmitted from the control unit to the 2-1 series switch unit (525) and the 2-2 series switch unit (526), ​​the 2-1 series switch unit (525) and the 2-2 series switch unit (526) are turned off, and the capacitor units of the 2nd module (500) can be electrically separated from each other.

[0277] Here, the first module (400) can be maintained in the state in the above-described 8th step.

[0278] As shown in Fig. 34, in step 14, when a P signal is transmitted from the control unit to each of the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524), the 2-1 parallel switch unit (521) to the 2-4 parallel switch unit (524) are turned on, and the capacitor units of the 2nd module (500) can be connected in parallel. At this time, the potential (V) of the 2nd module II ) can be the average of the voltages of individual capacitors.

[0279]

[0280] In order to control the two-stage unit module as described above, each signal transmitted from the control unit can be transmitted by an algorithm in the flowchart below. This will be described in detail below.

[0281] FIG. 35 is a flowchart for the operation of the control unit during charging of the first module (400) and the second module (500) included in a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0282] External input signal or potential of the second module (V II ) If the control unit determines that charging has started (START) due to the value being lower than or equal to the reference potential value, the control unit may perform step 110 (S110), which is a processing step. According to the performance of step 110 (S110), the above-described first step may be performed.

[0283] As a next step of step 110 (S110), the control unit can perform step 120 (S120), which is a judgment step. In step 120 (S120), the control unit can set a reference amount (V) for each capacitor unit of the first module (400). I,th ) is charged to more than (V) I ≥ V I,th ) can be judged by the control unit.

[0284] In step 120 (S120), a reference amount (V) is set for each capacitor of the first module (400). I,th ) is charged to more than (V) I ≥ V I,th ) If the control unit determines (YES), the control unit can proceed to step 130 (S130) described below.

[0285] And, in step 120 (S120), a reference amount (V) is set for each capacitor of the first module (400). I,th ) is charged to more than (V) I ≥ V I,th ) If the control unit does not determine (NO), the control unit can cause step 110 (S110) to be performed again.

[0286] As a subsequent step to step 120 (S120), the control unit may perform step 130 (S130), which is a processing step. In step 130 (S130), the connection of the capacitor units of the first module (400) may be converted from a parallel connection to a serial connection.

[0287] That is, according to the performance of steps 120 (S120) and 130 (S130), the above-mentioned steps 2, 3, and 4 can be performed.

[0288]

[0289] As a subsequent step to step 130 (S130), the control unit may perform step 140 (S140), which is a processing step. In step 140 (S140), charging of each capacitor unit of the second module (500) may be performed. That is, the fifth step described above may be performed according to the performance of step 140 (S140).

[0290] As a next step of step 140 (S140), the control unit can perform step 150 (S150), which is a judgment step. In step 150 (S150), the control unit can control the potential (V) of the first module (400). I ) and the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) can be judged whether they are the same.

[0291] In step 150 (S150), the control unit controls the potential (V) of the first module (400) I ) and the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) are determined to be the same (YES), the control unit can proceed to step 160 (S160) described below.

[0292] And, in step 150 (S150), the control unit controls the potential (V) of the first module (400) I ) and the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) is determined to be not the same (NO), the control unit can cause step 140 (S140) to be performed again.

[0293] As a subsequent step to step 150 (S150), the control unit may perform step 160 (S160), which is a processing step. In step 160 (S160), the connection of the capacitor units of the first module (400) may be converted from a series connection to a parallel connection.

[0294] That is, according to the performance of steps 150 (S150) and 160 (S160), the above-mentioned steps 6, 7, and 8 can be performed.

[0295] As a subsequent step to step 160 (S160), the control unit may perform step 170 (S170), which is a judgment step. In step 170 (S170), the control unit may determine whether charging will continue.

[0296] At this time, the control unit controls the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) can receive the value, and the potential (V) of the second module (500) II ) If the value is lower than the reference potential value, the control unit may determine that charging should continue, and if not, it may determine that continuing charging is unnecessary.

[0297] If the control unit determines that charging is to continue (YES), the control unit can cause step 110 (S110) to be performed again. In addition, if the control unit determines that charging is not necessary (NO), the control unit can generate a control signal to terminate the charging cycle (END).

[0298]

[0299] Figure 36 is a flowchart for the operation of the second module (500) included in a wearable device according to another embodiment of the present invention during discharge.

[0300] When the control unit determines that the output of the second module (500) has started (START) due to an external input signal (operation of the device unit), etc., the control unit can perform step 210 (S210), which is a processing step. In step 210 (S210), the connection of the capacitor units of the second module (500) can be converted from a parallel connection to a serial connection.

[0301] That is, according to the performance of step 210 (S210), the above-described steps 9 and 10 can be performed.

[0302] As a subsequent step to step 210 (S210), the control unit may perform step 220 (S220), which is a processing step. In step 2-2 (S220), discharging of the second module (500) may be performed.

[0303] As a subsequent step to step 220 (S220), the control unit may perform step 230 (S230), which is a judgment step. In step 230 (S230), the control unit may determine whether the discharge output of the second module (500) for the device unit continues.

[0304] At this time, the control unit can receive information about the battery charge rate of the device unit from the device unit, and if the battery charge rate of the device unit is lower than the reference charge rate, the control unit can determine that the boost output should be continued, and if the opposite is true, the control unit can determine that the boost output is unnecessary.

[0305] If the control unit determines that the boost output is to be continued (YES), the control unit may cause step 220 (S220) to be performed again. In addition, if the control unit determines that the boost output is unnecessary (NO), the control unit may cause step 240 (S240) described below to be performed.

[0306] Here, the above-described step 11 can be performed according to the performance of steps 220 (S220) and 230 (S230).

[0307] As a subsequent step to step 230 (S230), the control unit may perform step 240 (S240), which is a processing step. In step 240 (S240), the connection of the capacitor units of the second module (500) may be converted from a series connection to a parallel connection.

[0308] And, according to the performance of step 240 (S240), the above-mentioned steps 12, 13 and 14 can be performed.

[0309] After performing step 240 (S240), the boost output cycle may be terminated (END).

[0310]

[0311] As described above, by forming a plurality of unit modules (800) including a plurality of capacitor parts in multiple stages and connecting each unit module (800), and implementing the maximum voltage using each unit module (800) to enable a boost output, electricity boosted with high efficiency can be transmitted to the device part, thereby facilitating the operation of the device part.

[0312]

[0313] The foregoing description of the present invention is for illustrative purposes only, and those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that the present invention can be readily modified into other specific forms without altering the technical spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments described above should be understood as illustrative in all respects and not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be implemented in a distributed manner, and similarly, components described as distributed may be implemented in a combined manner.

[0314] The scope of the present invention is indicated by the claims described below, and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts should be interpreted as being included in the scope of the present invention.

[0315] <Explanation of symbols>

[0316] 10: Switch section 11: Front switch section

[0317] 12: First intermediate switch section 13: Second intermediate switch section

[0318] 14: Rear switch 21: Lead capacitor

[0319] 22: First intermediate capacitor 23: Second intermediate capacitor

[0320] 24: Post-short circuit capacitor 101: Supply voltage terminal

[0321] 102: 1st NO terminal 103: 1st common terminal

[0322] 104: 1st control input terminal 105: 1st NC terminal

[0323] 106: Ground terminal 107: 2nd NC terminal

[0324] 108: Second control input terminal 109: Second common terminal

[0325] 110: 2nd NO terminal 121: 1st switch

[0326] 122: Second switch 210: First connector

[0327] 220: Second connector 230: Third connector

[0328] 311: First resistance section 312: Second resistance section

[0329] 321: First delay capacitor 322: Second delay capacitor

[0330] 323: Third delay capacitor 324: Fourth delay capacitor

[0331] 325: Fifth delay capacitor 326: Sixth delay capacitor

[0332] 327: 7th delay capacitor 328: 8th delay capacitor

[0333] 1021: No. 1 terminal of the front switch

[0334] 1022: 1st NO terminal of the 1st intermediate switch section

[0335] 1023: 1st NO terminal of the 2nd intermediate switch section

[0336] 1024: 1st NO terminal of the rear switch section

[0337] 1051: 1st NC terminal of the front switch

[0338] 1052: 1st NC terminal of 1st intermediate switch section

[0339] 1053: 1st NC terminal of the 2nd intermediate switch section

[0340] 1054: 1st NC terminal of the rear switch section

[0341] 1071: 2nd NC terminal of the front switch

[0342] 1072: 2nd NC terminal of the 1st intermediate switch section

[0343] 1073: 2nd NC terminal of the 2nd intermediate switch section

[0344] 1074: 2nd NC terminal of the rear switch section

[0345] 1101: 2nd NO terminal of the front switch

[0346] 1102: 2nd NO terminal of the 1st intermediate switch section

[0347] 1103: 2nd NO terminal of the 2nd intermediate switch section

[0348] 1104: 2nd NO terminal of the rear switch section

[0349] 400: Module 1 411: Capacitor 1-1

[0350] 412: 1-2nd capacitor section 413: 1-3rd capacitor section

[0351] 421: 1-1 Parallel Switch Section 422: 1-2 Parallel Switch Section

[0352] 423: 1-3 Parallel Switch Section 424: 1-4 Parallel Switch Section

[0353] 425: Switch section for series 1-1 426: Switch section for series 1-2

[0354] 500: Module 2 511: Capacitor 2-1

[0355] 512: 2nd-2nd capacitor section 513: 2nd-3rd capacitor section

[0356] 521: 2-1 Parallel Switch Section 522: 2-2 Parallel Switch Section

[0357] 523: 2nd-3rd parallel switch section 524: 2nd-4th parallel switch section

[0358] 525: Switch section for 2-1 series 526: Switch section for 2-2 series

[0359] 610: First control switch 620: Second control switch

[0360] 630: Third control switch 700: Integrated connection

[0361] 710: First connection terminal 720: Second connection terminal

[0362] 730: Third connection terminal 740: Fourth connection terminal

[0363] 750: 5th connector 760: 6th connector

[0364] 770: 7th connector 780: 8th connector

[0365] 790: 9th connector 800: Unit module

[0366] 810: Parallel switch section 811: One-sided parallel switch section

[0367] 812: Parallel switch section for the other side 820: Serial switch section

[0368] 830: Capacitor 841: Single-sided line

[0369] 842: Other side line 910: Odd module

[0370] 920: Even module 930: Jem module

[0371] 941: Connecting line 942: Branch line

[0372] 950: Odd control switch 960: Even control switch

Claims

1. A thermoelectric element that generates electricity by coming into contact with the user's body surface; A storage module having a plurality of capacitors connected to the thermoelectric element and storing electricity generated by the thermoelectric element; A switch module having a plurality of switch sections, wherein one of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series or in parallel with another capacitor; and A wearable device capable of direct current boosting of a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that it includes a device unit that receives electricity from the plurality of capacitors when each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series with each other by the operation of the switch unit.

2. In claim 1, A wearable device capable of direct current step-up using a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the above switch unit is an integrated circuit (IC).

3. In claim 2, A wearable device capable of direct current step-up of a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the switch section comprises a NO terminal which is a normally open terminal, a NC terminal which is a normally closed terminal, and a common terminal.

4. In claim 3, A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the first common terminal and the first NC terminal are connected and energized in the circuit within the switch section, and the second common terminal and the second NC terminal are connected and energized, thereby charging each of the plurality of capacitors in parallel.

5. In claim 4, A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the first common terminal and the first NO terminal are connected and energized in the circuit within the switch section, and the second common terminal and the second NO terminal are connected and energized, thereby causing each of the plurality of capacitors to be connected in series and discharged.

6. In claim 1, A wearable device capable of switching capacitor DC voltage for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that when one capacitor and another capacitor are connected in series or in parallel, each of the plurality of switch sections sequentially changes state.

7. In claim 3, The above switch module, A tip switch part connected to one end of the above device part; A rear switch unit connected to the other end of the above device unit; and A wearable device capable of switching-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that it comprises at least one intermediate switch section formed between the front switch section and the rear switch section.

8. In claim 7, The first NO terminal of the above-mentioned tip switch part and one end of the above-mentioned device part are connected, A wearable device capable of direct current step-up using a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the second NO terminal of the rear switch unit and the other end of the device unit are connected.

9. In claim 7, The first NC terminal of the above rear switch unit and one end of the thermoelectric element are connected, A wearable device capable of direct current step-up of a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the second NC terminal of the above-mentioned tip switch part and the other end of the thermoelectric element are connected.

10. In claim 7, A wearable device capable of direct current step-up of a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the second NO terminal of one intermediate switch section is connected to the first NO terminal of another intermediate switch section.

11. In claim 7, The first NO terminal of one intermediate switch section and the second NO terminal of the tip switch section are connected, A wearable device capable of switching-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the first NO terminal of the rear switch section is connected to the second NO terminal of another intermediate switch section.

12. In claim 7, A wearable device capable of direct current step-up using a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that the above intermediate switch section is formed in multiple parts.

13. In claim 7, The above storage module, A terminal capacitor connected in parallel with the above terminal switch unit; An intermediate capacitor connected in parallel with the intermediate switch section; and A wearable device capable of direct current step-up using a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that it includes a rear capacitor connected in parallel with the rear switch unit.

14. In order to efficiently use the wearable thermoelectric generator of claim 1, a method for operating a wearable device capable of switching capacitor DC step-up, A first step in which each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in parallel; A second step in which, when a supply voltage signal is input to the other side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, the other side of each of the plurality of switch units sequentially switches from a closed state to an open state; A third step in which, when a supply voltage signal is input to one side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, one side of each of the plurality of switch units is sequentially switched from a closed state to an open state, so that each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in series; A fourth step in which, when a ground signal is input to one side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, one side of each of the plurality of switch units sequentially switches from an open state to a closed state; and A method for operating a wearable device capable of direct current boosting of a switch-capacitor for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that when a ground signal is input to the other side control terminal of each of the plurality of switch units, the other side of each of the plurality of switch units is sequentially switched from an open state to a closed state, so that each of the plurality of capacitors is connected in parallel.

15. In claim 14, A method for operating a wearable device capable of switching capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that it further includes a sixth step in which the above-described second to fifth steps are performed repeatedly.

16. A thermoelectric element that generates electricity by coming into contact with the user's body surface; A booster device connected to the thermoelectric element and including a plurality of unit modules to boost the voltage of the thermoelectric element; and A device unit that receives electricity from the above booster device; One of the above plurality of unit modules is connected to a branch line branched from a connecting line connecting the thermoelectric element and the device unit, A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that one of the plurality of unit modules comprises a plurality of capacitors for storing electricity, and a plurality of switch units for connecting one capacitor and another capacitor among the plurality of capacitors in series or parallel with each other.

17. In claim 16, A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that it further includes a plurality of control switches for turning on or off the current of one of the thermoelectric element and the plurality of unit modules and the device section and the other.

18. In claim 17, The above multiple unit modules are, An odd module, which is a unit module connected to a branch line located oddly from the above thermoelectric element; and A wearable device capable of switching-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that it includes an even module, which is a unit module connected to a branch line located at an even position from the thermoelectric generator.

19. In claim 18, The above plurality of control switches are, An odd control switch that controls electricity flowing from the even module to the odd module, or electricity flowing from the thermoelectric element to the odd module most closely connected to the thermoelectric element; and A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC step-up for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized by comprising an even-numbered control switch that controls electricity flowing from the odd-numbered module to the even-numbered module.

20. In claim 18, A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC boosting for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that when charging is performed on the odd modules, a plurality of capacitors installed in the odd modules are connected in parallel, and a plurality of capacitors installed in the even modules are connected in series.

21. In claim 18, A wearable device capable of switch-capacitor DC boosting for efficient use of a wearable thermoelectric generator, characterized in that when charging is performed on the even modules, a plurality of capacitors installed in the odd modules are connected in series, and a plurality of capacitors installed in the even modules are connected in parallel.

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