Thermally Conductive Backpack Tubing for Wearable Heat Management
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current wearable thermoregulatory devices are often inflexible, bulky, and inefficient in heating or cooling, limiting their use in various applications due to mechanical rigidity and the need for separate coolant reservoirs, which reduces portability and convenience, especially in outdoor environments.
Innovation Solution
Development of thermally conductive materials and systems, such as a cooling vest and backpack, using polymers with additives like graphite fibers and plasticizers to create flexible, lightweight tubing that can be integrated into wearable devices for effective heat management, allowing for both heating and cooling while accommodating user movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If metal materials are used in thermoregulatory devices, then thermal conductivity is improved, but mechanical flexibility deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs composite materials combining metals with polymers or elastomers to achieve both thermal conductivity and mechanical flexibility. The metal components provide heat transfer pathways while the polymer matrix provides flexibility and comfort, resolving the contradiction between thermal performance and mechanical adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements local quality by concentrating metal thermal conductivity enhancement in specific regions or layers where heat transfer is most needed, while other regions maintain polymer flexibility. This allows the device to provide adequate thermoregulation without requiring the entire structure to be rigid.
2Ease of operation
If portable cooling systems are made wearable, then portability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the coolant reservoir, pumping mechanism, and heat exchange tubing into an integrated wearable system. By combining these previously separate components into a unified wearable device, the system achieves portability while managing complexity through functional integration.
Solution Approach 2:
The cooling system incorporates self-service features such as automatic coolant circulation and passive heat exchange mechanisms that reduce the need for complex external controls. The system operates autonomously once activated, simplifying the user interface and control architecture.
3Strength
If thermoregulatory devices are made rigid for structural stability, then strength is improved, but ease of movement deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible shells and thin film structures that provide sufficient structural strength to contain coolant and maintain device integrity while allowing the device to conform to body movements. These flexible structures replace rigid enclosures, enabling both strength and ease of movement.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention implements dynamic design elements that allow the device structure to adapt during movement. The flexible components can deform and reconfigure as the user moves, maintaining structural integrity during static periods while accommodating motion during activity, thus resolving the contradiction between strength and ease of movement.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution provides balanced thermoregulation with flexibility, enabling extended use in various scenarios by enhancing thermal conductivity and mechanical properties, reducing weight, and eliminating the need for separate coolant reservoirs, thus improving user comfort and performance.
Implementation Method 1
thermally conductive materials, such as, for instance, metals and composite materials... thermally conductive tubing... enhancing thermal conductivity
Implementation Method 2
coolant flows through the tubing... providing cooling... keep users comfortable
Implementation Method 3
thermally conductive tubing... conduct heat away from the user's body
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed herein are thermally conductive materials, including, for instance, thermally conductive tubing, thermally conductive devices and/or systems (e.g., apparel, backpacks, and the like), and applications thereof. In at least one embodiment, a thermally conductive material is disclosed that is made from one or more base polymers and one or more additives that increase the thermal conductivity of the thermally conductive material relative to the one or more base polymers. In additional embodiments, a cooling vest and a cooling backpack are disclosed, both of which are wearable by human users to keep their body temperature below a certain value. The vest and/or the backpack may include tubing through which coolant flows. The tubing is placed within the fabric and is arranged so that it contacts the user's skin.