Thermoelectric Textile Structure via Interlaced Wire Knitting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing thermoelectric structures are complex and expensive to manufacture, with limited flexibility and suboptimal thermal gradients due to the use of rigid substrates, which increases production costs and restricts their integration into flexible textile structures.
Innovation Solution
A thermoelectric structure comprising high and low dielectric wires intertwined with conductive wires to maintain separation and position, eliminating the need for a substrate and allowing for direct integration into textile structures through knitting or weaving, enhancing flexibility and thermal gradient performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Stability of the object's composition
If a rigid substrate is used to support conductive wires in thermoelectric structures, then structural stability is improved, but flexibility and manufacturing cost deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the rigid substrate entirely from the thermoelectric structure, extracting only the essential function of wire support and separation. The conductive wires are directly knitted into the textile fabric without requiring a separate substrate, thereby eliminating the flexibility limitation and reducing manufacturing complexity while maintaining structural integrity through the knitting process itself.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the substrate function with the textile fabric by integrating the conductive wires directly into the knitting process. The fabric itself becomes the structural support, eliminating the need for a separate substrate layer. This combination achieves both structural stability and flexibility simultaneously, as the knitted fabric inherently provides both support and bendability.
2Manufacturing precision
If a rigid substrate is used to maintain wire separation, then manufacturing precision is improved, but device complexity and production cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the wire separation function from the rigid substrate and assigns it to the knitting process itself. The interlacing of yarns during knitting naturally maintains precise separation between conductive wires of different types, eliminating the need for complex substrate structures with pre-formed holes and alignment features.
Solution Approach 2:
The knitting process automatically performs the wire separation and positioning function that would otherwise require a complex substrate. The interlacing pattern of the knit fabric self-organizes to maintain consistent spacing between conductive wires, achieving precise wire separation through the inherent geometry of the knitting process rather than through complex external fixtures.
3Adaptability or versatility
If textile structure is interposed between junctions and external environments, then integration into garments is improved, but thermal gradient performance deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the textile structure into distinct functional zones: outer fabric layers for thermal insulation and integration with the environment, and an inner core layer containing the thermoelectric wires for energy conversion. This segmentation allows the outer layers to provide garment integration and insulation while the inner thermoelectric layer directly experiences the thermal gradient between body and environment, minimizing the thermal barrier effect.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different properties to different parts of the structure: the outer fabric layers have high thermal insulation properties for garment integration and comfort, while the inner thermoelectric wire layer has high thermal conductivity along the wire direction to maximize heat flow for energy conversion. This local differentiation of thermal properties allows simultaneous optimization of both integration capability and thermal gradient performance.
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
Facilitates cost-effective and flexible thermoelectric structure manufacturing, improving performance by directly integrating conductive and dielectric wires into textile structures, ensuring optimal temperature gradients and enabling efficient energy harvesting.
Implementation Method 1
generate, thanks to the Seebeck effect, an electromotive force when a temperature gradient is applied between the cold and hot junctions
Implementation Method 2
develop, thanks to the Peltier effect, a thermal gradient when an electric current is applied
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
The thermoelectric structure (10) consists of a network of wires (11, 12, 13a, 13b) oriented substantially along a weft direction (D1) of the structure (10). It comprises first (11) and second (12) conducting wires of different materials, interlaced to form hot and cold junctions distributed respectively in two upper and lower planes. The junctions are alternately hot and cold along the same conducting wire (11, 12). The thermoelectric structure (10) includes, in the upper plane, at least one upper dielectric wire (13a) and, in the lower plane, at least one lower dielectric wire (13b). The dielectric wires (13a, 13b) are interlaced with the first (11) and second (12) conducting wires so as to maintain a distance between the two upper and lower planes.