Wearable Ring TEG Housing for Continuous Physiological Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional wearable devices require frequent charging, which disrupts continuous physiological data collection, creating gaps in user health data and preventing detection of important events during charging.
Innovation Solution
Incorporation of a thermo-electric-generator (TEG) component between the inner and outer thermally-conductive shells of a wearable device to harness energy from temperature differences, with the outer shell segmented to maximize temperature contrast and efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Duration of action of moving object
If a conventional battery-powered wearable device is used, then the device can collect physiological data, but the battery life is limited and requires frequent charging which disrupts continuous data collection
Solution Approach 1:
The wearable device performs self-charging by harvesting thermal energy from the temperature difference between the user's body and the environment. The TEG component converts this thermal gradient directly into electrical energy to power the device, eliminating the need for external charging and continuous user intervention.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the previously wasted thermal energy (heat flow from body to environment) into useful electrical energy. The temperature difference that naturally exists between the user's body and ambient air is harnessed through the TEG component to generate power, transforming a passive energy loss into an active power source.
2Reliability
If the wearable device is charged externally, then the battery can be recharged, but the device must be removed from the user preventing detection of physiological events during charging
Solution Approach 1:
The device charges itself while being worn through the TEG component that continuously harvests thermal energy from the user's body. This eliminates the need for the device to be removed for charging, ensuring uninterrupted physiological monitoring and maintaining reliability without compromising ease of operation.
3Volume of moving object
If frequent charging is required, then the battery capacity can be kept small, but the user experience is degraded due to interruptions in data collection
Solution Approach 1:
The TEG component provides continuous self-charging capability, allowing the device to maintain operation indefinitely without external charging. This enables the use of smaller battery capacity while eliminating charging interruptions, thereby improving user experience without sacrificing the benefit of compact battery design.
Solution Approach 2:
The thermal energy harvesting through TEG operates continuously as long as the device is worn and there is a temperature difference between the body and environment. This continuous power generation ensures uninterrupted data collection and eliminates the periodic interruptions that would otherwise occur with conventional battery charging cycles.
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
Enhances battery life and reduces charging frequency, ensuring continuous physiological data collection without interruptions.
Implementation Method 1
The TEG component may generate a voltage across a thermocouple based on a temperature difference between the inner and outer shells of the wearable device, where the voltage may be used to generate an electrical current to power the wearable device and/or charge the battery
Implementation Method 2
a first shell (e.g., an inner shell) configured to contact a tissue of a user and a second shell (e.g., an outer shell) configured to be exposed to an environment of the user
Data Source
AI summary
Methods, systems, and devices for energy harvesting within a wearable device are described. The wearable device may include an inner ring-shaped housing, one or more sensors, and an outer ring-shaped housing. The outer ring-shaped housing may include at least one thermally isolated portion that extends at least partially around the wearable ring device and is isolated from a remaining portion of the outer ring-shaped housing. The device may further include one or more thermo-electric-generator (TEG) components disposed between the inner ring-shaped housing and the at least one thermally isolated portion of the outer ring-shaped housing. The one or more TEG components are configured to generate an electric current to power the one or more sensors, recharge a battery of the wearable ring device, or both, based on a temperature difference between the inner ring-shaped housing and the at least one thermally isolated portion of the outer ring-shaped housing.