Apparatuses and Methods for Adjusting the Temperature Inside a Helmet
This disclosure includes various helmets that may include: a thermoelectric element having at least one heating surface and at least one cooling surface, a thermally conductive cloth disposed within the helmet and selectively coupled to either the heating surface or the cooling surface such that the cloth is in thermal communication with the thermoelectric element, and a power source. Some of the present helmets include a switch configured to selectively activate or deactivate the thermoelectric element. Others of the present helmets include a plurality of thermally conductive fins disposed on an exterior surface of the helmet.
1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to helmets and more specifically, but not by way of limitation, to helmets with adjustable internal temperature (e.g., heating and/or cooling the climate inside a helmet).
2. Description of Related Art
Examples of helmets with mechanisms for adjusting internal temperature are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,483,021, and U.S. Pat. No. 7,296,304.
During an impact, a user's brain is particularly susceptible to injury, for example, traumatic brain injury, which can result in death or life-long disability. Such brain injuries can occur in various settings, including, but not limited to, sporting activities such as football or automobile racing, recreational activities such as bicycling, and/or occupational activities such as construction work. Typically, helmets are a necessary safety feature for preventing serious injury during such activities, and are often mandated by law. While helmets can significantly reduce the risk and/or severity of head injuries, helmets can pose their own unique problems related to the helmet/head interface.
A helmet typically covers the top and sides of a user's head. These portions of the head are known to account for up to 10% of the body's ability to regulate internal temperature. For example, if the user's environment is warmer than the user's body temperature, the user's head can radiate substantial portions of heat through evaporation of perspiration. Conversely, if the user's environment is cooler than the user's body temperature, the human head may, through radiation or convection, transmit heat to the surrounding environment. Currently, helmets are generally designed for a specific environment (e.g., for hot or cold environments), or primarily for safety with little regard for the temperature of the surrounding environment (for example, construction hard hats, mountain climbing helmets, and racing helmets). Therefore, depending on the type of helmet and the environment in which it is worn, current helmets can noticeably inhibit a user's ability to regulate their body temperature. For example, a typical automobile racing helmet consists of a full helmet that covers all of a user's head, with many including a full face shield. If a user wears such a helmet in a hot climate (e.g., the interior of a racing car), evaporation of perspiration may be inhibited due to the insulating nature of the full helmet and/or helmet padding. Therefore, such a helmet may make the user may be more susceptible to overheating, dehydration, and/or exhaustion. Some helmets designed for hot climates and less rigorous activities, such as certain bicycle helmets, seek to remedy this problem by providing air flow channels within the helmet to channel air over the user's head. However, such air flow channels may make such helmets less desirable in cold environments. For example, in a cold environment, air flow channels within the helmet may improve convective heat transfer away from the user's head and result in an increased risk for illness, exhaustion and/or hypothermia. Therefore, a user may be required to wear an additional insulating item underneath the helmet or a different helmet without cooling channels to ensure adequate warmth. Additionally, cooling vents can compromise the structural strength of a helmet and may be unsuitable for applications requiring full head coverage (e.g., hard hats).
SUMMARYEmbodiments of the present helmets can be configured to selectively cool and/or heat the interior of the helmet such that the helmet is suitable for a wide range of activities in varying environmental conditions without compromising the structural integrity of the helmet.
Embodiments of the present apparatuses and methods can be configured, through a thermally conductive cloth in thermal communication with a plurality of cooling fins disposed outside of (e.g., on an external surface of) a helmet, to transmit heat from a user's head to the environment, thereby cooling the user's head. Other embodiments of the present apparatuses and methods can be configured, through a thermoelectric element inside of a helmet in thermal communication with a thermally conductive cloth, to adjust the temperature inside of a helmet (e.g., cooling and/or heating) by varying the voltage and/or current supplied to the thermoelectric element.
Some embodiments of the present helmets comprise a thermoelectric element having at least one heating surface and at least one cooling surface, a thermally conductive cloth disposed within the helmet and selectively coupled to either the heating surface or the cooling surface such that the cloth is in thermal communication with the thermoelectric element, a power source, and a switch configured to selectively activate or deactivate the thermoelectric element. In some embodiments an external surface of the helmet comprises a plurality of thermally conductive fins, the helmet configured such that either the heating surface or the cooling surface may be selectively thermally coupled to the external surface of the helmet. In some embodiments, the cloth comprises carbon fiber. In some embodiments, the cloth comprises silver. In some embodiments, the cloth comprises silicon. In some embodiments, the power source is configured to accept a battery. In some embodiments, the power source comprises a rechargeable battery. In some embodiments, the power source comprises a solar power source. In some embodiments, the cloth is disposed within the helmet such that when the helmet is worn by a user, a majority of the cloth that contacts the user's skin contacts the user's temples. Some embodiments comprise a thermostat configured to adjust a temperature inside of the helmet. In some embodiments, the thermostat is configured to selectively activate or deactivate the thermoelectric element when a temperature inside of the helmet reaches a threshold temperature. Some embodiments comprise a timer configured to deactivate the thermoelectric element after the thermoelectric element has been activated for a certain period of time. Some embodiments comprise at least one sensor configured to capture data indicative of conditions inside of the helmet and a processor configured to adjust a temperature inside of the helmet at least partly based on the data captured by the at least one sensor. Some embodiments comprise a user input device configured to receive inputs indicative of a user's desired internal helmet temperature and a processor configured to adjust a temperature inside of the helmet at least partly based on the user inputs. In some embodiments, the helmet comprises a sports helmet. In some embodiments, the helmet comprises a motorsports helmet. In some embodiments, the helmet comprises a construction helmet.
Some embodiments of the present helmets comprise a thermally conductive cloth disposed within the helmet and a plurality of thermally conductive fins disposed on an outer surface of the helmet and in thermal communication with the cloth.
Some embodiments of the present methods comprise applying power to a thermoelectric element in thermal communication with a thermally conductive cloth that is in contact with the user's head and disposed within the helmet.
The term “coupled” is defined as connected, although not necessarily directly, and not necessarily mechanically; two items that are “coupled” may be unitary with each other. The terms “a” and “an” are defined as one or more unless this disclosure explicitly requires otherwise. The term “substantially” is defined as largely but not necessarily wholly what is specified (and includes what is specified; e.g., substantially 90 degrees includes 90 degrees and substantially parallel includes parallel), as understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art. In any disclosed embodiment, the terms “substantially,” “approximately,” and “about” may be substituted with “within [a percentage] of” what is specified, where the percentage includes 0.1, 1, 5, 10, and 20 percent.
Further, a device or system that is configured in a certain way is configured in at least that way, but it can also be configured in other ways than those specifically described.
The terms “comprise” (and any form of comprise, such as “comprises” and “comprising”), “have” (and any form of have, such as “has” and “having”), “include” (and any form of include, such as “includes” and “including”), and “contain” (and any form of contain, such as “contains” and “containing”) are open-ended linking verbs. As a result, an apparatus that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more elements possesses those one or more elements, but is not limited to possessing only those elements. Likewise, a method that “comprises,” “has,” “includes,” or “contains” one or more steps possesses those one or more steps, but is not limited to possessing only those one or more steps.
Any embodiment of any of the apparatuses, systems, and methods can consist of or consist essentially of—rather than comprise/include/contain/have—any of the described steps, elements, and/or features. Thus, in any of the claims, the term “consisting of” or “consisting essentially of” can be substituted for any of the open-ended linking verbs recited above, in order to change the scope of a given claim from what it would otherwise be using the open-ended linking verb.
The feature or features of one embodiment may be applied to other embodiments, even though not described or illustrated, unless expressly prohibited by this disclosure or the nature of the embodiments.
Some details associated with the embodiments described above and others are described below.
The following drawings illustrate by way of example and not limitation. For the sake of brevity and clarity, every feature of a given structure is not always labeled in every figure in which that structure appears. Identical reference numbers do not necessarily indicate an identical structure. Rather, the same reference number may be used to indicate a similar feature or a feature with similar functionality, as may non-identical reference numbers. The figures are drawn to scale (unless otherwise noted), meaning the sizes of the depicted elements are accurate relative to each other for at least the embodiment depicted in the figures.
Thermoelectric elements can be configured to provide a conversion between temperature differences and voltages, and generally comprise a plurality of alternating p- and n-type semiconductor elements electrically connected in series. When a voltage is applied to the free ends, the thermoelectric element transfers thermal energy from a cooling surface to a heating surface.
Thermally conductive cloth 102 can be constructed from a variety of materials, including, but not limited to, carbon fiber, silver, copper, and/or silicon. Thermally conductive cloth 102 can, for example, be constructed from a material with a high thermal conductivity (indicative of the quantity of heat transmitted through a unit thickness in a direction normal to a surface of unit area, due to a unit temperature gradient under steady state conditions) to maximize heat transfer to or from thermoelectric element 101 (e.g., a thermal conductivity above 100 watts per meter kelvin (W/mK)). In some embodiments, the thermally conductive cloth (e.g., 102 and/or 102a) further comprises an insulating liner disposed between the outer surface of the helmet and the thermally conductive portion of the cloth. Through such features, undesired heat transfer between the environment and the helmet can be minimized such that the majority of heat transfer within helmet 100 occurs between the user's head and the thermally conductive cloth. In the embodiment shown, thermally conductive cloth 102 is disposed within helmet 100 such that when the helmet is worn, substantially all of a user's head within the helmet contacts thermally conductive cloth 102. However, in other embodiments, cloth 102 is configured such that a majority of the portion of the cloth that contacts the user's skin when the helmet is worn contacts specific areas of a user's head (e.g., areas of a user's head that are most sensitive to heat transfer, such as, for example, a user's temples). In such embodiments, the present helmets can be configured to require less power and/or focus the heat transfer effects of thermoelectric element 101 (e.g., a smaller thermally conductive cloth can experience larger absolute temperature changes than a larger thermally conductive cloth given the same amount of heat transfer, where smaller and larger refer to the relative surface areas of thermally conductive cloths with the same or similar thicknesses).
In the embodiment shown, helmet 100 comprises a power source 104. Power source 104 can be any suitable power source that permits the functionality described in this disclosure, including, but not limited to, batteries (disposable and/or rechargeable), and/or the like. In embodiments configured to use disposable batteries (e.g., 1.5 volt batteries such as AA or AAA size, 9 volt batteries, and/or the like), power source 104 is configured to accept the batteries (e.g., a battery holder configured to allow a user to install the batteries). In other embodiments, power source 104 can comprise internal rechargeable batteries (e.g., not configured to be replaced by a user) (e.g., nickel-cadmium (NiCd), nickel-metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion, lithium-ion polymer, and/or the like). In such embodiments, the helmets and/or power source 104 can further comprise a charging port configured to accept an alternating current to direct current (AC) adapter jack (e.g., such that the user may recharge the batteries inside helmet). In other embodiments, power source 104 can comprise a solar power source (e.g., one or more solar cell(s) and/or panel(s) disposed on the external surface of the helmet). In other solar-powered embodiments, power source 104 can comprise thin film solar panels that are disposed on and contoured to the outer surface of the helmet (e.g., resembling a painted coating).
In the embodiment shown, helmet 300 is configured such that either heating surface 101a or cooling surface 101b of thermoelectric element 101 may be selectively thermally coupled to external surface 301 and/or fins 302 of helmet 300. For example, and referring to
Some embodiments of the present methods comprise controlling a temperature inside of a helmet (e.g., helmets 100, 300, 400, and/or 500) when the helmet is worn by a user by applying power (e.g., from power source 104) to a thermoelectric element (e.g., 101) in thermal communication with a thermally conductive cloth (e.g., 102 or 102a) that is in contact with the user's head and disposed within the helmet.
The above specification and examples provide a complete description of the structure and use of illustrative embodiments. Although certain embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the scope of this invention. As such, the various illustrative embodiments of the methods and systems are not intended to be limited to the particular forms disclosed. Rather, they include all modifications and alternatives falling within the scope of the claims, and embodiments other than the one shown may include some or all of the features of the depicted embodiment. For example, elements may be omitted or combined as a unitary structure, and/or connections may be substituted. Further, where appropriate, aspects of any of the examples described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other examples described to form further examples having comparable or different properties and/or functions, and addressing the same or different problems. Similarly, it will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments.
The claims are not intended to include, and should not be interpreted to include, means-plus- or step-plus-function limitations, unless such a limitation is explicitly recited in a given claim using the phrase(s) “means for” or “step for,” respectively.
Claims
1. A helmet comprising:
- a thermoelectric element having at least one heating surface and at least one cooling surface;
- a thermally conductive cloth disposed within the helmet and selectively coupled to either the heating surface or the cooling surface such that the cloth is in thermal communication with the thermoelectric element;
- a power source; and
- a switch configured to selectively activate or deactivate the thermoelectric element.
2. The helmet of claim 1,
- where an external surface of the helmet comprises a plurality of thermally conductive fins;
- the helmet configured such that either the heating surface or the cooling surface may be selectively thermally coupled to the external surface of the helmet.
3. The helmet of claim 1, where the cloth comprises carbon fiber.
4. The helmet of claim 1, where the cloth comprises silver.
5. The helmet of claim 1, where the cloth comprises copper.
6. The helmet of claim 1, where the cloth comprises silicon.
7. The helmet of claim 1, where the power source is configured to accept a battery.
8. The helmet of claim 1, where the power source comprises a rechargeable battery.
9. The helmet of claim 1, where the power source comprises a solar power source.
10. The helmet of claim 1, where the cloth is disposed within the helmet such that when the helmet is worn by a user, a majority of the cloth that contacts the user's skin contacts the user's temples.
11. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising a thermostat configured to adjust a temperature inside of the helmet.
12. The helmet of claim 11, where the thermostat is configured to selectively activate or deactivate the thermoelectric element when a temperature inside of the helmet reaches a threshold temperature.
13. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising a timer configured to deactivate the thermoelectric element after the thermoelectric element has been activated for a certain period of time.
14. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising:
- at least one sensor configured to capture data indicative of conditions inside of the helmet; and
- a processor configured to adjust a temperature inside of the helmet at least partly based on the data captured by the at least one sensor.
15. The helmet of claim 1, further comprising:
- a user input device configured to receive inputs indicative of a user's desired internal helmet temperature; and
- a processor configured to adjust a temperature inside of the helmet at least partly based on the user inputs.
16. The helmet of claim 1, where the helmet comprises a sports helmet.
17. The helmet of claim 1, where the helmet comprises a motorsports helmet.
18. The helmet of claim 1, where the helmet comprises a construction helmet.
19. A helmet comprising:
- a thermally conductive cloth disposed within the helmet; and
- a plurality of thermally conductive fins disposed on an outer surface of the helmet and in thermal communication with the cloth.
20. A method of controlling a temperature inside of a helmet, the helmet worn by a user, the method comprising:
- applying power to a thermoelectric element in thermal communication with a thermally conductive cloth that is in contact with the user's head and disposed within the helmet.
Type: Application
Filed: Dec 23, 2013
Publication Date: Jun 25, 2015
Inventors: Grant Charles Gordon (Tyler, TX), David Shanahan (Dallas, TX), Kaleb Omar Lee (Lafayette, LA)
Application Number: 14/139,463