# US 11,439,567 B2 · Wearable thermoelectric array as a graphical user interface

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- Number: US 11,439,567 B2
- Document ID: US11439567B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 16/354,243
- Filed: 2019-03-15
- Published: 2020-09-17
- Granted: 2022-09-13
- Earliest claimed: 2019-03-15
- Assignees: The Aerospace Corporation
- Applicants: The Aerospace Corporation
- Inventors: Siegfried W. Janson
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11439567B2

## CPC

- A61H 3/061: {with electronic detecting or guiding means}
- G06F 3/011: {Arrangements for interaction with the human body, e.g. for user immersion in virtual reality (blind teaching G09B21/00)}
- G09B 21/003: {using tactile presentation of the information, e.g. Braille displays}
- H10N 10/80: Constructional details
- A61H 2003/007: {secured to the patient, e.g. with belts}
- A61H 2201/0207: heated
- A61H 2201/0214: cooled
- A61H 2201/0228: heated by an electric resistance element
- G06F 3/016: {Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user}
- A61H: PHYSICAL THERAPY APPARATUS, e.g. DEVICES FOR LOCATING OR STIMULATING REFLEX POINTS IN THE BODY; ARTIFICIAL RESPIRATION; MASSAGE; BATHING DEVICES FOR SPECIAL THERAPEUTIC OR HYGIENIC PURPOSES OR SPECIFIC PARTS OF THE BODY (electrotherapy, magnetotherapy, radiation therapy or ultrasound therapy A61N)
- G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N)
- G09B: EDUCATIONAL OR DEMONSTRATION APPLIANCES; APPLIANCES FOR TEACHING, OR COMMUNICATING WITH, THE BLIND, DEAF OR MUTE; MODELS; PLANETARIA; GLOBES; MAPS; DIAGRAMS (devices for psychotechnics or for testing reaction times A61B5/16; games, sports, amusements A63; projectors, projector screens G03B)
- H10N: ELECTRIC SOLID-STATE DEVICES NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR

## Abstract

A thermal display module configured to create a thermal pattern discerned by a visually impaired user to determine his or her surroundings. The thermal display module includes a plurality of thermoelectric modules, each of which are configured to cool or heat a pixel plate in close proximity to a user's skin. The cooling or heating of each of the thermoelectric modules create the thermal pattern discernable by the user.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An apparatus, comprising:
a thermal display module configured to create a thermal pattern discerned by a user, wherein
the thermal display module comprises a plurality of thermoelectric modules, each of which are configured to cool or heat a pixel plate in close proximity to a user's skin, and
wherein the cooling or heating of each of the thermoelectric modules create the thermal pattern discernable by the user; and
a cooling fan configured to receive release heat from each of the thermoelectric modules and cool the thermally conductive substrate.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive heat sink substrate is a flexible substrate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the flexible substrate is a flexible copper substrate.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the thermally conductive substrate is affixed to a body of the person, allowing the person to discern surroundings near the person according to the cooling or the heating of each of the thermoelectric modules.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of thermoelectric modules are situated in an array format.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:
one or more flexible thermal straps connecting the thermally conductive substrate with the cooling fan, configured to pass the heat from each of the thermoelectric modules to the cooling fan.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a thin, flexible membrane on top of the thermal pixel plates to seal the module against sweat, oil, dust, etc., from the user or user's environment.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein temperature control of individual pixel plates is controlled using a fixed magnitude of current, with directional control and pulse width modulation.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The apparatus of claim 1, wherein temperature control of individual pixel plates is controlled using a variable magnitude of current (analog control), with direction control.

### Claim 10

An apparatus, comprising:
a thermal conductive substrate configured to create a thermal pattern discerned by a user,
wherein the thermal conductive substrate comprising an array of individually-control thermal modules (“modules”),
each of the modules within the array comprises a thermal pixel element, and
the thermal pixel element is heated or cooled depending on current flow to create a two-dimensional thermal pattern discernable by the user; and
a cooling fan configured to receive released heat from each of the modules and cool the thermally conductive substrate.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the thermal conductive substrate is a flexible circuit.

### Claim 12 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, wherein each of the modules comprises a plurality of thermoelectric elements sandwiched between an upper thermally-conductive, electrically insulating pixel plate and a lower thermally-conductive electrical insulator heat sink plate.

### Claim 13 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements are composed of a pair of p- and n-type semiconductors electrically connected in series using a plurality of electrical conductors.

### Claim 14 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, wherein each of the modules are electrically connected to a power supply, where +V side has greater voltage than −V side, such that heat is pumped from the insulating pixel plate to the insulator heat sink pink to cool the insulating pixel plate and depositing the heat in the insulator heat sink plate.

### Claim 15 (depends on 14)

The apparatus of claim 14, wherein, when polarity is reversed, heat is pumped from the insulator heat sink plate to the insulating pixel plate to heat the insulating pixel plate using the heat drawn from insulator heat sink plate.

### Claim 16 (depends on 12)

The apparatus of claim 12, further comprising:
a flexible membrane physically isolating each of the modules against sweat, oil, dust, etc., from the user or user's environment.

### Claim 17 (depends on 10)

The apparatus of claim 10, further comprising:
one or more flexible thermal straps connecting the thermally conductive substrate with the cooling fan, configured to pass the heat from each of the modules to the cooling fan.

### Claim 18

A thermal conductive substrate configured to create a thermal pattern, comprising:
an array of individually-controlled thermal modules (“modules”), each of which comprise a plurality of thermoelectric elements sandwiched between a pixel plate and an insulator heat sink plate, wherein
each of the plurality of thermoelectric elements are configured to be heated or cooled depending on current flow to create a two-dimensional thermal pattern discernable by a user; and
a cooling fan configured to receive released heat from each of the modules and cool the thermally conductive substrate.